Carol Day has worked for environmental NGOs, including The Wildlife Trusts and WWF, for over 25 years. She now works part-time as a Consultant Solicitor for Leigh Day and as a Legal Consultant for the RSPB. Carol was part of the Leigh Day team with whom I worked on our successful legal challenge to Natural…
Category: BLOGS by guest authors
Guest blog – The Walshaw Moor blogs (1-68) by Richard Wilson (Wuthering Moors 69)
Richard Wilson is an independent professional ecologist with just under 20 years experience. When in the field, he specialises in invertebrate and avian ecology, with a smattering of botanical surveying thrown in for good measure. His background as a consultant has led to a keen interest in EU and UK law in the context of nature conservation….
Guest blog – Dead from the neck down by David Elias
David Elias is now retired but worked for RSPB, NCC and CCW mostly as a warden on various reserves. He also spent some time working in a national park in Malawi. His last stint was on the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales – so hen harriers are close to his heart. He lives near Bala…
Guest blog – Save Mortimer Forest by Nigel Rowley
Nigel Rowley is a founder member of the Save Mortimer Forest campaign which was started earlier this year when the public became aware of proposals by the Forestry Commission and Forest Holidays to build a large holiday complex in Mortimer Forest. Twitter: @MortimerForest Mortimer Forest, near Ludlow, on the border of Herefordshire and Shropshire, a…
Stitching The Western Oakwoods: The Green and the Red by Stephen Halton
Mark writes: the following poem is by Stephen Halton whose Poem for Swifts appeared here in May 2014. Stephen tells me ‘Two more of my ‘iconic birds’ (as well as Hen Harriers!) are Wood Warblers and Redstarts. Both have sadly disappeared as a breeding species from my part of the world in Bedfordshire but I…
Guest blog – Fox hunting crimes by Ian Carter
Moving to Devon 18 months ago has been a real eye-opener in relation to wildlife crime. There is plenty of industrial-scale Pheasant shooting but Buzzards exist at high densities and even Goshawks seem to be doing well, with several breeding sites within a few minutes’ drive of the house. Raptor persecution no doubt occurs on…
Guest blog – Peak District Moorland Monitors
Thanks Mark, for allowing us the opportunity to introduce ourselves! We are the Moorland Monitors – a group of local people from raptor, mammal and ecological backgrounds who want to combine forces to protect the wild species and wild spaces of the Peak District grouse moors. We believe that local people and visitors can play…
Guest blog – ELS/HLS madness by Andrew Carter
Andrew Carter is a farmer in South Wilts with a pedigree Aberdeen-Angus herd which is making use of both chalk downland and meadows in the Hampshire Avon valley – much within the current Higher Level Stewardship scheme. He practices conventional arable farming, but with a high quantity of environmental balancing. A lifelong interest in natural…
BREAKING: A new species discovered on grouse moors (by Alan Cranston)
BREAKING NEWS: Scientists have been astounded by the discovery of a new species on Britain’s uplands. Given the scientific name Apodemus loricatorum aprilis asinus, it is found only on driven grouse moors. Research has shown that it can survive only in that specialised environment and scientists are excited by its extraordinarily rapid evolutionary development. Professor…
Guest blog – Balls by Olaf Lipor and Ian Parsons
We hear so much about the introduction of the government’s new ‘Fat Tax’ that we no longer really listen to the detail. But, as birdwatchers, we really should be listening, because this new tax is going to hit us very hard financially. The new tax will substantially increase the price of foods that are high…