Although an ornithologist by training, Tim Reed has a background in monitoring and data quality- starting with standardising management planning and data recording for the statutory sector, moving on to developing the widely-used Common Standards site condition model. After a long period introducing peer-reviewable data and biodiversity and ecosystem reporting models in big corporates around…
Category: BLOGS by guest authors
Guest blog – At the Gates of the Supreme Court by Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy has lived in Northern Ireland since arriving on the ferry from Liverpool in 1984 as the RSPB’s first, and last, Assistant Regional Officer. Together with his German wife, Doris, he’s known to shout HALT! when special places are threatened like the Belfast Harbour Pools and the Bog Meadows – once zoned for development,…
Guest blog – Natural History in the national curriculum by Chris Baker
Chris is a science teacher of nine years and a former country park ranger. He began his teaching career in London before taking up posts at British schools in Vietnam and China. He is a Biology specialist and currently Head of Science at the British School Bucharest. My previous guest blog post was…
Guest blog – it’s #TimeToBeHeard by Richard Benwell
Richard has worked in the Westminster parliament as a researcher in the House of Lords and as a Senior Clerk for the Energy and Climate Change Committee. He is now Head of Government Affairs at WWT after spending a couple of years as a Parliamentary Officer at the RSPB. He wrote a previous guest…
Guest blog – Can Lebanon control Illegal Hunting? by James Hogg
James (@JWTHogg) writes: I grew up on a farm on the edge of the North York Moors and have always been interested by nature and always wanted to be able to put a name to everything. Over the years this has grown to a love of birds and luckily circumstances have allowed me to travel…
This blog: Feral reviews, comments, guest blogs, readers, photos
Writing competition: I wasn’t inundated with reviews of Feral for this blog’s latest writing competition (something of a relief) but there were plenty and four have been short-listed by me and are now being read by the distinguished panel of judges. Watch this space. A few words on comments: You are welcome to comment…
Guest blog – Lesser Spotted Woodpecker network by Ken and Linda Smith
Ken and Linda Smith are both retired and now live in Chichester, West Sussex having moved from Hertfordshire last year. Before their retirements, Linda was a senior civil servant with Defra and Ken a research scientist with the RSPB. Ken has always been heavily involved with local birding and recording through the Herts Bird Club,…
Guest blog – by Birding for All
Accessibility at nature reserves matters, be it for wheelchair-using wildlife enthusiasts; parents trying to introduce their small children to the wonders of nature; or just to make life easier for us all as we age as walking, can, become more of an issue. Let’s face it none of us know what is around the corner…
Guest blog – International Vulture Awareness Day by Ian Parsons
Tomorrow, the first Saturday of September, is International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). The aim of the day is, as the name suggests, to raise awareness of the plight of vulture species across the world. The majority of these are in big trouble, in serious danger of extinction. Regular readers of this blog will know that…
Guest blog – Building for wildlife by Ian Parsons
Ian Parsons spent twenty years working as a Ranger with the Forestry Commission, where he not only worked with birds of prey and dormice, but where he developed his passion for trees. Now a freelance writer, Ian runs his own specialist bird tour company leading tours to Extremadura. For more details see www.griffonholidays.com This is…