Three magazines arrived at home last week and I’ve enjoyed reading each of them – and each is packed with good wildlife information. Birdwatch – for which I write a monthly column (the political birder) – is always excellent. I was talking to another Birdwatch contributor the other day and we agreed that we were…
Category: ME:
First Chiffchaff of 2014 for me
I saw my first Chiffchaff of the year at Stanwick Lakes this morning. And a nice sunny morning it was too. I was walking along a path before the sun had actually risen above the horizon. The Chiffchaff turned up a little later on my walk, in a wet area which seemed to have a…
Talking this evening
I’m looking forward to talking to the Nottingham RSPB Local Group at 730pm this evening. The Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham NG1 4EZ.
On track so far…
We are only a couple of days into 2014 but it is going quite well so far. I have spent time with friends and relatives, made a profit on betting, had some walks, eaten well and drunk well too – if only I had won the Really Nasty Horse Racing Game in the first few…
Disgusting of Tunbridge Wells
Sir I note with concern that there is ample evidence that birds from Romania and Bulgaria are already visiting our fair shores. Bird ringing recoveries demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that poor birds flood in to Britain from eastern Europe in search of an easier life. These ecological migrants, as we should call them, are even…
BTO thrushes coloured in my local picture
I went out over the Christmas period to count thrushes for the BTO. The winter thrush survey hasn’t really caught my imagination, and I don’t hold great hopes for it producing fascinating results, but the BTO asked me to do it and so I did it gladly. It wasn’t onerous – a bit of countryside…
Return to Swanwick
I’ve been attending BTO Conferences at Swanwick in Derbyshire, off and on, for about 35 years. Over the years some things have changed and others haven’t. Hardly changed at all: there are always some inspiring talks – Ellie Owen’s was a highlight for me this year there is always a feeling of comradeship amongst…
The Standing up for Nature Blog’s Wildlife MP of 2013 is…
…the only Green Party MP at Westminster, Caroline Lucas. Caroline secured a little under 40% of the 1546 votes cast. The full results were: Caroline Lucas MP 602 (39%) Owen Paterson MP 363 (23.5%) Barry Gardiner MP 209 (13.5%) Zac Goldsmith MP 183 (11.8%) ‘None of the above’ 80 (5.2%) Joan Walley MP 70…
WOS
Last Saturday I drove into Wales, to Monmouth, to spend the day at the meeting of the Welsh Ornithological Society. I gave a talk and listened to lots of others. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Gwent Ornithological Society so it was fitting that we were in Monmouth. I enjoyed hearing from Al…
Feather
I was standing in the garden one day last week when I saw a feather falling to the ground. It fell slowly as you would expect – it floated to the ground in next door’s garden. It took around four seconds to cover the distance from the the height of the top of a nearby…