Around this time, 102 years ago, the last Passenger Pigeon on earth died in a cage in a zoo in Ohio. A Message from Martha by Mark Avery is published by Bloomsbury – for reviews see here.
Category: AUTHOR: Reflections, Inglorious, Message from Martha, Remarkable Birds etc
Publication day for Remarkable Birds
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Today is the publication date for my latest book, Remarkable Birds. It’s a very attractive book, which I can say because I had only a little to do with the choice of illustrations and the laying out of the book. I wrote the words in between the marvellous artwork! The cover is an Audubon –…
Remember Martha
‘On 1 September 1914, between midday and 1 pm, in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio, a pigeon breathed her last, and with her died her species. The pigeon was known as Martha, and the species was the Passenger Pigeon. Amongst all extinctions, this example remains unusual in two respects: the precision with which…
World Birding TV launches
A new international internet birding magazine, World Birding TV, has just launched. Guess what? Episode 1 includes coverage of our campaign to ban driven grouse shooting and we get the chance to see and hear Amanda Anderson looking unconvinced and sounding unconvincing. Henry is filmed at the Bird Fair and a gamekeeper finds evidence of…
The Bird Fair – some pictures with me in them
The world’s most-loved Hen Harrier gets all the glamour gigs but I enjoyed the Bird Fair too – I’ll give you some thoughts tomorrow. But here are some images with just a few words. I see that Simon Lester has his own version of the Q&A at the Bird Fair out on the GWCT website….
How’s your day so far?
My day so far (before 0830): sent thank you emails to 30+ people who have written to their MP about driven grouse shooting went out to Stanwick Lakes and saw the Turnstone that has been there for a few days had breakfast, two slices of toast and marmite, in the garden saw a Holly Blue…
Inglorious Duncan Thomas of BASC
Duncan Thomas works for BASC – he is their North of England Director. His Twitter handle is @DuncanBASC. Mr Thomas will, I understand, be on Countryfile this evening talking about grouse shooting. Over the last year and a bit Mr Thomas has shown a rather persistent interest in my finances (nothing to see here!). In…
Why driven grouse shooting is doomed
I’m quite often asked whether I really want a ban on driven grouse shooting – I do! And then I’m sometimes told that ‘It’ll never happen’ and I say ‘It will’. This is why. Let’s start with the very obvious, but rarely stated, fact that driven grouse shooting is not essential. We don’t need it….
Prepare for the Inglorious 12th with a good read
‘A powerful indictment of the grouse-shooting industry‘ – The Guardian ‘No other book this year put the cat among the pigeons (or rather, the game birds) like Avery’s impassioned investigation into driven grouse shooting and its impact on moorland ecology‘ – The Times ‘This book pulls no punches…This is a book you must read whether…
Paperback Inglorious published today.
Inglorious is available from all good bookstores and on Hen Harrier Day at Rainham, 6 August, from the RSPB shop (as is Chris Packham’s fantastic new book Fingers in the Sparkle Jar).