It’s lovely to get e-mails like this completely out of the blue: ‘I finished reading Martha about ten minutes ago and because you are so easy to contact I felt I had to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your book. I found it very moving and very thought provoking. I have been…
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The ibis has landed – almost…
This summer, a pair of Glossy Ibises built a nest at the RSPB nature reserve at Frampton Marsh – the first recorded nesting attempt by this species in the UK. The pair did not go on to raise young but this is a sign of things to come. RSPB Senior Sites Manager John Badley said:…
A Swift exit?
Last year, the last evening with Swifts above my house was 8 August. This year, my last record so far, was the morning of 9 August before heading off to the Peak District. Are they really gone? I have seen them on evenings at home after days at the Bird Fair before – we’ll see….
Syngenta – we’re waiting…?
Dear Syngenta Why didn’t you release the data on neonics to Prof Jeremy Greenwood when he asked you for them? Yours sincerely Dr Mark Avery See earlier blog.
Down your lane…
I was driving down a country lane not far from home, a couple of months ago, when I noticed that the hedge on one side of the road was rather sparse; and then I noticed it was completely lifeless. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. And it wasn’t just a few metres, it went…
I felt I’d been lax
To cut a long story short I’ve just joined the League Against Cruel Sports as a member. This is largely because they have supported Hen Harrier Day and our e-petition so helpfully. But there are some other reasons, too. First, I have got such a lot of abuse from people on Twitter over this e-petition…
Vote for Policies
Vote for Policies is a website that allows you to compare the policies of political parties on areas that interest you (eg the environment) without being told which party’s they are, and then lets you see which political party is closest to your own view of the world. I used it in the 2010 general…
Just a Water Rail
If I hadn’t been with Lennox, I would have come home saying that I had had a nice toasted cheese sandwich but had seen just a Water Rail at Wicken Fen. As it was, because Len knows his dragonflies and damselflies, I could say that I’d seen about a quarter of the UK species. Most…
FoI Friday – 5
This is a copy of my earlier blog post but now including the Peak District National Park’s rapid and helpful response to points 1 and 2. They tell me that they are checking on point 3 now. Dear Peak District National Park This is a request under the Freedom of Information regulations, but in…
Martha and Martha 2 and a great review in the Independent
The World at One say they had such a strong response to the chat between Martha Kearney and me on the subject of Passenger Pigeons that they have put up a separate link to it and included a film of the interview too – click here to hear and see the interview. I also enjoyed…