Sometimes governments say they are going to do 20 daft things (they never put it quite like that) and then only do 10 daft things and they expect us all to be grateful. There ought to be a word for it – a Greek word – maybe there is – for a victory which you…
Category: Uncategorized
Interesting move
Shooting organisations are clearly rattled by the campaign that has been building to remove lead from the environment (a subject oft-mentioned in this blog see here, here, here, here, here for example and the subject of a Guest Blog by the BASC Comms Director, Christopher Graffius). Complying with the law as it stands is going…
A national species? It’s got to be the bluebell!
BBC Wildlife is running a poll for Britain’s national species. The species that makes most sense to me is the bluebell (championed by Plantlife). The bluebell is found just about everywhere in the UK and we hold a larger share of the world’s bluebells than any other country (it’s also found in Ireland, the Netherlands,…
I will miss…
I set off for the USA on Thursday. I will miss: bluebells, orchids, black hairstreaks, Duke of Burgundy butterflies (again), spotted flycatchers, May blossom, cricket, decent beer, the Today programme, Desert Island Discs, the NGO State of Nature launch and the Derby. I will not miss: Defra, George Osborne, cutting the grass, rain stopping play…
I hope they sink (VII)
Yesterday East Cambridgeshire District Councillors voted by eight votes to three to approve a boathouse complex at Ely (although subject to addressing ecological conditions via conditions and with the approval delegated to the Head of Planning). It is exceptionally unusual for a planning decision to go ahead in this way when the statutory advisor on…
I hope they sink (VI)
Today is the day when the planning committee will decide on the proposal to damage an important wildlife site on the edge of Ely (see previous blogs). Very surprisingly, the Planning Officer has recommended that the plan should be approved despite the weight of local objection and informed nature conservation objection. Maybe it’s because the…
Where was I?
Yesterday I saw 75 species of birds at an RSPB nature reserve. But the species which will stick in my mind for longer were the harbour porpoises, adder and weasel. Q Where was I? A Yes, well done Doug, Bob, Stella and I guess Filbert! I’ve never seen harbour porpoise there before and there were…
The rise of Newt-Kip
Nigel Farrage (or Smooth Newt-Kip as he is known to his follower) will be supping an extra pint of Old Peculiar after Newt-Kip’s astounding poll success. Instead of controlling Ramsey council and having no MPs Newt-Kip now controls Ramsey council and has no MPs. But you can’t get away from the fact that the coalition…
I hope they sink (V)
This is the fifth blog on the subject of Cambridge University Boat Club’s plans for a new boathouse (here, for new readers, are links to its forerunners; Blog 1, Blog 2, Blog 3, Blog 4). At the time of my previous blogs I had not seen the objections to the proposed development (which is much…
Read me
The April edition of Wild Travel (with a cute tree frog on the cover) will soon be replaced by the May one (with the rhinos (one of which is quite cute) on the cover). I really enjoy writing for Wild Travel as I get to write about biology without any politics in it, and, I…