I have come to the end of March and not seen or heard a single spring migrant. Amazing. Did you notice that Oxford won the Boat Race – and I think I may have seen an otter holding on to the back of the Cambridge boat… The editor of the Independent, Chris Blackhurst, writes a…
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I hope they sink (II)
The Beds, Cambs and Northants Wildlife Trust has really got stuck in to the Cambridge University Boat Club issue – see their website here. A letter has been submitted to the Daily/Sunday Telegraph from prominent environmentalists asking the Cambridge University Boat Club to reconsider its position – if not published by Telegraph newspapers it will…
‘Protect creation’ says Pope Francis
This blog asked some time ago whether the choice of the new Pope would have any environmental importance – and my hopes weren’t that high, to be honest. Pope Francis mentioned the environment and the need to ‘protect creation’ in his first mass. That’s a good start (see coverage here, here, here but particularly…
Well done Hawk and Owl Trust!
The Hawk and Owl Trust are throwing their support behind the e-petition on the licensing of grouse moors and gamekeepers. Well done! Let’s see what other bird conservation organisations do… But you can sign up here – it’s going well, so far.
Winter still
It’s not exactly spring-like is it? My chances of seeing/hearing chiffchaff, willow warbler, sand martin, swallow and wheatear in Northants by the end of March are virtually nil (and I haven’t troubled the scorer with any of them yet). There was, apparently, an arrival of wheatears on the south coast last Saturday, and one popped…
I hope they sink
I was an undergraduate at Cambridge but I hope that the Cambridge boat sinks in Sunday’s University Boat Race. Why? Because the Cambridge University Boat Club is planning to build a new boathouse (although it is far more than just a boathouse) on one of the best sites for otters in Cambridgeshire, and its impact…
I’ll be turning off my lights…
…and computer at 2030 for WWF’s Earth Hour. Will you join me and hundreds of millions of others?
That’ll teach us – or not.
It might not have been like that exactly but there is no denying that early experience of nature, good or bad, will influence adult perceptions. I know that being introduced to wildlife and landscapes, very gently, by my parents was an important factor in shaping my view of the world. And similarly at school…
Budget Day
A little while ago the UK economy lost its triple-A rating credit rating. Would you say that the UK has a triple-A rating on its ecology? What are the striking gains and losses of wildlife that you have noticed in your life? Do you feel better off or worse off, from an ecological point…
Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Popes and penguins The new Pope is an Argentinian who has taken the name of Francis. The Falkland Islanders, but not the penguins or albatrosses, have voted to remain a British Overseas Territory. Does the Pope like penguins, I wonder? Kentucky bluebirds etc In two months time this blog will be going on tour…