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…
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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…
Normal service will be resumed tomorrow…
So now we know… We know that Sprinter Sacre is as good as we thought he probably was, and that Hurricane Fly was good enough to win back the Champion Hurdle, but that Long Run (good though he is) was not good enough to win back the Gold Cup. Set against the inexorable rise of…
Cheltenham Day 4 – the last day
The last day – and it will soon be time to start counting down the days to the next Cheltenham Festival. The Big Race of the day is the Big Race of the meeting – the Gold Cup, run over 3.25 miles (and a bit) and with lots of fences to jump too. The Gold…
Cheltenham Day 3 – a day for winning money!
Day 3 – a day for winning money. This is most people’s least favourite day of the Festival but they are wrong – tomorrow is the worst day of the Festival with just the Gold Cup to look forward to with any real relish. Today the big race is the World Hurdle and that’s a…
Cheltenham Day 2 – the best day!
The Wednesday of Cheltenham is the best day – easily the best day. It’s partly the best day because it’s not the first day and it’s not the last day, and the first of the middle two days is bound to be better than the second of the middle two days so, it stands to…