If Glenmazeran is indeed Richard Benyon’s place in the Highlands then I’ve just come across an interesting story from there in last year’s book, The Final Curtsey, written by Margaret Rhodes, the Queen’s cousin. Margaret, used to pop up to Glenmazeran for a spot of fishing and shooting as any gel would. On the way…
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Buzzards
The news that Defra is going to spend £375,000 on looking at how to reduce buzzard impacts on pheasants shows how deeply this department has now fallen into the hands of the shooting brigade. I have no doubt that buzzards take a few pheasants but why a government department is spending my taxes (and yours,…
Really wild?
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This new magazine is available in WH Smith, all good newsagents and Sainsbury’s (I bought my copy in Wellingborough Sainsbury’s). I bought it because I have a column in it – flick through to page 21 please – but then read it because it’s a really good read about nature at home and abroad. You’ll…
The toad that croaked
Yesterday was an anniversary – I don’t think many people noticed it. Does it matter that a small, bright, shiny toad was last seen on Earth on 15 May 1989 – does extinction matter? The golden toad was only discovered in the Monte Verde cloud forests of Costa Rica in 1966, by herpetologist Jay Savage…
Oh oh!
I went out for a drive last week and saw a couple of red kites. They are fantastic birds aren’t they? If you remember I set myself the target of seeing red kites on 200 days of 2012 – and enjoying the moment each time. I am falling short so far – I’m heading for…
Bits and bits
Good luck to Jonny Rankin and team in seeing as many species as possible today in Norfolk. Looks like it will be a fine day and so my guess of 121 species looks on the low side. I’ll give Jonny and team £1 for every species above 121 that they see – the money goes…
In my backyard
Recently the Daily Telegraph reported on windfarm developments in the county where I live – Northamptonshire. Apparently we are going to become the windfarm capital of the UK although the Telegraph only mentions 53 turbines and suggests the country (presumably England in this case) is considering applications for only 94 in total. That doesn’t sound…
Poor things and real things
Did you watch Planet Earth Live on Sunday night? I did and there were some enjoyable moments in it. It seemed to be all about going ‘Awww’ at cute little mammals that were having a tough time of making their way in the world – but enough of the presenters Richard Hammond and Julia Bradbury….
Wet Wales? I hope not
The Wales Coast Path opens officially today – 870 miles from Chester to Chepstow (and a very similar distance from Chepstow to Chester). That’s quite a stretch isn’t it? And since you can walk Offa’s Dyke too, you could do a 1000+ mile walk around Wales if you really wanted – you could call it…
The same and different
A year ago, yesterday, I flew to the USA for a 6 week trip of a lifetime. Yesterday, I drove to Cambridge. A year ago, yesterday, the sun shone. Yesterday it rained a lot. A year ago, yesterday, I saw lots of starlings in Washington DC. Yesterday a single starling flew across the…