I drove for an hour after dark on a warm evening and hardly saw an insect. None squashed on the car. Where have they gone? And in my blog for the RSPB today I discuss the declines of common wildlife, including farmland birds on both sides of the Atlantic. Our ‘new Elizabethans’ poll is…
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Late bits
Apologies, to the two three people who might notice, that this blog is ‘late’ this morning – I went out to listen for corncrakes at the Nene Washes yesterday evening and so was home late – no corncrakes. In a week when the government made a welcome U-turn on buzzard control (which was even mentioned…
New poll – new Elizabethans
You may have noticed that the BBC has compiled a list of new Elizabethans as a celebration of the Diamond Jubilee. 60 men or women who have lived during the Queen’s reign were selected for their contributions to the new Elizabethan age. One of the selected 60 is naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough. If you…
Buzzards – where next?
Yesterday Defra did a U-turn on their proposals to investigate buzzard control for the benefit of pheasants. It’s not easy for governments to do U-turns, although this one is getting the hang of it, and we should thank Defra Minister, Richard Benyon for his re-think. Thank you! The RSPB did a good job, after being…
Buzzards
Please sign this petitionto persuade Defra to think again if you are already convinced that 375k of your taxes could be better spent than a poorly thought-through study of buzzards and pheasants. How might £375k be better spent?: employ a teaching assistant for 25 years study the impacts of non-native pheasants on native flora and…
A name
There is lots of cow parsley in flower by the roadsides at the moment. As a hopeless botanist – or plant-identifier – I like cow parsley because I usually recognise it and know what it is. Cow Parsley has a variety of other names – like most of our plants, it seems. The nicest, which…
The final curtsey and a dead eagle
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…
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…