Tuesday was the centenary of Robert Falcon Scott‘s expedition reaching the South Pole – five weeks after the Norwegians had got there first. But Amundsen did get there first, and he has a claim for having got to the North Pole first too, before dying in a plane crash in the Arctic in 1928 when…
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What the eye doesn’t see….
If local farmers were killing hundreds of birds every year then there would be uproar, but if you can’t see those deaths then it’s easier to ignore them. I was pleased to hear that the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority closed some areas of a local fishery after news of the deaths of hundreds…
Trusting in nature?
Last week I wrote a blog, mildly questioning the NT’s own claim to be one of Europe’s leading nature conservation organisations. That blog ruffled a few feathers but also seemed to strike a chord with quite a few readers of this blog. I was very grateful to David Bullock for his reply which was…
What did the Romans never do for us?
I wondered what it was like in Roman times as I headed up Ermine Street to the south bank of the Humber. The legions probably didn’t have to judge when to overtake a large lorry as they headed north from Lincoln, and when they got to the estuary they had to make a ferry crossing…
Moving or not?
Is it just me, I bet it isn’t, that thinks the Earth Flight series is unmissable but also a bit tacky? I enjoyed Thursday’s programme, they were in Europe, and there were some very memorable sights: the polar bear eating barnacle goslings, the swallow catching a feather in flight, the cranes dancing, all those starlings…
Breather
Comments Off on Breather
Yesterday I spent the day finishing off the manuscript for my new book. So there is no blog today. But you could buy my old book, that would be heroic of you. There are some interesting comments about the NT as a conservation organisation still appearing on Monday’s blog. I did wonder whether to post…
City of perspiring dreams
I spent yesterday back in Cambridge – I say ‘back’ because this was where I was an undergraduate and I spent many of my relatively youthful years in Cambridge and it has been a great influence on my life. I was attending the annual symposium (sounds grand for something that was so much fun) of…
A bird of resolution
The recovery of the red kite is a great conservation success story and it’s good to see it celebrated in the regional press like here. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to see red kites, and spend at least a minute revelling in their beauty, on at least 200 days this year. They are…
Reindeer
Did St Nicholas visit your house on Christmas Eve and deliver presents? And was his sleigh powered by eight reindeer; Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen (and then there’s Rudolph too)? Real-life reindeer, or caribou, are having a tough time of it, and not through sleigh-pulling exhaustion (see also here and here).
Hot or cold?
Did you have turkey at Christmas? Is it still hanging around – if so, have a look at this. If it’s driving you to drink have a look at this. This north American woodland species was once nearly extinct because of overhunting but now is a common sight in many US states. How many feathers…