The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust is helping with a survey of Mountain Hares. They’ve got the science to tackle a job like this. To see a shocking video of Mountain Hare ‘management’ see here.
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David Cobham – 1930-2018
It was with sadness that I learned on Monday of the passing of David Cobham, author, film-maker and conservationist. My sympathies are with his wife Liza Goddard. David was an enthusiast on birds of prey and wrote two good books on the subject, A Sparrowhawk’s Lament (2014) and Bowland Beth (2017). I will miss the…
On a course, at a meeting
I’m off to Cheltenham for three days at the races. I know that this is a subject that leaves some readers of this blog cold, others will be annoyed that I spend my time in this way, and yet others will wish they were there too. Any of those reactions is fine – but I’m…
Peak Park Mismanagement – who introduced the Ostriches?
In a consultation document similar to the one above, the Peak District National Park introduces the Ostrich into the uplands of England. Rarely has a public body been seen to stick its head into the peat, but that’s what the Peak District NP is doing. Last year the PDNPA consulted on its draft plans for…
A rather dull post – but it might be to your advantage
This blog was down for a few days a little while ago while something that doesn’t mean anything to me was fixed so that everything worked properly again. It’s magic as far as I’m concerned. However, now, for a while, I’m on a monthly payment scheme which allows me to get technical work done on…
Not so brrrr!
Yesterday the thaw came. When I ventured out of the house at lunchtime yesterday it was almost warm! There was still snow on the ground but it was getting slushy. The garden bird count was much lower – an experience it seems of many of us. The Fieldfares had gone back to the fields; there…
Brrrrr! 2
It’s still snowy here in east Northants – snowy and misty. Yesterday I saw 23 species of bird from the house: Red Kite, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, Starling, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Reed…
Brrrrr!
I don’t think I’ll be moving far today – not far from this computer in fact. The kitchen is quite cold – one can tell by being there or by looking at how cloudy the olive oil has gone! But the garden is lifting with birds. There are still several Reed Buntings out there and…
Shiants declared rat-free
Brighter future for seabirds as Shiants declared rat free Internationally important seabird colony The Shiant Isles have been officially declared rat-free, thanks to a four-year partnership project to restore them as a secure haven for nesting seabirds. A month-long intensive monitoring check in February found no sign of rats. This means that none has been…
Nothing much to see here
My main source of income these days comes from writing – I am a writer. One of the things about writing is that there is often a long tail to your income. It’s a long thin tail rather than a long fat tail (in my case, anyway!) but it is a long tail. I am…