There seem to be a few more people jumping around looking at Denton Wood all of a sudden – although as you can see (above) you and I aren’t allowed in the wood itself and you can see precious little from the Denton Road (see below). As is often the case, when something appears on…
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FC guidance on managing woodlands with great crested newts
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Yesterday I posted a blog on what looks like potentially damaging woodland management operations in Denton Wood, Northants. Here is the link to what the FC say managers should do to avoid breaking the law with regard to Great Crested Newts, and here are some of the things it says: 3 Forest operations and great…
Plant sperm
Aren’t plants disgusting? If you suffer from hay fever, and we are entering the time when the grasses really get going, then you need to check the pollen forecast from the Met Office. My eyes were streaming this morning after I went for a walk on my local patch. I think Plantlife needs to sort…
Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham gets tough on the sources of wildlife crime
Cabinet Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham, has come to the end of her tether with grouse moor managers in Scotland – that much is clear. Good for her! Answering questions in the Scottish parliament this afternoon she announced the publication of the review of ‘the disappeared’ satellite-tagged Golden Eagles (see here) but also a raft of measures…
Signs of the times
Yesterday I was at the RSPB nature reserve at Frampton Marsh on a cloudy, slightly drizzly and breezy day. But it was great, and we saw lots of birds. In fact, we saw 68 species and through the wonders of Birdtrack I know that on the same date last year, on another visit to Frampton…
25 years is a long time in….
25 years is a long time in…well it’s a long time, full stop. Birdwatch magazine is 25 years old and this is its 300th issue. Happy Birthday! In this issue there are articles on the development of optics technology and digital photography (by Mike Alibone and Steve Young) and a piece by me on…
Bird populations experiencing austerity in UK countryside
Defra has published the annual data on bird population trends. Take a look at the graphs – everything is going to pot! In Defra’s own words, two reasons for taking notice of these trends are as follows: ‘Bird populations have long been considered to provide a good indication of the broad state of wildlife…
Have you ever had this experience?
Are you a birdwatcher? Has this ever happened to you…? You are out birdwatching and you say to your companion something like ‘I’m surprised we haven’t seen an X by now’ and almost immediately an X sings, calls or flies past. It even happens to me when I’m alone – I only have to think…
Three videos
It was just over a year ago that the video (above) was filmed of poletraps being set on a Yorkshire grouse moor. This evidence led to a man receiving a police caution for this offence. One wonders what would have happened if the case had proceeded to an English court. We might still be unaware…
Swift dilemma
Swifts are slightly unwelcome at the Alhambra, it seems. I’d have thought that they had been rubbing along with the fantastic Moorish architecture for a good few centuries but it appears as though tolerance is running out. There are still these lions though… …and loads and loads of House Sparrows. On the Gran Via on…