Tim Melling – Golden Takin

Tim writes: the Golden Takin is a rare mammal that inhabits the same mountainous bamboo thicket forests as Giant Panda.  There are four subspecies and this is the form that lives in Sichuan  (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) with more blotchy flanks than the true Golden Takin (B.t.bedfordi) from Shaanxi, NW China.  The remaining two subspecies are…

Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill

Ralph writes: This toon is from the The Framing Nature Toolkit! Packed with activities, tools and advice, the toolkit explains what framing is and how we can use it to create a better world for wildlife. The goal of conservation is to help  the natural world thrive. To do this we need the support of…

Hotting up for Avery Island

I’ve never been to Avery Island, Louisiana, but I’ve often thought I would – maybe I need to hurry up. For most people, Avery Island means very little, but for those to whom it means anything, it will probably be as the home of Tabasco sauce. I like Tabasco – I had some on cheese…

My first Willow Warbler – a bit late in coming

I heard my first Willow Warbler of the year at my local patch of Stanwick Lakes this morning.  It seems to have been a long time coming since the first Chiffchaff was three weeks ago!  I think of my first Willow Warbler as being usually a week to 10 days after the first singing Chiffchaff. …