A Hedgehog conservation area (of 90ha) has been established by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Solihull Metropolitan Council, comprising the WWT’s Elmdon Manor nature reserve and the council’s Elmdon Park. The project is funded by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Hedgehog Officer, Simon Thompson, extends an invitation to Solihull’s residents to participate in a large…
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Two weeks to go
Ban driven grouse shooting Our e-petition passed 21,500 signatures yesterday, with two weeks to go (and after less than 10 months). The e-petition is on the Westminster government website which means that it has political clout. Already it is one of the most successful e-petitions ever – being in the top 0.5% of all e-petitions…
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!
It’s World Sleep Day. Swifts sleep on the wing, half their brain at a time, it is thought. I’m going to dream of doing that… Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
My friends the birds
Tuesday provided my first Brimstones of the year but was otherwise the opposite of profitable. Wednesday was a day of a singing Blackcap, a Raven and a decent profit. On the way to the races the conversation turned somewhat surreal. ‘If you could befriend a bird which would then help you through life, which would you…
Barry, Eilidh and Natalie
At yesterday evening’s Environmental Question Time, as well as Kate Parminter, William Cash and Rupert de Mauley, there was also Barry Gardiner, Eilidh Whiteford and Natalie Bennett. Natalie Bennett, performed well: supports a nature and Well-being Bill would reform the CAP would repeal bad bits of NPPF is against fracking realises we need to tackle…
Smooth, very smooth
At yesterday evening’s Environmental Question time, the unelected Etonian, Rupert de Mauley was smooth, very smooth. Quite how he emerged relatively unscathed on this government’s dreadful environmental record is hard to figure. It was a mixture of partial admission of failure, partial avoidance of the question, partially making the most of a few potential successes…
Kiss me, Kate?
At yesterday evening’s Environmental Any Questions,the LibDems were represented not by either of their MPs who have been Defra ministers, and certainly not by Chris Huhne (remember him? He was a very good Climate Secretary despite everything else) but by the husky-voiced Baroness Parminter. Kate Parminter knows her stuff and was very impressive. A little…
Still Fighting
This week is World Book Week, apparently, and Thursday is World Book Day, apparently. I guess the other weeks and the other days are World ‘let’s not read a thing’ Weeks and Days. Still, it lets me remind you of some books, including this one of mine. I recently had a lovely email from someone…
Green belt
An interesting piece by Simon Jenkins in the Daily Telegraph. Does the Green Belt need a re-think? I’m never quite sure where it is or what it is, myself.
Protect our protected areas
My local patch of Stanwick Lakes is actually a small part of an EU SPA – a Special Protection Area for Birds, notified under the EU Birds Directive. But to me, it’s simply my local patch where I go for a walk to see birds, ignore plants, and to think about the world. It is…