My autumn – how about yours?

This is the ivy in my garden – it was buzzing with hoverflies, flies, wasps, ladybirds, a red admiral and spiders yesterday. I like looking at ivy at this time of year – in the sunshine – as it attracts lots of insects.  And it’s worth a careful look – the more you look the…

Are all Americans stupid?

I am, of course, only referring to American bird species. I ask the question because of a conversation I had back at the Bird Fair but first let me tell you about the Carolina parakeet. The Carolina parakeet was a native north American parrot that was widespread in the east of the USA when the…

Rating your science

As a BTO member I recently got an email full of interesting information about that excellent organisation and including a link on the differences between the BTO and the RSPB. The impression you might get from this is that the BTO does the science and the RSPB uses the BTO’s science to change the world. …

Bit of a breather

After three days at the Bird Fair I could do with a rest but I am on a secret mission to Scotland this week – I’m sure I will be able to tell you about some of it some time, perhaps. Tomorrow’s blog will be about a book that I think that many of you…

Bird Fair – Day 3

We might as well call it the International Bird Fair – I spent a very large part of today talking to friends and colleagues from Spain and the USA. It was good to meet friends from the BirdLife International partner in Spain, SEO, again and other birders from various parts of Spain too. And the…