Whose science counts? Don’t droop your ‘h’s!

I remember attending a Game Fair, in fact it was the last one in 2011 (rained off this year) when in the space of two days I heard people say that we British have the ‘best farmers in the world’, the ‘best foresters in the world’ and the’ best shooters in the world’ – and…

Marsh Award for Ornithology 2012 – Professor Jeremy Wilson

Yesterday evening, at the Mall Galleries, surrounded by beautiful artwork,  Professor Jeremy Wilson of the RSPB Conservation Science team received the Marsh Award for Ornithology. I’ve known Jeremy for many years and he is both a very nice and a very bright bloke.  Here’s what he said to me:   MIA: How do you feel…

Mown down – the Grasslands Trust

Last week’s news that the Grasslands Trust has gone into liquidation is sad to hear but it may only be the first and most public sign of the impact of the recession on our tangled bank of wildlife conservation organisations. I know many of the Grasslands Trust’s staff personally, including their Chief Executive Lucy Cooper,…

Round up

Defra: are pretty hopeless really aren’t they?  I haven’t had a reply to my ex MP’s letter about Andrew Wood’s witness statement.  I’m probably on a database as a pleb – but that’s better than being a patrician.  (see previous blogs on Wuthering Moors). Autumn: I saw a jay on my walk around Stanwick Lakes…

BBS 2011

The latest Breeding Bird Survey report is now available – an everyday story of declining farmland birds? Of the 19 species in the Farmland Bird Index, nine increased (grey partridge, stock dove, jackdaw, whitethroat,  tree sparrow, yellow wagtail, linnet, goldfinch, yellowhammer) and nine decreased (kestrel, lapwing, wood pigeon, turtle dove, rook, skylark, starling, greenfinch, reed…