The Shooting Times – don’t you just love ’em?

I did break the habit of a lifetime and bought The ST yesterday because I had been told it was full of jokes – and it was! As I flicked through it I couldn’t help but notice that there were about ( I stress ‘about’ – my eyes did begin to glaze over) 150 blokes…

This blog has Klout

June was quite a busy month for this blog what with all that stuff about Hen Harriers and grouse moors and the ever-growing number of signatures on this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting in England. However, it was the two blogs about Simon Barnes’s imminent departure from The Times that caused the biggest stir…

Let’s be reasonable.

I don’t know how often readers of this blog go back a few days and read the comments that continue to accrue on earlier posts.  And I don’t know whether I would recommend it either – sometimes a late post is the best of the lot, but not always. So, I have little idea how…

Talking to the deaf

Last week the RSPB wrote to the Moorland Association thus; Amanda Anderson Director The Moorland Association 16 Castle Park Lancaster LA1 1YG Dear Ms Anderson The RSPB has always sought to work with the sport shooting community to create grouse moors that are environmentally sustainable and provide a safe home for birds of prey and…

Hen Harrier day update

Hen Harrier Day – 10 August 2014 – is an opportunity for the public to express their concern over the widespread, illegal killing of Hen Harriers.  Action is being planned for five localities in the north of England for that day: the Forest of Bowland, Cumbria, Northumberland, Yorkshire and the Peak District.  This is the…

One month down – eleven more to go!

At 08:34 this morning my (our!) e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting completed its first month and had accumulated 5880 signatures. That is really good progress – and there are 11 months to go. Our e-petition is in the top 1.5% of most-signed of all e-petitions, on all subjects, on the government website and still…

Be an ethical consumer – turn your back on grouse!

In a week of grouse-related, Hen Harrier-related, moor manager-related, news – this is the latest, and potentially most important. Following the announcement of the location for the Derbyshire Hen Harrier Day event and the attendance of Chris Packham, and the sacking of Simon Barnes from The Times (which may or may not be related to…

Butterflies are so easy

On Saturday I had another visit to Duncan Farrington’s excellent farm. I was on the look-out for Turtle Doves as they used to be here but I haven’t seen, or heard, one for years in this spot.  Duncan’s farm looks good for Turtle Doves to me – plenty of thick nesting cover on the old…

Hen Harrier Day in the Peak District – 10 August 2014

I can provisionally announce that our Hen Harrier Day rally will take place in the Upper Derwent Valley based at the Fairholmes Visitor Centre. Having consulted local people and the Peak District National Park itself, and having been advised by them, the Fairholmes Visitor Centre car park seems the best bet for us to gather…