Ian Parsons spent twenty years working as a Ranger with the Forestry Commission, where he not only worked with birds of prey and dormice, but where he developed his passion for trees. Now a freelance writer, Ian runs his own specialist bird tour company leading tours to Extremadura. For more details see www.griffonholidays.com This is…
Tag: Ian Parsons
Guest blog: Planting Trees (2) by Ian Parsons
Ian Parsons spent twenty years working as a Ranger with the Forestry Commission, where he not only worked with birds of prey and dormice, but where he developed his passion for trees. Now a freelance writer, Ian runs his own specialist bird tour company leading tours to Extremadura. For more details see www.griffonholidays.com This is…
Guest blog – Planting Trees by Ian Parsons
Ian Parsons spent twenty years working as a Ranger with the Forestry Commission, where he not only worked with birds of prey and dormice, but where he developed his passion for trees. Now a freelance writer, Ian runs his own specialist bird tour company leading tours to Extremadura. For more details see www.griffonholidays.com This is…
Guest blog – The Climate Change Elephant by Ian Parsons
It is great to see so many people, young and old, getting involved in the climate change protests, highlighting the sheer scale of the problem to all. It is great that the United Nations are debating it, talking about the urgent need for action, although of course, some world leaders have their orange heads firmly…
Guest blog – Citizen Science by Olaf Lipor (and Ian Parsons)
Olaf Lipor is a well-known Scandinavian naturalist with a long track record of engagement in citizen science projects. His previous Guest Blog here, about a year ago, was on the subject of a Fat Tax. Olaf is not yet found on Twitter. Citizen Science by Olaf Lipor These are exciting times for us wildlife lovers,…
Guest blog – Reclaiming the name by Ian Parsons
Reclaiming the Name One of my favourite places in Britain is the north of Dartmoor, it has a wild and rugged appeal and, more often than not, a lack of people, although this might have something to do with the artillery ranges… Something happened up there recently, as I walked along the ridges overlooking the…
Guest blog – The worst of times or the best of times? by Ian Parsons
These can be depressing times for wildlife lovers. Many of our wild bird and mammal populations are declining at an alarming rate, our Raptors are being systematically disappeared from parts of the countryside, our politicians don’t seem to care, the statutory bodies (overseen by those politicians) that are supposed to be protecting and enhancing our…
Guest blog – Local tours for local people… by Ian Parsons
I read the recent comments about wildlife tour companies and Iceland, following a blog on the Birdfair that Mark then converted into a blog, with interest (see also further later comments). I run a small wildlife tour business myself and therefore found it particularly relevant to what I do. I would like to point out…
Guest blog – The Acceptability of Wildness by Ian Parsons
The Acceptability of Wildness? Whilst running my spring tours in Extremadura this April and May, I read Richard Mabey’s book, ‘A Brush With Nature’, a collection of some of his columns from BBC Wildlife Magazine. I am sure that many of you have read it (it came out in 2010), but if you haven’t, I…
Guest blog – Feel Good Factor by Ian Parsons
Feel Good Factor It was during the demise of the much fabled ‘Beast from the East’ that I first noticed him. A whirry blur of brown feathers flying below me as I looked out of the back bedroom window at the sad grey dripping masses of what had been, just a few days earlier, pristine…