Email to Andy Clements, CEO BTO Dear Andy Interesting news about your successor – Juliet will find you a difficult act to follow. And congratulations on your extended term as a Natural England Board member. This email is relevant to both your BTO role and your NE role but it is directed at you solely…
Tag: Natural England
NE, you didn’t
From Natural England, 23 June Dear Dr Avery, Access to information request – Acknowledgement – Request No RFI 5105 Thank you for your request for the information detailed in your email below, which we received on 18 June 2020. We are dealing with your request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Your request is being…
Tim Melling – Blyth’s Reed Warbler
Tim writes: I know it’s not the prettiest of birds but this might be the start of a colonisation of Britain by Blyth’s Reed Warbler. It was once considered to be an extreme rarity in Britain, only really identifiable in the hand by measurement of its short wing. It was first recorded on Fair Isle…
I’ve been away
I’ve been away for a few days for a family wedding in Edinburgh. It was a slightly strange but very happy event with few guests (six of us) and where the wedding breakfast was held in the open air, by the Scottish Parliament looking up at Arthur’s Seat, drinking champagne and eating take-away pizza. But…
Andy Clements extended, Teresa Dent expendable
Further to an announcement in early June, Andy Clements is remaining on the Natural England Board for a further two years whereas Teresa Dent is not – see here. This must be seen as a good thing although the Scientific Advisory Board that Andy has chaired cleared the way for the highly contentious, and still…
Press release – National Trust
National Trust sites prove successful breeding grounds for peregrine falcons 11 peregrine falcon chicks discovered at four sites cared for by the National Trust Lockdown pair at Corfe Castle successfully hatch three chicks, and the return of visitors hasn’t put them off Peaks partnership work results in most successful breeding season in High Peak since…
Sad news: Colin Wilkinson RIP
I learned today of the passing on Saturday of Colin Wilkinson, a former colleague at the RSPB. Colin worked first in the RSPB Central England Region (the cinderella of RSPB regions – lots of people, not so many birds) which morphed into the Midlands Region. He was based in the Banbury office and more recently…
If you think this is bad…
Jason Endfield has done a great job in unearthing more information about Natural England issuing licences for bird killing – this time the culling of Starlings – see here. People are up in arms on social media about why Natural England has continued to issue licences to a farmer when the conditions of the original…
Shooting Badgers (1)
In the past two years, more than 67,000 Badgers have been killed under a government programme which claims to have as its aim the eradication of bovine Tb in cattle. About two thirds of these Badgers are shot (free shooting, sometimes called controlled shooting) and one third are trapped and then shot. Free shooting is…
Badgers
Comments Off on Badgers
I’ve been thinking, talking and writing about Badgers today. The Wild Justice crowdfunder is going well – click here There is a Wild Justice blog with details of the PAP letter – click here