Our e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting passed 27,000 signatures yesterday evening. It has accrued 2000 signatures in the last month or so which is pretty good going. The e-petition closes on 21 January (I’m not sure what time on that day!) and so we are entering the finishing straight. This is pretty good going,…
Tag: passenger pigeon
Two days last week
I drove to Rainham Marshes to meet a friend for lunch and birding – both were good. We saw a very attractive Marsh Harrier with a cream crown and there were Blackwits and Golden Plover, and Pintail and Shovelerand Cetti’s Warbler and Stonechat too. And we moaned about the government, and a little about the…
Many reasons for a visit to Martin Mere
I’m looking forward to attending the NorthWest Birdwatching Festival on Saturday when I’m giving a talk. Apart from anything else, I might see some good birds. Martin Mere is always a good place to have a look at Tree Sparrows, maybe a Starling flock whirling around at dusk and all those things that go quack…
Not many Waxwings
It doesn’t appear that this winter will be a Waxwing winter. If it is going to be one of those years when Tesco car parks are flooded with Rowan-eating visitors from Scandinavia then large numbers have usually been seen on the east coast and Fair Isle by now. But you can keep track of sightings…
A tale of two birds
In the latest volume of Bird Study there are papers reporting on two UK national surveys of waders: Woodcock and Dotterel. You could hardly pick two more different species, with Woodcock being largely nocturnal and living in wooded areas, and Dotterels living on the peaks of the highest mountains in Scotland (mostly). But the messages…
My inbox
Do you look forward to, or dread, reading your new emails? I’m quite keen on mine, partly because, just occasionally, I get one like this: As a farmer I have often been a bit sensitive to your opinions, but at least I now know you allow that some of us are the good guys!…
Globally threatened birds
It comes to something when four species of birds I have seen this year in the UK are added to the list of globally threatened bird species. The IUCN Red List is updated periodically, after much sucking of teeth and poring over the data (some of which are a bit ropy) and Birdlife International are…
Northampton NHS (and then Northern Ireland)
Comments Off on Northampton NHS (and then Northern Ireland)
I’m looking forward to talking about Passenger Pigeons on Friday evening to the Northamptonshire Natural History Society. I’ll have a pile of books to offer for sale at this event – it’s ‘nearly’ Christmas (near enough to start buying some easy personalised presents anyway). That’s…
Guest blog – An astronaut’s life by Emma Websdale
Emma Websdale is a Conservation Biologist and writer. Working as the Senior Communications Officer for The Wildlife Trusts, she is particularly motivated in engaging younger audiences, helping them make sure that nature doesn’t drop off their agenda. She has written three previous Guest Blogs for this site (one about extinction and Passenger Pigeons, another other…
Shifting baselines
The idea of shifting baselines is an important one. We tend to be trapped in our own memories – our imaginations fail to grasp what we haven’t seen for ourselves further back in time. We all have our baselines and they affect what we feel about everything, what we regard as normal and acceptable. In…