This very rare bird (from Asia; rare in the UK) chose a quiet part of the Cotswolds to make a long stay and was thus available to view for over two months. Considering this was the third British record and the first two were on the Western Isles and in Fife, neither stayed very long,…
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Crisis? What crisis?
The Reform-controlled unitary authority of North Northants has rescinded the climate emergency declaration made five years ago, presumably because its reading of the science means that despite increasing floods and drought and heat waves affecting us all here in the right hand half of the county of spires and squires things are getting so much…
Guest blog – Wildlife Crime and the First Few Minutes by Paul Bateman
Paul Bateman is Founder and Principal Instructor of the Independent Wildlife Crime Investigators & Trainers Association. He is a former National Park Ranger, has completed the National Police Wildlife Crime Officers Course and has particular practical experience relating to crimes against badgers and realistic mock wildlife-crime scenes. He is also Chair and Wildlife…
Lost Nature
The data behind the report published by Wild Justice back in December 2024 – click here – are now available in a scientific journal. They tell a sorry tale of non-compliance with regulations and non-enforcement by local authorities. I’m beginning to think of this as The British Disease – agreeing something shouldn’t happen and then…
Sunday book review – Peasants by Maryam Aslany
This is a very interesting book and although I wouldn’t say it will have changed my life it has given my thinking a shove in a different direction, and I thank the author for that. What it has done is tell me a lot that I didn’t know, whet my appetite to know more and…
Sunday book review – Doctors by Nature by Jaap de Roode
We’re pretty much accustomed to animals having evolved to lessen the chances that they might be eaten. Camouflage, tasting nasty, fighting back, vigilance, alarm calls and a long list of other traits and behaviours are parts of the evolutionary arms war between predators and prey. But what of diseases and parasites? How have, or even…
Public consultation on Norfolk environment plan
I was alerted to the existence of this consultation by a press release from the RSPB which praised it thus: Carl Bunnage, the RSPB’s head of nature policy in England, said: “The UK Government’s commitment that addressing the housing crisis and delivering new infrastructure shouldn’t come at nature’s expense is a positive step forward. It’s…
Guest Blog – How donations to World Land Trust can be multiplied four times by Andy Langley
Andy Langley is a World Land Trust (WLT) supporter who will be completing his annual sponsored birdwatch at the start of October to raise funds for WLT’s Autumn Appeal, which will launch with Big Match Fortnight (BMF) on 7th October. Donations through his JustGiving page between 7th and 21st October, up to his £5,000 target,…
Prof. Dave Goulson speaks out on game shooting
Sunday book review – The Secret Language of Birds by Colin Rees
This is an interesting and attractive book which does, though, have one significant snag. I know the author and have worked with him, and so it’s not surprising that I warmed to the book immediately, and I’ve published with Thames & Hudson (Remarkable Birds) and it was such a pleasant experience that I was further…
