hunting

Corn Bunting, Dyrham Park

It’s been a good few weeks for this species: first, one up in East Yorkshire; then near Martin Mere; now, not quite on the National Trust estate but by the road down to Marshfield, which is their local stronghold. Another bunting, a yellowhammer also showed, for only the third time this year – a far cry from my Angus days when they filled the fields round Auchmithie. In fact, they even came to my feeders there.

I was in South Gloucestershire to check for more…

No Swallows at Tyntesfield

Nor anywhere near me so far but some are back: both Bristol and Clevedon message boards have reported them. Some birds have to run the gamut of Malta, of course, but Spain seems generous enough to offer others safe passage.

The Collins Bird Guide and the IOC place hirundines after larks but similarities in the order stop there, largely because more…

Birders 1 Anglers 0

I knew Mr White would have an amusing take on the story of an alleged birdwatcher – alleged by one helluvan angry angler – punching a [...]

Reservoir Cats

The Private Eye of birding blogs has come up with a couple of classics lately – one about sheep farmers and a later post sensitively sympathising with my favourite bête noir, the [...]

Lost In Translation

In the realm of whales, the Japanese themselves provide evidence that somehow their word for “slaughter” always ends up as the English [...]

Stonechat, Portishead

Year bird 108, two of them actually, not quarter of a mile fae the hoose in the bit of the residential development earmarked for a nature reserve. This means somewhere for dog-owners to let their pooches have a crap and generally run wild. Will this change when (if?) Avon Wildlife Trust takes over managing the site? more…

Robins Fly to Malta

Sheer bravado reported in the Times of Malta. Perhaps they just wanted to tweet “Fuck you” to the hunters and trappers. Don’t [...]

Add Senegal to the Wishlist

No idea where it is? Neither have I. But last night’s Autumnwatch, added to the recent Tanzanian revelation, convinces me that Africa is the place to go to support our beleaguered wildlife. The Senegalese actually seemed to be able to tolerate the ospreys taking their share of a swamp’s bounty.

Could it be that they’re showing [...]