Malta

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…

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 [...]

Scotland the...

Well, not so brave. It seems to be the only bit of the UK with regular red kite poisoning. And I bet it’s the only country in the world that continues to persecute its (unofficial, I admit) national bird, the golden eagle. I do know it’s probably down to a few hundred landowners up north [...]

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 [...]

Bin Malta: Book Tanzania Instead

Looking for a winter break? Maybe the usual Mediterranean fortnight? Maybe Malta, still a popular choice for Brits? Well, they do speak English, post their mail in red boxes and cross the road by belisha beacons; but, but, but, but, but…

I’ve done their grim gunmen to death, unhappily in a figurative sense not literally. So, [...]

In Case You Thought the War Was Over

New home for the blog? Right. New goals? Shifted a bit. New challenges? Some new; some old; and some will run and run. Like Malta’s war on birds, which sadly seems not to impinge on the world’s consciousness.

The raptors may have largely gone and the Raptor Camp certainly has but now the smaller songbird migrants [...]