Action Needed to Protect the Curlew

The evocative call of the Eurasian Curlew is a unique and special sound that could be a thing of the past if sufficient action is not taken to prevent the decline of this iconic species. My own local area, on the north Essex coast, still has a good deal of suitable habitat for their overwinteringContinueContinue reading “Action Needed to Protect the Curlew”

Book Review: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald

Before reading this book I knew very little of the life of TH White, acclaimed author of The Sword in the Stone (1938) and schoolmaster at Stowe for many years. He is a central character in Helen Macdonald’s story, for he was a trainer of hawks, and published The Goshawk, with a mixed reception, in 1951. Macdonald readContinueContinue reading “Book Review: ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald”

”And A Partridge in a Pear Tree”…but how are the birds really doing?

One of the most famous festive carols has to be ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, in which a very fortunate person is gifted some extraordinary things, ranging from nine ladies dancing to five gold rings and twelve drummers drumming. Within this list of generosity are a number of birds, but if someone was actually tryingContinueContinue reading “”And A Partridge in a Pear Tree”…but how are the birds really doing?”

A Farming and Conservation Partnership Success Story: The Cirl Bunting

According to the State of Nature report released earlier this year 12 out of the 26 breeding farmland birds are red listed (the highest category of risk of further decline or even extinction). Since 1970 the number of farmland birds has declined by 54%. Although it must be mentioned that since the early 1990s, when conservationContinueContinue reading “A Farming and Conservation Partnership Success Story: The Cirl Bunting”