environmental commentator
This was sent to me by an elderly gentleman. No pictures are required. “As a primary school child I lived in a mining village in Staffordshire. At the bottom of our garden – and an extension to our play area – was a field. It led to down to a stream and pond. We took … Continue reading Framing food and nature – a personal view
After my debate on rewilding at the Hay Festival last year, I bumped into Mark Lynas and asked him for his thoughts around rewilding, nature, and farming. Editor’s note. This is a ‘taster opinion’ as part of conversations (some more gnarly than some) required for dialogue for a changing countryside. Have the debate, leave a … Continue reading ‘The point of nature is for nature’
After my guest blog for the RSPB, I noticed very little engagement. Is it too complex to talk about? Or, due to partisan turf wars over ‘owning’ curlew’s recovery, do we all risk letting it slip below critical recovery? I’ve had some frank responses to my concerns -: “I know what ***** are doing nationally … Continue reading Tribal humans
For Andy Roberts, the sound of skylarks singing is a sure sign that spring is on its way. A farmer fresh back onto the land, he outlines his thoughts on timeliness to provide barley, potatoes and birds. When my brother and I plan to sow spring barley and plant potatoes, we have learnt over the … Continue reading Cuckoo barley
A pair of nesting long-tailed tits flags up the importance of hedgerows, including debate over their management. Mine’s a lichen Long-tailed tits are unmistakable. Bustling with extraordinary energy, their nest activity in a rose-infused thorn-meshed hedge which I struggle to manage, provides joy to many. While adjusting the nature cam, they would scold me, yet … Continue reading Thorny hedges, updated
An unpublished letter to the Times Literary Supplement in response to an opinion article on the ‘latest crop of nature-writing books’ Dear Sir While Nick Groom found ‘fey living’ on a retro-farmed wheat field preferable to a ‘teen fantasy’ of rewilding, both his oversimplification and polarised nature of the piece made it almost misleading. It didn’t start well. … Continue reading Fey living
My wife and I had an argument a few years back. Not a big one but one large enough to have an impact on the local wildlife. When I heard the bump on the glass door after sensing the blur of a passing sparrow hawk, I knew the outcome. Yes, glass causes 250 million bird … Continue reading A cautionary tale
We need better social science to work closer with farmers and land managers – many of whom are conservationists. The pressures on farmers today are immense. Working out how farmers think is a seriously ignored matter and requires us to come closer together to work on common ground issues. Alas, there is still too much fear around being seen to agree … Continue reading Digging dialogue
On ringing the head office to query the language in the ‘Bob for Nature’ campaign letter I received. Could someone please explain this sentence to me: “despite our efforts…..ancient woodlands destroyed, hedgerows flailed and uprooted, fields forsaken – and a staggering 60% of our species in decline”? They were most apologetic. It was not intended … Continue reading Elite nature
When I chaired a discussion on the National Pollinator Strategy, things unfolded differently to what delegates expected. The Public Policy Exchange framed the conference around two words. Exchange – as in knowledge sharing, and communities. To include the diverse range of farming, urban, scientific, political, research council, environmental, farm advisor and beekeeper interests. Diversity in delegates Alongside … Continue reading Pollen counts
