environmental commentator
An invite to the far east meant an opportunity to head north to garner ‘field intel’ on what’s going on ‘out there’. Mainly in pictures, as the word content would take up too much space. [as ever, there’s more going on out there than reported] 9am pitstop An old contact from Scotland, previously a rural … Continue reading Nor’west by east field intel
A re-blog of a Nature Notebook first published in The Times Dec 2014) The grass has turned brown, folding in tussocks around bare-leafed saplings in my wood. I saw my first woodcock of the year on a late evening walk. It was too dark for colour but some of the best sightings are will-o’-the-wisp figures … Continue reading A woodland detective story and estuary life
A Thunderer published in The Times, Tuesday August 10 2010 – published ad verbum, bar headings, links and postscript below. A thriving countryside needs people as much as it needs a diversity of species and habitat. That’s why most of us in the country welcome the Government’s attempts to encourage affordable housing. Belt and braces … Continue reading “Putting the needs of wildlife before people is just bats”
I am an unaffiliated commentator/moderator so I wasn’t sure if this was the sort of gig for me to argue against the House in an Oxford Union-style debate in a room of agricultural lawyers and surveyors. In the end, I thought it a worthy experiment to see if I could walk in the shoes of … Continue reading Walking in the shoes of other views
The big wide open skies of East Anglia greeted me with birds of prey, wet peaty fields and sea fret on my latest ‘field intel’ trip garnering information as to what’s going on ‘out there’ in the flat lands of the east. Harrier Bridge Stepping onto previous farmland and now marshland, demonstrates how much potential … Continue reading Marsh harriers and wet fields
“/ disruptor /: a person or thing that prevents something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected”. Some creative thoughts for 2025 : click those pics+ for links AGM (active game management) Being invited to address a Scottish wildlife manager‘s AGM gave me an opportunity to explore some topics … Continue reading Creative disruption
In a short two-part conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Part 2 is about land use, farming, food, sharing/sparing and trade-offs. Part 1 is about the role of scientists as honest brokers/advocates and scientific research around environmental issues. This is a lightly edited version from a transcript of a recording from our meeting in Oxford in January 2023 and … Continue reading Godfray interview – part 2 – land use issues
In a short two-part conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Part 1 is about the role of scientists as honest brokers/advocates and scientific research around environmental issues. Part 2 is about land use, farming, food, sharing/sparing and trade-offs. This is a lightly edited version from a transcript of a recording from our meeting in Oxford … Continue reading Godfray interview – part 1 – role of science
A short two-part conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray. Part 1 is about the role of scientists as honest brokers/advocates and scientific research around environmental issues. Part 2 is about land use, farming, food, sharing/sparing and trade-offs. (The two parts are not mutually exclusive) This is a lightly edited version from a transcript of a … Continue reading A conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray
“Why not come over to Ireland to participate in our ‘Changing Landscapes’ conference and summer school”. And so I headed west – while diverting on the way to garner some relevant field intel. Rocky terrain I probably overinvest in ‘field intel’. To visit people on their own turf helps glean information as to what they … Continue reading Wild Atlantic way thinking