independent commentator
‘When nature feeds you must know when to look’. One of my few Nature Notebook columns for The Times (in amongst some letters) Always look slowly over the edge of a bridge. I’ve done it all my life — perhaps all anglers do. As I peer at the water a big fat brown trout is … Continue reading Looking over bridges
Chopping wood this week made me think about parallels on writing my blog to reflect the past year while looking forward to the next year (2022). Celebrate what’s been learned. Acknowledge the knotty stuff. Not take for granted any sweet spots. Reading the grain to cleave out workable pragmatic solutions. All of which, not surprisingly, … Continue reading Green axe challenge
My trip north to northern fields, moors, forests, streets and COP26’s Green Zone is mainly in pictorial form. There’s much to glean from between the lines: beyond the pic, click the link Updale An old friend puts me up for the night in Swaledale. We talk about curlews and 30 years working in land. I … Continue reading COP, field and moor
The first time I set my nature camera trap was under an apple tree. Eyeballing wildlife secretly at lens-length is full of surprises. Love island in a hedge When I found a pair of long-tailed tits building their nest in a thorny hedge, they performed for series after series of #hedgegoggle. Viewers could not get … Continue reading Nature cam raw
“Conservation conflict has always been a part of the conversation surrounding wildlife, but Rob Yorke is determined to advocate peace, not war. With brave leadership and a willingness to leave partisan values behind, can a solution be reached?“ (first published in The Field magazine 2016. Now updating with links, pics etc – do leave YOUR … Continue reading Nuclear swans
Ever since I took my first call from the letters Editor at The Times in 1999, I’ve fallen into writing about environmental stuff people often don’t want to write about. Hedgehog populations, horsemeat, sea eagles, badgers, raptor conflict, deer, fungi hunters, little owl culls, wildfires, alien conifers, duck shooting, urban foxes, National Parks, indoor livestock, … Continue reading Dear Sir,
An email, received from a tiny conservation organisation raising all its own funds seeking to conserve curlew, is published here as a guest blog Throughout the year, Curlew Country is contacted for advice by many people wanting to help Curlews. Especially now. Right in the middle of breeding season. We want to help others but … Continue reading Curlew public good
The countryside should not be a peaceful place. It should be humming with activity. While it’s hard to sometimes avoid humans, the real racket should be insects. From revered butterflies and bees to reviled wasps and ticks – insects have be hitting the news as much as windscreens 50 years ago. Klaxon classic Rachel Carson’s … Continue reading On insects