Waxwings - I actually went out looking for them in east Northants yesterday and failed completely despite many recent local records. Did see lots of rowan berries, industrial estates and redwings though! Will I ever see a waxwing this winter?
Farmland birds - a short blog of a week ago has attracted a large number of comments - mostly from a so-called 'Essex peasant' otherwise known as Essex farmer and NFU mouthpiece Guy Smith. The comments are mostly longer than the original blog! Guy has problems with Hope Farm, the Farmland Bird Index, and most things that the RSPB does. Makes for an interesting read if you are interested in that type of thing.
Dancing - now is the time to download Bird is the word to try to get it to be the Christmas Number 1.
Last date to order from the RSPB before Christmas - 15 December.
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
And I guess this is what this debate is all about - point scoring. Personally I can't explain in enough words how uninterested I am in that and it's certainly not why I follow Marks blog.
Now, making a profit is something I do know about - it's my day job. But there's profit and there's profit isn't there. Profit at all cost is the unhealthy and non sustainable side of business and I am guessing, that like many large commercial businesses, particularly those with shareholders, there will be some large farming businesses where this is all that matters. And their motivation will be that every square inch of land that is farmed (whilst still cross complying of course) and stuff the wildlife. Any moral or altruistic duty doesn't figure here.
Fortunately we are living in a more enlightened age these days - more and morelarge businesses have sustainability policies, environmental policies, CSR, and yes - they do stick to them and make more profit as a result.
In a farming context look at Jordan's cereals and Yeo Valley - the latter's recent advert made me weep with joy as they managed in 2 minutes to connect sustainable and organic farming with young people far more effectively than anything the NFU has managed. And they must be raking the money in - wildlife pays!
Does the NFU advocate their members to have these policies in place? Can't find it on their web site.. Under their link 'Environment' there is a further link headed 'Wildlife Issues'. What about some Wildlife Advice?
Anyway the point I'm trying to make (not score) is that business is moving on in terms of sustainability, CSR etc - pay attention at the back!
Also kids are being educated in environmental issues, climate etc. The most telling for me was when my daughter asked why there were no butterflies in a field of dominant rye grass. The next generation will be more demanding and will want answers and buy accordingly so time to move on. Farmers should be welcoming the RSPB with open arms! (and thankfully a great many do)
All this coming from a member of the Public eh
Hi Bob P
In short Bob - POPPYCOCK !!
Why does the RSPB support / promote Tuberculosis in Wildlife?
Doing nothing is not an option
The RSPB's decided but it won't tell even its 1 M members
The RSPB has failed to show - so far - any leadership on this matter
At least it's not a member of the Badger Protection League
Whilst bTB is still rampant farmers cannot respect or believe ANYTHING that it does or says!
PS - Mark - get it sorted! Now please!
Mirlo, Mark,
in answer to your question , with regards to birds, I can do no better than refer you to page 16 of the RSPBs state of British Birds www.rspb.org.uk/.../sukb2010_tcm9-262382.pdf , in amongst the RSPB comment you can see a table that looks at the overall situation and there it is writ large and clear, in the last 20 years most bird species have been stable, some have gone down in numbers but MORE have increased.
As for plants and invertebrates I think the situation is equally mixed. My only comment with invertebrates is that quite a lot of avian insectivores such as swallows and woodpeckers have increased ( see for instance
www.bto.org/.../wcrswall.shtml
www.bto.org/.../wcrgrewo.shtml
www.bto.org/.../wcrgrswo.shtml - and yet again none of these species are not on the FBI despite the fact that Green woodpeckers and swallows in particular are very common on farmland).
And I do encourage farmers to undertake conservation more seriously, if you are in the vicinity of Basingstoke tomorrow night you can come and listen to me talking to North Hants NFU where I will do exactly that.
sorry you find my comments 'puerile' ,
Essex peasant - 7-1 up, come on Mark lets have another couple of positives like your remark about Barn Owls.
Trim Bush - hail fellow essex person
Paysan savant
Trimbush
---- "in harmony with the RSPB you say" - "TOSH" I say !------
To be honest I don't (and I hope others don't) mind whether you work in harmony with the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust or anyone else. All I think Society would like (or at least my bit of it) is that landowners work in harmony with wildlife and help and improve, for future generations, the environment that morally (if not legally) belongs to all of us.
I would like to think that people accept that the RSPB has a major place in guiding the protection of the environment and has the scientific background to understand and advise on ways forward. With such a large organisation there will be topics where you will disagree with the RSPB. I am happy to declare that I have previously been an RSPB Council Member and even then can find things to disagree over.
Working together is the way forward, dismissing harmonious working as Tosh is surely a little bit of Tosh in its own right.
The Cotswold Water park sightings website
My Flicker page
Hi mirio
LET IT RIP ! (not Rest In Peace - although it just as well might be)
I too was an 'essex peasant' once - living in Gt Baddow near Chelmsford and followed hounds with the Essex Farmers, Essex Union and Essex hunts - I suppose I'm now a 'Staffordsquire Peasant' - "manage some land with wildlife in mind" you say - "in harmony with the RSPB you say" - "TOSH" I say !
We know how the RSPB wishes to 'manage' Tuberculosis in wildlife - don't we - Ask Mark!