Dr James Robinson, RSPB Chief Operating Officer, said: “Dropping 67 amendments to the Planning Bill at the eleventh hour isn’t just poor process, it’s legislative chaos. There’s no time for proper scrutiny, no clarity on the cumulative impact, and no confidence this is about good planning rather than political optics. It looks like a cynical…| markavery.info
Dr James Robinson, RSPB Chief Operating Officer, said: “Dropping 67 amendments to the Planning Bill at the eleventh hour isn’t just poor process, it’s legislative chaos. There’s no time for proper scrutiny, no clarity on the cumulative impact, and no confidence this is about good planning rather than political optics. It looks like a cynical...| Mark Avery
Photo: Lydia MacKinnonNick MacKinnon is a freelance teacher of Maths, English and Medieval History, and lives above Haworth, in the last inhabited house before Top Withens = Wuthering Heights. In 1992 he founded the successful Campaign to Save Radio 4 Long Wave while in plaster following a rock-climbing accident on Skye. His poem ‘The metric system’ won the 2013 Forward Prize. His topical verse and satire appears in the Spectator, and his puzzles and problems in the Sunday Times and Ameri...| Mark Avery
Month: July 2025| markavery.info
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published positive cases of bird flu for each week since the last two weeks of December 2016. These figures used to be updated weekly but large gaps are now appearing between updates – click here. Positive cases are dead birds sent in to the authorities in...| Mark Avery
Andy Langley is a wildlife enthusiast, who for the last seven years has completed an annual sponsored birdwatch to raise money for World Land Trust (WLT).| Mark Avery
Author: Mark| markavery.info
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Author: Mark| markavery.info
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I’ve spent another day at Cornell talking to interesting people about birds, the environment and environmental issues. Everyone has been very open and welcoming.| Mark Avery
I thought of detouring to Niagara Falls but that would have been silly – it would have added too many miles and I have seen torrents of rain all day anyway. When it hasn’t been raining hard it has been raining very hard.| Mark Avery
Sometimes you have an observation and you don’t make the identification – and it niggles away at you until you solve it.| Mark Avery
Photo: Sarah HansonIn response to this morning’s announcement by Defra of tighteneing of reguations on vegetation burning on peat soils, Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said: “Extending the ban on burning over peat in the English uplands is a hugely positive step forwards towards protecting these precious habitats and reducing carbon emissions.| Mark Avery
Month: September 2025| markavery.info
Burning banned on England’s deep peat to protect wildlife| Mark Avery
Following the departure of Angela Rayner, and a smallish reshuffle, the new Defra team is led by Emma Reynolds (in place of Steve Reed) and in comes Angela Eagle as Minister of State (replacing Daniel Zeichner).| Mark Avery
Chris Corrigan. Photo: Helen Corrigan.Chris Corrigan is CEO of the Sussex Wildlife Trust and has worked in nature conservation for almost 40 years. He spent most of his career with the RSPB, most recently as Director England, but has also worked for BirdWatch Ireland and Butterfly Conservation and is a trustee of the South Georgia Heritage Trust. He is a lifelong birder and naturalist.| Mark Avery
Month: June 2025| markavery.info
Month: August 2025| markavery.info
Tony Juniper is arguably the leading UK environmentalist of his generation so his latest title raises hopes and expectations. This is, in my opinion, his best book and provides a detailed analysis of our failure to make enough progress with environmental issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change. He provides a compelling argument for the importance of lack of social justice in environmental problems.| Mark Avery
I’ve been meaning to review this book for weeks as I’ve had it on my desk for what seems an age. I don’t know why I didn’t get round to it earlier but I’m glad I finally did because I enjoyed it very much.| Mark Avery
I was sent these images asking me for an opinion on which species of harrier is involved. The discussion around the bird centres on whether it is a Northern Harrier or Hen Harrier – but you might have other views. It was photographed in a location where neither of those species is a breeding bird so it had to travel some way to get there.| Mark Avery
Jonathan Porritt was working for environmental improvement long before the birth of any of the young climate campaigners given a voice in this book. Indeed, before some of their parents!| Mark Avery
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Author: Mark| markavery.info
Mark Avery is many things including;| markavery.info
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I’m a fan of Patrick Galbraith’s writing – his book In Search of One Last Song –see my review – was my blog’s book of the year in 2022 but this is an even better read. Here, again, Galbraith travels the land and talks to some interesting people in some interesting places and the subject of those conversations is largely access to the countryside.| Mark Avery
Month: May 2025| markavery.info
Tony Marr was born in Glasgow but he will always be associated with Sussex where he was one of a small group of birders in 1962 who founded the Sussex Ornithological Society (other leading lights being Richard Porter, Chris Mead, Bill Bourne and Mike Shrubb).| Mark Avery
Kate Haslegrave. Photo: Kate HaslegraveKate is a photographer and has lived in Haworth for twenty years. Walking on the moors she has come to learn that no two days are ever the same. Her blog about Haworth & Stanbury moors is at www.katietuppence.com. This is her third blog in this series about Walshaw Turbines – see here for the whole series.| Mark Avery
A series of guest blogs by Nick MacKinnon on the plans to site wind turbines (originally 65, now 42) on Walshaw Moor in West Yorkshire.| Mark Avery
Visualisation of earlier proposal for wind turbines over Cock Hill Swamp. The details have changed – there will be fewer but they will be even bigger. Photo: Lydia MacKinnonOn 1 June 2025 the Walshaw Turbines Research Group (WTRG) sent a letter before action to Christian Egal, Project Director of Calderdale Energy Park. The letter can be read on the WTRG website here, and the paper giving the extensive evidence is available here. | Mark Avery
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John Page. Photo: AuthorJohn Page was born in the West Riding, a proud Yorkshireman and was taught to play cricket left-handed “ ’cos it flummoxes t’ bowler, and buggers up t’ field.” He went to university in London and Leeds, and enjoyed (most of the time) attempting to teach young people that there’s a big wide world beyond the Colne and Worth Valleys. He also taught future captains of industry and government at the United World College of SE Asia in Singapore for four years. Ex...| Mark Avery
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I stopped the car in a pleasant valley in West Wales last Monday and listened to Start the Week which had a very environmental content with Robert Macfarlane plugging his new book, Is a River Alive?, lawyer Monica Feria-Tinta talking about protecting habitats and plugging her book, A Barrister for the Earth, and Patrick Galbraith talking about access and plugging his new book, Uncommon Ground (reviewed here by me) and criticised here by Right to Roam.| Mark Avery
Jenny Shepherd. Photo: Jenny ShepherdBan the Burn rep to the Stronger Together to Stop Calderdale WIndfarm campaign group. On behalf of the group, named creator of the Parliamentary Petition, Ban WIndfarms on Protected Peatland in England – click here . Tend to carry a Grandmothers Against Bullshit placard – covers so much in so few words.| Mark Avery
Geltsdale Pennines Paradise. Image: RSPBThe RSPB is extending its ownership of land at Geltsdale in Cumbria and appealing for donations to secure the deal – click here. This is very good news.| Mark Avery
https://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/12814There are many reasons for signing the petition to ban driven grouse shooting – click here – and this study provides two more reasons at different levels.| Mark Avery
David Higgins works in conservation. He has lived and worked in the Falkland Islands, St Helena Island, India, The Skerries, the Yorkshire Dales, the North Pennines and now the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. He loves islands especially seabird colonies, where he enjoys his main passion of wildlife photography.| Mark Avery