Natural Selection

If you live anywhere near Morecambe Bay or the Ribble Estuary you’ve probably noticed that the Pink-footed Geese have returned in force over the last week. I first saw significant numbers on a day birding around Glasson and Cockersands with a friend on the 16th. He said that there’s nothing like seeing them coming in…

I have back to back holidays this autumn (tough gig I know). I’m going to Shetland, Skerries in particular, on go big or go home dates in late October and I’ll say something about that nearer the time. Before that Jane and I are going to Porto Santo and this short blog sets the scene…

On my way to Friday night football fixtures in Barrow last autumn I checked gull roosts at Newbiggin and Roosebeck several times. I reported a number of colour ringed gulls from these sites, and as a result Ros Green contacted me today. A GPS transmitter had detached from the Shelduck it was monitoring and washed…

Never start with an apology, but sorry for the highly unoriginal post title. It references the excellent radio series and book by the late Douglas Adams and Mark Cawardine seeking out endangered wildlife. Those of you younger than me may better remember the remake with Stephen Fry replacing the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy author.…

It strikes me that I’ve had mixed opinions on the critically acclaimed nature writing I’ve read of late. Some stuff has been a bit of a slog to get through. Islands of Abandonment isn’t in that category, it’s great. Beginning with some spoil heaps in Scotland Cal Flyn takes in some of the most damaged…

I’ve just finished this book. Rather than re-type my Goodreads review I am sharing that below for those who don’t have access to that site. With regard to the ornithological comments, as the detail of this would sit better in this blog it included from memory a statement that terns winter in Northern Europe and…

Apologies if all my readership know this but imprinting is an important part of the formative days and weeks of many young birds. If a chick accidentally gets detached from its brood in certain circumstances it can get the wrong idea about its parents. In zoos and other collections if care isn’t taken birds can…

I went through the gulls on the Leven Estuary at Greenodd both on the way to the Barrow game and on the way back. Second helpings was worthwhile as I had a couple of ringed Lesser Black-backed Gulls after little on the way in. I will hopefully remember to post the details of youngster N:W18…

What’s up the Walrus on a card in my home office asks. Well in the Walrus world what’s up is probably climate change, but this has been temporarily supplanted by the killing of a female named Freya in Oslo harbour this weekend. Freya had developed something of a following as she wandered round the North…

Those with long memories will recall this blog is supposed to include my own creative writing, and reviews of the writing of others as well as birding write ups. Part of the reason for the paucity of book reviews is it has taken me a while to plough through nearly 500 pages of this weighty…