Children born to royal or other prominent individuals are said to be 'born in the purple' . This term doesn't apply to many of us but presumably does to every purple heron under the sun. Purple herons are special! And we have a pair of these...

The RSPB is obsessed with birds of prey at the expense of songbirds. This is a claim that has been doing the rounds for a little while now, most recently in a less than complimentary article in Country Life magazine. It’s an intriguing claim...

One of the RSPB Council members had a copy of my friend's, Mike McCarthy's, excellent book 'Say goodbye to the cuckoo' with him over the weekend and I saw him reading it at every available opportunity! I have just received a copy of...

This is an interesting blog - lead ammunition, politics and rhetoric . Letter to the Future has passed 202,000 signatures. I saw two turtle doves on my way home the other evening - such a treat - and it's not even Christmas! I haven't...

I've just come back from a working weekend with the RSPB Council on the island of Islay where we have several marvellous nature reserves. It's a bit of a trek to get to Islay from southern England but by a combination of sleeper (a witty name...