“Where have all the flowers gone?”
By John and Margaret Cooper. On Monday 23rd March 2020, nine weeks ago, we started to “self-isolate” as over 70s in our tiny cottage in Norfolk. During our lockdown we…
Category: Conservation
A more optimistic long view of our place in nature
By Dr Valerie Jeffries. Walking along briskly for my lockdown exercise I was watching the starlings congregate for their evening swarm on the TV aerials, and listening to quarrelling sparrows…
“Habitat is King”; look after the habitat and all will be well
By Mike Gadd. As a great lover of wildlife art and sculpture, I fell into the fascinating world of taxidermy and have tried to recreate the beauty of nature ever…
‘Over 1 in 10 UK species faces a real risk of extinction’
Written by Oliver Cottis. Spring is the best time of year and we are stuck at home. With such a depressing grind of negativity, I don’t think it’s ever been…
What’s on the bird table?
A male Blackbird (Turdus merula) taking sunflower hearts:
Introducing Haith’s Helpline
Visit https://www.haiths.com/haiths-helpline/ to find out more. Stay well. Simon
From John and Margaret Cooper in Kenya
When we visited El Karama Ranch in Laikipia we expected to be shown a lot of large farm livestock and to see impressive wildlife, such as elephants. We experienced both…
‘The Dynamics of Humankind’ – a new book exploring the comparative analysis between the natural world and the unnatural human world
Recently, I had the pleasure to meet British scientist Chris Middleton at Burlington House, Piccadilly prior to the two of us being formally admitted as Fellows of The Linnean Society…
Admission of Simon H King as a Fellow of The Linnean Society of London (FLS)
It seemed like an age had passed since Margaret E Cooper FLS informed me that she intended to recommend me for election to Fellowship of The Linnean Society of London…
As the sun sets on 2019
As the sun sets on 2019, we’re going to reflect on an exciting year for The Frightened Face of Nature (FFON) project and wish all our readers the very best…
Latest news: An elected Fellow of The Linnean Society of London
I’m thrilled to be an elected Fellow of The Linnean Society of London. “The Linnean Society of London is the world’s oldest active biological society. Founded in 1788 by Sir…
Presentation at Cambridge University Veterinary Zoological Society (CUVZS)
Thrilled to have given a talk to CUVZS students about feeding and nutrition of birds yesterday. It’s always a pleasure to share the stage with John and Margaret Cooper. John…
Butterflies, bees and buddleia – brilliant!
It’s amazing how much life a buddleia bush can attract – butterflies, bees, moths, hoverflies and an assortment of other flying insects feasting on the purple offerings. Buddleia is so…
Challenges facing the planet
This was one of my (Simon) favourite talks from the Maxwell Knight Symposium and we’re very grateful to Paul Pearce-Kelly for allowing us to share his slides on the FFON…
News: Letter to the Veterinary Record
Subsequently published, in a shortened form, in Vet Record – vets urged to promote sensible, safe, feeding of garden birds, using properly tested diets, by John E Cooper 1, Margaret E…
Hoverflies: the sheep in wolf’s clothing
Did you know that hoverflies mimic wasps and bees but don’t bite or sting? When it comes to mimicry, they’re a sheep in wolf’s and they’re fun to watch up…
Offshore wind farms – coming to a beach near you
Apologies for the unshaven me; however, I thought I’d record a vlog from my favourite beach (Sandilands) in Lincolnshire. What prompted me? An offshore wind farm and the moon landing…
My day job: standing up for nature and supporting British exports
My priority is reconnecting people with nature – we’re all occupied with life’s slings and arrows and need an occasional reminder to stop and enjoy what the natural world has…
Do the moon landings pose a moral conundrum?
We (John and Margaret Cooper) enjoyed reading Simon King’s post: “Maxwell Knight mentions the space race in his unpublished manuscript The Frightened Face of Nature and here’s a poignant quote…
Fledgling Chaffinch calls for parents
Continuing my wildlife adventures with my iPhone, I caught this charming Chaffinch calling for its parents yesterday. My gut feeling was that a parent would soon show up, which is…
Wildlife adventures with an iPhone
I filmed this at the weekend by attaching my iPhone to a sunflower heart bird feeder using an elastic band. Why didn’t I think of this before? Within a few…
Photos of the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace yesterday
I asked my wife to pinch me yesterday as we walked through the gates at Buckingham Palace on our way by foot to The Royal Garden Party. We’d panicked for…
