Monday, 20 October 2025

"Wage war on nature to build new homes: that’s Labour’s offer, but it’s a con trick"

The Government’s new Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes to tear down environmental protections to benefit developers. It is a full-scale assault on our nature and wildlife which is already significantly struggling due to habitat destruction, pollution and climate change!

I voted for a Labour Party that was going to implement nature-friendly and wildlife-friendly policies as they promised prior to the General Election.

I thought there is no way that any Government can be as bad as the last one which totally ignored protecting and restoring the natural environment.

I was wrong.

Today's column is about the government's huge, unprecedented assault on nature ... and about the eerie, astonishing silence of the big nature groups. The RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trusts have 7.5m members between them. A vast force, completely unmobilised. ๐Ÿงต www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

[image or embed]

— George Monbiot (@georgemonbiot.bsky.social) October 16, 2025 at 6:52 AM

The Guardian - Wage war on nature to build new homes: that’s Labour’s offer, but it’s a con trick

The Guardian - UK Government putting pressure on nature groups to drop opposition to Planning and Infrastructure Bill 

The Guardian - Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 20th October 2025

Date: 20th October 2025

Time: from 9 a.m.

Weather: dry/drizzly, cloudy, light wind, 13°C to 14°C

I had a short visit this morning to the northern section of the site, primarily to assess possible suitable locations for bird feeders. However, it turned out to be an excellent visit for wildlife.

I was able to add another species to my 2025 site list taking the total to 49 speciesSkylark (I initially heard a single calling bird and then saw it distantly flying over the paddocks in an easterly direction)

My 2025 site list has now reached the same number as my 2024 site list, which, at 49 species, was an all-time record …. just one more species to record in the remaining weeks of the year to set a new record!

The other highlights with regard to birds during my visit were as follows:

Redwing: the first sightings of the autumn with probably at least 5 flighty birds present in the northern section of the site

Common Buzzard: 1 seen being hotly pursued by 3 very persistent and vocal Carrion Crows in the northern section of the site

Goldcrest: 1 seen foraging in the wooded area the end of the access track from Larkins Tyres and another heard calling in the same area

Chaffinch: male seen in the northern section of the site

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blue Tit 

Great Tit
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Redwing
Blackbird 
Song Thrush
Skylark
Goldcrest
Chaffinch
House Sparrow
Common Buzzard
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon 

Site totals for 2025 to date (2024 totals in brackets): 

Birds = 49 (49)

Mammals = 4 (3)
Butterflies = 23 (17)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 11 (11)
Reptiles = 0 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site 

Birds = 69

Mammals = 8
Butterflies = 26
Dragonflies and damselflies = 14
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Saturday, 18 October 2025

Record from my flat - Grey Wagtail

This morning at 9:45 a.m. as I was leaving home, I heard the distinctive flight call of a Grey Wagtail.

Unfortunately, I failed to spot it. Maybe it was heading towards the lake at nearby Gloucester Park where I have previously seen this species?

This is the first time that I have recorded Grey Wagtail from my flat and I am yet to record it this year on my St. Nicholas Church local patch.

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Record from my flat - Common Buzzard

Yet more sightings of Common Buzzard!

Today I had a brief sighting at 2:55 p.m. of a single Common Buzzard flying distantly over the houses opposite my block of flats.

Sightings of Common Buzzard have been much lower in the last few years after a peak of activity during 2022 but there has been a significant and welcome increase in sightings recently following a scarcity during the first half of 2025.

Whilst I have no firm evidence, it seems quite likely that a pair of Common Buzzards bred locally this year with some of these birds that I am now seeing being juveniles.

Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 5 years:

2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds

2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds

2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds

2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds

2025: 16 dates involving 25 birds

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Record from my flat - Common Buzzards

Yet more sightings of Common Buzzard!

Today I saw a single Common Buzzard soaring over the woodland beyond the houses opposite my flat at 12:05 p.m. and possibly the same bird with another bird again at 12:20 p.m. These birds came much closer and both flew over my block of flats, one of them "mewing" continuously.

Sightings of Common Buzzard have been much lower in the last few years after a peak of activity during 2022 but there has been a significant and welcome increase in sightings recently following a scarcity during the first half of 2025.

Whilst I have no firm evidence, it seems quite likely that a pair of Common Buzzards bred locally this year with some of these birds that I am now seeing being juveniles.

Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 5 years:

2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds

2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds

2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds

2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds

2025: 15 dates involving 24 birds

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Monday, 6 October 2025

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 6th October 2025

Date: 6th October 2025

Time: from 9:15 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy, light wind, 11°C to 14°C

For my visit this morning, I focused on the southern section of the site and the church and cemetery. I hoped to relocate the Firecrest that I had seen on my last visit on 2nd October 2025 but unfortunately I was unsuccessful.

However, I was able to add another species to my 2025 site list taking the total to 48 speciesMeadow Pipit (an unseen single bird calling and flying over the southern section of the site)

The other highlights with regard to birds during my visit were as follows:

Swallow: a single bird seen flying high and in a southerly direction over the southern section of the site

Sparrowhawk: female seen flying through the area behind Larkins Tyres as I returned home

Pied Wagtail: 1 seen flying over Church Hill as I returned home

Chaffinch: a calling bird seen flying high over the cemetery

Jay: at least 10 seen during my visit, including a group of 6 seen together in the southern section of the site

Green Woodpecker: 1 heard calling in the wooded area in the southern section of the site

Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 heard calling in the wooded area in the southern section of the site

Grey Squirrel is a mammal that I only see occasionally during the summer months but the crop of acorns during the autumn seems to see them re-appear (similar to Jays) and this morning I saw 5 individuals.

After seeing 3 on my last visit on 2nd October 2025, I had another sighting of a single Wall in the immediate vicinity of the church.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blue Tit

Great Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Blackbird
Chaffinch
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Starling
Sparrowhawk
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon

Grey Squirrel

Wall

Here are some photos from my visit ….



















Site totals for 2025 to date (2024 totals in brackets): 

Birds = 48 (49)

Mammals = 4 (3)
Butterflies = 23 (17)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 11 (11)
Reptiles = 0 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site 

Birds = 69

Mammals = 8
Butterflies = 26
Dragonflies and damselflies = 14
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Saturday, 4 October 2025

Record from my flat - Common Buzzard

The sightings of Common Buzzard keep on coming!

My sightings are usually from mid-morning onwards in sunny weather when the birds take advantage of thermals to enable soaring.

However, my sighting this morning at 7:25 a.m. was very untypical being so early in the morning and in grey and very windy weather. I had an extremely brief view this time of a bird that flew past undoubtedly wind-assisted!

Sightings of Common Buzzard have been much lower in the last few years after a peak of activity during 2022 but there has been a significant and welcome increase in sightings recently following a scarcity during the first half of 2025.

Whilst I have no firm evidence, it seems quite likely that a pair of Common Buzzards bred locally this year with some of these birds that I am now seeing being juveniles.

Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 5 years:

2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds

2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds

2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds

2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds

2025: 14 dates involving 22 birds

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Thursday, 2 October 2025

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 2nd October 2025

Date: 2nd October 2025

Time: from 10:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny/cloudy, light wind, 14°C to 17°C

I had a long overdue visit to the site this morning when I was able to add another species to my 2025 site list taking the total to 47 speciesFirecrest.

I initially heard a calling Firecrest in the wooded area immediately before the track back down to where I live and then had very good views, although the bird was very active and the light was poor preventing any photos.

This is only my second record of Firecrest for the site, the first being on 12th April 2023.

The other highlights with regard to birds during my visit were as follows:

Common Buzzard: 1 heard “mewing” in the northern section of the site and then seen briefly flying beyond the trees

Chiffchaff: 3 calling birds (northern section of the site, central section of the cemetery and around the church)

Goldcrest: 1 heard calling in the wooded area adjacent to the track down to the A127 (the location of my first Firecrest record)

Green Woodpecker: 1 heard calling at the end of the access track from Larkins Tyres

Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 heard calling in the northern section of the site

Song Thrush and Blackbird: at least 5 of each species and possibly newly arrived autumn immigrants

Surprisingly, there was a reminder that summer isn’t quite over yet with sightings of a single Wall in the central section of the cemetery and 2 more in the immediate vicinity of the church.
















Photo: Wall

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Firecrest

Goldcrest
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
Dunnock
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Starling
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Herring Gull

Grey Squirrel

Wall

Site totals for 2025 to date (2024 totals in brackets):  

Birds = 47 (49)

Mammals = 4 (3)
Butterflies = 23 (17)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 11 (11)
Reptiles = 0 (0)
Amphibians = 0 (0) 

Total species list for the site 

Birds = 69

Mammals = 8
Butterflies = 26
Dragonflies and damselflies = 14
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Monday, 29 September 2025

Record from my flat - Common Buzzard

The sightings of Common Buzzard keep on coming!

My last sighting was on 23rd September 2025 when I saw FOUR Common Buzzards soaring together over the woodland beyond the houses opposite my flat and almost certainly over my St. Nicholas Church local patch site.

This morning at 11.40 a.m., I saw just a single soaring bird in the same area.



















Sightings of Common Buzzard have been much lower in the last few years after a peak of activity during 2022 but there has been a significant and welcome increase in sightings recently following a scarcity during the first half of 2025.

Whilst I have no firm evidence, it seems quite likely that a pair of Common Buzzards bred locally this year with some of these birds that I am now seeing being juveniles.

Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 5 years:

2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds

2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds

2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds

2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds

2025: 13 dates involving 21 birds

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Saturday, 27 September 2025

Record from my flat - Red Foxes

Visible and audible Red Fox activity will doubtless begin to increase with the onset of autumn and pairing and mating behaviour.

I have already heard barking Red Foxes close to where I live during the last 2 nights: 26th and 27th September 2025 at 5:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. respectively.

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Thursday, 25 September 2025

Trip away from SS15 - Canvey Point, Canvey Island, Essex - 25th September 2025

Canvey Point is located at the easternmost end of Canvey Island and faces out in to the River Thames.

It is a well-known location for recording seabirds (including Gannetsskuasshearwaterspetrelsauks, rarer gulls, etc.) blown in to the outer estuary from the North Sea in strong north or north east winds during the period August to October.

In a 3 hour visit, I recorded my first Arctic Skuas of the year, taking my UK year list for 2025 to 184 species.

The highlights from my visit were as follows: Arctic Skua (3 flying up-river west and 2 flying up-river east), Common Tern (at least 100 but possibly many more, most seen distantly in the outer river and presumably this species although possibly including Arctic Tern), Sandwich Tern (at least 3), Turnstone (at least 65 in various small flocks flying along the foreshore), Curlew (at least 40 in various small flying flocks plus 2 on the foreshore), Oystercatcher (4 on the foreshore), Great White Egret (1 flew over the river from Kent), Little Egret (5), Grey Heron (1), Cormorant (at least 20), Great Crested Grebe (3), Wigeon (2 flying flocks of c.30 each), Mediterranean Gull (2), Swallow (at least 50 all in small groups heading east), Rock Pipit (1)

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Tuesday, 23 September 2025

Record from my flat - Common Buzzards

The sightings of Common Buzzard keep on coming!

This afternoon at 1:45 p.m., I saw FOUR Common Buzzards soaring together over the woodland beyond the houses opposite my flat and almost certainly over my St. Nicholas Church local patch site.

This sighting from my flat follows three previous sightings in July, four in August and one already in September.

Sightings of Common Buzzard have been much lower in the last few years after a peak of activity during 2025 but there has been a significant and welcome increase in sightings recently following a scarcity during the first half of 2025.

Whilst I have no firm evidence, it seems quite likely that a pair of Common Buzzards bred locally this year with some of these birds that I am now seeing being juveniles.

Summary of Common Buzzard records during the last 5 years:

2021: 11 dates involving 13 birds

2022: 26 dates involving 38 birds

2023: 8 dates involving 8 birds

2024: 3 dates involving 3 birds

2025: 12 dates involving 20 birds

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Friday, 19 September 2025

Trip away from SS15 - EWT Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex - 19th September 2025

This morning I had a visit to EWT Two Tree Island, a site that I can easily reach from home by public transport.

EWT Two Tree Island is situated adjacent to the internationally protected Thames Estuary and it is a winter refuge for a huge diversity and abundance of winter wildfowl (most notably Dark-bellied Brent Geese) and waders plus a wide range of breeding and migrant birds during the rest of the year.

EWT Two Tree Island was reclaimed from the sea in the 18th century when a seawall was built around the saltmarsh and it was originally used for farming. It is now managed as a nature reserve.

Approximately 4 miles of trails, which are a mixture of gravel and grass paths, provide access through the grasslands and scrub areas. At the end of the western section of the reserve is a bird hide which overlooks a lagoon which provides a valuable habitat for roosting and breeding water birds. The eastern section is part of Leigh National Nature Reserve where the saltmarsh is one of the best surviving in the Thames Estuary. 

There are excellent views of Hadleigh Castle from the western end of EWT Two Tree Island.

I arrived at EWT Two Tree Island at 10:30 a.m. after walking down to the bridge over Leigh Creek from Leigh-on-Sea railway station.

I initially walked down to the slipway overlooking the marshes and Hadleigh Ray before then walking along the seawall to the westernmost point of the island and "Monty's Lookout", the hide overlooking the lagoon.

I timed my visit so that I was in the hide for more than an hour before high tide when the lagoon normally becomes packed with roosting waders.

As I arrived at "Monty's Lookout", there were already large numbers of birds on the lagoon either roosting or feeding.
































It proved to be a very productive 3 hour visit to EWT Two Tree Island with 12 species of waders recorded.

The highlights from my visit, including the walk from Leigh-on-Sea railway station to the entrance to EWT Two Tree Island were as follows: Black-tailed Godwit (at least 300 on the lagoon), Avocet (at least 100 on the lagoon), Ringed Plover (at least 100 on the lagoon), Common Redshank (at least 100 on the lagoon), Dunlin (at least 50 on the lagoon), Lapwing (at least 15 on the lagoon), Knot (5 on the lagoon), Greenshank (4 on the lagoon), Common Snipe (4 together on a pool between the railway station and Two Tree Island), Oystercatcher (2 on the lagoon), Grey Plover (2 on the lagoon including a summer plumaged bird), Sanderling (1 on the lagoon), Little Egret (c.100 on the saltmarsh outside the railway station, c.50 more distantly at the east end of Two Tree Island and at least 3 on the lagoon), Grey Heron (2 between the railway station and Two Tree Island and 2 on the lagoon), Wigeon (200 flew over heading west), Teal (c.30 on a pool between the railway station and Two Tree Island and c.10 on the lagoon), Shelduck (5 on the lagoon), Common Gull (4 on the river), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2 on the lagoon), Cormorant (3 on the river), Swallow (3 flying south), Chiffchaff (3) Cetti's Warbler (3 singing males, none seen) 

Here are some other photos from my visit ....
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwit

Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Avocet
















Photo: Avocet
















Photo: Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshanks and Grey Plover
















Photo: Grey Plover
















Photo: Grey Plover
















Photo: Grey Plover and Ringed Plovers
















Photo: Grey Plover and Common Redshank
















Photo: Grey Plover and Ringed Plover















Photo: Lapwing
















Photo: Little Egret
















Photo: Little Egret, Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits
















Photo: Little Egret















Photo: Little Egret
















Photo: Grey Heron

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world
Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿฆ† ๐Ÿฆ‰๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿ๐ŸฆŠ๐Ÿฆก๐ŸŒผ ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ’š
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature