I didn’t watch it and I won’t be watching it

Maybe I am not keeping up with what is going on in the world but I thought that the real critical issues deserving and demanding our attention were .... 

• A Covid-19 pandemic leaving millions dead

• A climate emergency and biodiversity crisis

• Ongoing wars and conflicts in Yemen, the Middle East and elsewhere

• Human rights issues in China, Myanmar and elsewhere

• The ongoing threat of terrorism

• Global poverty and inequality

• The collapse of advanced global economies and insufficient support to developing countries.

Basically we have existential threats to the very future of sustainable, peaceful, co-operative life on Earth but instead we have a ridiculous circus dominating the media.

We have the hypocrisy of Harry and Megan demanding privacy and then blatantly self-promoting themselves, blatantly attention and publicity seeking. Their interview billed with Oprah Winfrey was billed as the world TV moment of the year, this being an interview with a couple who supposedly left the UK to enjoy a “quiet life”. Stop wanting everyone to like you. Take care of yourselves quietly and enjoy all your wealth, privilege and celebrity fame. A lot of people have real problems. No one wants you to be sad. We just want you to be quiet and get on with your new lives.

We have the hypocrisy of the so-called Royal Family. There are the less than subtle attacks on the outcasts from the family. There are commitments to investigate claims of historical bullying from Megan. However, there is not a word about the behaviour of Andrew or ensuring that he co-operates with sex trafficking and child abuse investigations in the US. Talk about having your priorities wrong. The pathetic fawning deference and idolatry of the flag-waving monarchists and royalists and the obsessive and sensationalist right wing media reporting continues.

The Daily Mirror said over the weekend …. “The Royal Family and courtiers versus Meghan Markle and Harry Windsor is a battle both sides deserve to lose. Has there ever been a worse bunch of moaning, entitled, preening, selfish, egotistical, privileged, indulged and out-of-touch narcissists who think the entire world revolves around them?”.

As a staunch Republican almost since I could spell the word “queen”, I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Perhaps someone can tell me why we need a Royal Family or what benefit ordinary people get from them?

The monarchy is an outdated institution, built on feudalism and colonialism and tone deaf to the needs and demands of our modern times. 

We live in the 21^st century. The reform, modernisation and strengthening of our democracy is long overdue. The abolition of an unelected head of state and all the other heavily taxpayer subsidised hangers-on would be a very good start.

Perhaps it is too much to hope that this circus marks the start of a nation questioning the anachronistic institutions and protocols it blindly accepts as parts of British life. We should be embarrassed and ashamed that we still have a monarchy and an unelected and undemocratic head of state in what is claimed to be a modern democracy.

The monarchy needs to be abolished and the monarch replaced with a democratic head of state elected by the people (we are people not “subjects”), a person not running the Government but someone representing the nation independently of our politicians. An elected, accountable and effective head of state. 

When the Queen dies, let's elect a head of state. If the monarchists and royalists are so keen on Charles becoming head of state, they can urge him to run for President of the Republic of the United Kingdom (assuming of course that Scotland and Wales have not achieved independence and that Northern Ireland has not become part of a reunified Ireland). If it is his divine birth right then he will win the popular vote won't he?

Of course many of the monarchists and royalists want to skip a generation and see William as King.  A hereditary monarchy skipping a generation because some people don't like the next in line? Try figuring that logic out!

What could we possibly do with all that money saved on not having an extended Royal Family and not having to pay these people to live a life of luxury and privilege? Just a suggestion but how about a decent pay rise for all those wonderful NHS workers who have put their lives on the line for us or the much needed investment in so many other parts of our society that would benefit normal people.

I refuse to watch royal weddings, royal funerals or any royal event. They are a complete waste of my time. Life is too short to indulge all the attention heaped on such a dysfunctional and undeserving family. 

I certainly won’t be watching the Oprah Winfrey interview but unfortunately I have woken up to massive wall-to-wall coverage on the 24 hour news media.

FFS! …. get a life, get your priorities right!

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Record from my flat - Red Fox

At 10:20 p.m. I looked out of my window before going to bed and saw a Red Fox trotting down the grassy strip at the end of my road. It emerged on to the road, had a brief wander around some of the parked cars before turning round and disappearing back in to the wooded area.

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How to stop HS2

The ecological vandalism that is HS2 can be stopped .... by the powerful collective activist protest of cats 😀

Stand your ground .... sit on a train .... don't move 😀

The Guardian - Cat on a fast train roof holds up London to Manchester service

Cat avoids train surfing hitch hike from London Euston to Manchester

Kitty is now safe and well so it’s time for a caption competition. GO! pic.twitter.com/OoZ7gArTRp

— Avanti West Coast (@AvantiWestCoast) March 3, 2021

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Demand a decent pay rise for the NHS

So the Government has recommended that NHS staff in England should receive a derisory 1% pay increase this year …. see here.

These are the people that have fought on the front line for over a year, literally putting their lives at risk for the rest of us.

A hypocritical "clap for carers" in Downing Street by Johnson and Sunak followed by a "slap for carers" ....

Graeme Bandeira is the cartoonist at The Yorkshire Post.

The Government disingenuously (pathetically) claims that a 1% pay rise for NHS staff is all that can be afforded.

Brexit has apparently been "done" according to this Government so why isn’t that £350m a week for the NHS now available to fund a pay rise for NHS staff and all the other investment required? Has there been some unexpected problem?

Oh, it appears that the UK Government has unilaterally decided to suspend the so-called benefits of Brexit. The "sunlit uplands" are shrouded in cloud and fog. And apparently, it's all the EU's fault for insisting on “Brexit means Brexit”.

Brexit .... the vote to take back what we never lost in order to lose everything that we had.

At Prime Minister’s Questions in May last year, Johnson said: “We will want to see our fantastic frontline workers paid properly. That is, I think, the best way forward. I want to see our NHS staff paid properly, our NHS supported.”

So he lied in respect of the benefits of Brexit and he lied in respect of his support for the NHS. 

Who would have thought it from such an honest and trustworthy politician?

Instead, the Government can find not just one “magic money tree” but a massive forestry plantation to …..

• Fund the £37 billion malfunctioning “Test and Trace” system

• Fund the ecological vandalism that is HS2 and already costing in excess of £100 billion

• Fund the “levelling up” of constituencies which vote Conservative and which, on the whole, don't require “levelling up” 

• Fund the luxurious refurbishment of Downing Street and a new media briefing centre

The list goes on and on and on.

And don’t even get me started on the corrupt procurement of Covid-19 related contracts, the billions of pounds awarded to friends, supporters and donors to the Conservative Party, many with limited or nil experience or qualifications to provide the services or equipment required from them.

For a funny take on what is an appalling decision by this appalling Government ....

Woman who thinks 1% pay rise for NHS is fine because they got clapping pic.twitter.com/sEJhxBCEWY

— Rosie Holt (@RosieisaHolt) March 6, 2021

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The Earth could hear itself think: how birdsong became the sound of lockdown

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the song of birds offered joy and hope.

Steven Lovatt, in his new book “Birdsong in a Time of Silence”  recalls the beautiful spring of 2020 and explains the science behind bird calls and how to identify them.

The Guardian - The Earth could hear itself think: how birdsong became the sound of lockdown

I have not read this book yet but it is on the “wish list”.

Here are a few extracts from the above article and the book ….

“The day before my early walk in the park, the Prime Minister ordered a shutdown of public life that would entirely change society as we’d known it. By Government decree, normal life was suspended. In the coastal town where I live, compliance was immediate and total. All traffic noise ceased, and you could hear litter scuffing down the empty streets. It felt as if nine-tenths of the population had disappeared overnight. The strangeness was amplified tenfold by the difficulty of reconciling this “lockdown” with the sudden coming of the most glorious spring that anyone could remember. But most of all, we began to notice the birdsong. A little tentative and sputtering at first, by the end of March it filled the air. Broadcast from aerials and hedge tops, a rising choir of chirps, trills and warbles brought life to gardens and echoed off house fronts and shuttered shops with no traffic noise to smother it.”

“The pandemic had struck the northern hemisphere at just that moment in the natural calendar when birdsong resumes in full force after the quiet and solitary winter months. Millions of people were not just hearing but actively listening, perhaps for the first time, to the songs of birds – ancient songs, perhaps unchanged from the stone age.”

“Recognising the calls and songs of even a few species of birds can enrich one’s understanding of the world by revealing an almost forgotten aspect of the grammar of reality. The calls and responses range across various bandwidths, and some speak to the soul more readily than others. Even in bright June sunshine a Robin’s sombre phrase can bring on a reflective mood and who has not sometimes felt cheered by the daft laughter of park ducks? Some bird calls seem to have the power to short-circuit time and take you straight back to childhood.”

“Right at the end of July it’s reported that the sudden decline in human activity during the pandemic has been registered by seismologists as a wave of silence passing over the Earth, its course exactly following that of the virus. From China to Iran to Italy, vibrations from traffic, industry and construction work faded or, for a time, halted altogether; the crust of the planet ceased to judder with the noise that had been dinning, seemingly unstoppably, since the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Finally, the Earth could hear itself think, and the voice of its thought was birdsong. A year on, we’re still too close to it to tell which stories and emotions will survive from that strangest of times. But it also seemed possible, even in the grimmest days, that the spring of 2020 might be remembered differently – as the time when we first heard the birds and, hearing them, began to recover an appreciation of something universal we had somehow mislaid.”

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Rare black Red Fox spotted in London garden

All the Red Foxes that I see around my local St. Nicholas Church patch site are most definitely RED.

This is a remarkable sight and it is interesting to note that whilst this individual does not have the typical colouration of a Red Fox, it has retained the distinctive white tip to its tail.

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 5th March 2021

Date: 5th March 2021

Time: from 7:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, cloudy, light wind, 2°C to 3°C

My last visit to the site on 26th February 2021 was a definite reminder of the imminent arrival of spring: very sunny, a lot of bird song, the first Blackcap of the year, 2 additions to my site year list and 24 bird species in total.

This morning was very different and it seemed more like autumn or winter again. When I left home it was sunny but it quickly reverted to a cold, cloudy and grey morning. There was very little bird activity and an almost complete absence of bird song other than a Song Thrush which continually sang from somewhere in the scrub area to the north of the site.

Nonetheless, there were 2 clear signs of spring since my last visit a week ago: the emergence of white Blackthorn blossom in a few areas around the site plus a few tiny Sweet Violets in one section of the cemetery. I have to confess that I am never sure about the identification of Blackthorn blossom and Hawthorn blossom. The autumn fruits, blue-black sloes and red haws respectively, are much easier! However, the Woodland Trust are very helpful …. see here.

Although generally quiet with regard to birds, there were a few notable sightings.

On my last 2 visits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers were active around and actually on the church. This morning I saw a male and female close together in the oak trees just to the north of the eastern section of the cemetery, the male noisily “drumming”. I also heard a distant calling Green Woodpecker to the north of the site.

After adding Canada Goose to my site list for the year on my last visit, I saw a further 3 flying in to and over the site from the north this morning.

With regard to mammals, I again saw 3 species.

I had a fleeting glimpse of a Red Fox in the area immediately behind the church. I have seen them in this area before but neither here or anywhere around the church or cemetery for several weeks. The field in the north of the site and the trees, hedges and scrub bordering it has proved to be much more reliable lately.

This location in the north of the site can also be a good one to see Reeves’ Muntjacs and this morning I saw a single male as it slowly crossed the field before disappearing in to the trees. It did emerge very briefly some minutes later and much closer to me but it quickly turned round and disappeared again.

I also saw a single Grey Squirrel in the same area as the Reeve’s Muntjac.

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

Blue Tit
Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin 

Dunnock

Wren

Song Thrush

Blackbird

Goldfinch

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Collared Dove

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Canada Goose

Red Fox

Reeves’ Muntjac

Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit: 

Photo: male Reeves' Muntjac

Photo: male Reeves' Muntjac

Photo: Sweet Violets

Photo: Sweet Violets

Photo: Blackthorn

Photo: Blackthorn

Photo: Blackthorn

Photo: Blackthorn

Site totals to date (2021 totals in brackets):

Birds = 51  (30)
Mammals = 6  (3)
Butterflies = 21  (0)
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7  (0)
Reptiles = 1  (0)
Amphibians = 0  (0)

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Littering and fly-tipping!

Has anyone else noticed the huge increase in littering and fly-tipping in their local greenspaces since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic?

The disposal of household and other waste is heavily regulated and littering and fly-tipping is illegal, not to mention unsightly and hazardous to humans and wildlife.

Some people have no understanding of or respect for the environment!

Carelessness, laziness, selfishness and stupidity should have no place in our society.

What is so difficult about disposing of waste in the appropriate way?

Iolo Williams is ex-RSPB Wales Species Officer, TV and radio presenter, author, wildlife tour leader and naturalist .... and a thoroughly nice guy if you get the opportunity to meet him.

Iolo's simple guide to refuse disposal ....

Just to help those thousands of intellectually-challenged idiots out there.... pic.twitter.com/GEGL6g3Oiq

— Iolo Williams (@IoloWilliams2) March 4, 2021

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I discovered another new word today

Well, 2 words actually .... bilateral gynandromorphism

Half-male and half-female Northern Cardinal

This is remarkable and not what you normally hear discussed in the bird hide or in the pub! .... not that you can have a discussion about anything in either at the moment.

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When does spring start?

It could be today!

How the first day of spring is defined depends on whether you are referring to the astronomical spring or meteorological spring.

Astronomical spring

Astronomical seasons refer to the position of the Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun taking in to consideration the equinoxes and solstices. This is due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's rotational axis in its orbit around the Sun.

Since the seasons vary in length, the start date of a new season can fall on different days each year. This year, astronomical spring begins on 20th March 2021 and ends on 20th June 2021.

Meteorological spring

Meteorological seasons are instead based on the annual temperature cycle and measure the meteorological state as well as coinciding with the calendar to determine a clear transition between the seasons.

The meteorological seasons consist of splitting the seasons into 4 periods made up of 3 months each. These seasons are split to coincide with our Gregorian calendar and make it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics. By the meteorological calendar, spring will always start on 1st March and end on 31st May. 

The meteorological seasons are defined as spring (March, April and May), summer (June, July and August), autumn (September, October and November) and winter (December, January and February).

Whether you choose 1st March or 20th March to mark the start of spring .... “Do remember they can’t cancel the spring”

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More on the Environment Bill .... please sign the petition

The Wildlife and Countryside Link, a coalition of 57 wildlife and nature organisations, have launched a joint campaign today to send a strong message to the Government to persuade the Prime Minister to add an amendment to the Environment Bill to set a legally binding target to reverse the loss of nature in England by 2030. Letter demands action over "UK nature in freefall" Even the Prime Minister's father, Stanley Johnson, has written to ask for this amendment to be added! The passage of the Environment Bill has already been significantly delayed (see here) and its current content is inadequate. At the moment it contains unconvincing commitments and, given the experience on so many other matters, it is hard to believe that the Government will keep its promises without being harried, prodded and poked at every opportunity. A legally binding target would apply to this Government and its successors.  That is what wildlife and nature needs if it is to ever recover. The proposed amendment would apply to England only since the provisions of the Environment Bill are mostly restricted to England but a strong response to the petition will influence the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland too. So, if you care for wildlife and nature in England, you should sign this petition unless you fully trust this Government and its successors to reverse the decline in wildlife without a legally binding amendment to the Environment Bill.

Nature needs protection now ! We have a once in a generation chance to protect our #StateofNature in law and help wildlife thrive . Please join environmental leaders in calling on @BorisJohnson to make promises to protect nature legally binding . https://t.co/DaKqrOxhsv pic.twitter.com/KCtO7SEm0r

— Chris Packham (@ChrisGPackham) March 3, 2021

Petition >>> Wildlife and Countryside Link (e-activist.com) 

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