A climate-friendly aproach to ornithology
By Sara Humphrey When I was asked if I’d write a blog on my low-carbon birding journey, I wasn’t expecting many readers to have heard of my hometown of Eastbourne. Nestled at the end of the South Downs Way, in East Sussex, our well-known local birding spots include Beachy Head, Arlington Reservoir and Cuckmere Haven. …
Continue reading "Car-free birding: pleasures and challenges"
By Joe Parham, Keir Chauhan and Finley Hutchinson For many young birders, ‘patch birding’—regularly birding an area near home—is a much more accessible and climate-friendly form of birding than regularly driving to far–flung sites to see rarities or enjoy other landscapes. Our decision to focus on local birding is partly related to the fact that …
“Like Halle (author of Spring in Washington), I have spent many days in Washington biking in search of nature. And like him, I have been witness to natural phenomena that have enlivened those days when I saw special features—a beaver, a turtle, a loon, a comet. As Halle knew, a bicycle is far better than …
Continue reading "Birding with a breeze: on birdwatchers and bicycles"
By Javier Caletrío Letter originally published in British Birds December 2019 Vol. 112, pp. 760-761. I am writing to express my concern about the role of the British Birdwatching Fair in normalising high-carbon holidays. Wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists have a moral duty to contribute their fair share to the commitment of the Paris agreement to …
By Javier Caletrío In March 2018 British Birds published my article entitled ‘Are we addicted to high-carbon ornithology?’ I would like to share a few reflections on the origin of the article and how it has been received. Some climate and sustainability scientists had been discussing the need to align their academic practices with climate …
By Javier Caletrío Climate Matters is a group of scientists and data analysts working with journalists to communicate climate change. One of their initiatives has been to build stories about climate change that TV weather forecasters can tell their audiences every time there is an extreme weather event. I read about this successful initiative shortly …
Continue reading "A modest proposal: birds, weather and climate communication"
By Dominic Martin Thursday morning, my phone is vibrating. A quick look on the screen and a notification from the Swiss Bird Alert app is telling me that a Lesser Yellowlegs was spotted at Klingnauer Stausee—the first time this American wader has been observed in Switzerland. Exciting! I haven’t got the time today, but tomorrow …
By Robert Fletcher, Wageningen University Costa Rica has long been considered something of an “ecolaboratory” wherein cutting-edge conservation strategies are tested and refined for emulation elsewhere. One of the main strategies developed in this way has been nature-based tourism, leading ecotourism guru Martha Honey to indeed label the country “ecotourism’s poster child.” As throughout the …
Continue reading "Costa Rica: Lessons from the ecotourism laboratory"
By Finley Hutchinson What do you think of when I say 'nature'? Or 'biodiversity'? I reckon that most people in the UK would picture rainforests full of monkeys, birds and tree frogs. Or maybe a remote river bursting with kingfishers, multi-coloured fish and dragonflies. Granted, that may be largely the less 'wildlife-orientated' members of society …
Matt Phelps It’s barely light. The sky is gunmetal grey tinged with indigo, while a ribbon of fiery pink stretched across the eastern horizon warns of inclement weather ahead. For now, it’s dry and bitterly cold as I crunch my way along the frozen riverbank from home to my local patch, Pulborough Brooks. There’s a …
Low-Carbon Birding 