Wildfires: will this be the Burn’em government?
Andrew Gilruth, Jo Pearson and Richard Bailey explain to Charlie Jacoby where the Westminster government is going wrong on upland wildfires.
Charlie Jacoby
I am the co-founder of Fieldsports Channel, the new owner of Scribehound. I have been a writer and broadcaster for 40 years.
Forestry often gets a kicking in the media, but what are the solutions?
The growing and harvesting of trees for timber products often receives negative coverage in the mainstream media, written press and particularly on social media. Timber is just as essential to our daily lives as food and water, and we currently import around 80% of our domestic needs. This isn’t…
Is "No mow May" causing "June bug-ocalypse"
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for no mow May, I think it's a brilliant incentive to bring wildlife back into focus and in large, it's quite an easy sell. Don't mow your lawn and get both social green points for caring about fuzzy bumbles and butterflies, while enjoying a longer break away from the…
Firsts of the year.
Leading on from the swallow thread, what other firsts are people seeing and hearing? It is good time of year for migrants arriving, creatures coming out of hibernation or hatching and plants growing. Just now my wife spotted the first hummingbird hawk moth on our garden flowers (mid Wales), never…
Bird nesting.
Our garden birds are full on nesting and inevitably, every year, some will nest in the most inconvenient of places, we open a shed door to find a robin nest amongst the tools or mower we need. A blackbird took only 3 days to build this nest in our “Molehole” (as we call it), where we sit and…
How Important is language in public discourse?
Had bit of a back and forth with Ian Coghill yesterday about how I perceived some of his comments regarding tree planting. As a forester it came across to me as a minor attack and while that clearly wasn't intended, that is still how it came across. I've been accused of being a bit thin-skinned…
Fishing Close Season
What are people’s thoughts on having a close season for fishing? Currently there’s no coarse fishing on rivers. Trout season on rivers is allowed, if that will stop in October. There always seems to be a lot of moaning about it. My view is some anglers are a selfish bunch and are just trying to…
Does anyone have any views on thoroughbreds (out of racing)?
I see so many people looking for horses who specify ‘no thoroughbreds’, but personally I’ve found that they are great horses. So adaptable and most have seen so much in training that they take most things in their stride. What does anyone else think?
How can we help the public care more about where their food comes from?
A running theme on Scribehound has been the connection (or lack of one) that people feel towards their food, often with reference to how different attitudes are in places like France. How can we encourage UK consumers to value great quality over price, especially now. Do you think it is a…
What's your favourite local dialect name for an animal / plant / landscape feature?
I love the Norfolk name for a ladybird, which is 'Bishy Barnabee' and would love examples of other such local names for things!
Bluebells - had to be shared
Simply for some shared appreciation for the woods at this time of year!
Swallows!
Have your barn swallows arrived yet? Last year in Hampshire ours arrived in the first week of April, but I've not seen them yet this year...