Claxton: Field Notes from a Small Planet

In Mark Cocker’s new book, we see a return to his roots - the chronicling of life in a small and apparently unremarkable piece of countryside.The short essays in ‘Claxton’ were originally written for a variety of publications, notably ‘The Guardian’. Of these pieces, 140 have been assembled here (and some rewritten) to present a natural diary of the author’s home village and its surroundings.

These essays are not confined exclusively to the ‘home patch’. Here the net of experience is cast more widely, reaching Derbyshire, Cornwall, Scotland and even the desert fringe of Morocco. Even when away, though, one senses the presence of home and sudden connections with what has been left behind. The essay on Morocco finishes with an encounter with migrant Chiffchaffs, birds which, notes Cocker, will soon be “singing from the treetops in Claxton”. It is as though one has been jerked back home by a piece of elastic.

‘Claxton’ transcends mere natural history identification and recording, articulating the author’s aesthetic as well as scientific responses to his surroundings. And there is more here too. Some essays, such as those on the persecution of our native raptors and the (now shelved) plans to reintroduce White-tailed Eagles to East Anglia, are much more political in their stance. The overall result, therefore, is a well-balanced mix of art, science and advocacy.

This is, above all, a lyric and literary rather than a documentary endeavour. As we have come to expect from Cocker, this is beautifully-sculpted, elegant prose, clean and precise, never over-done.

I loved it.

Threat to our Raptors

Birds and animals including the red kite, the goshawk, the barn owl and the wild boar could be completely wiped out of the UK if a new bill to encourage the development of infrastructure is passed, a group of leading scientists warned yesterday.

The threat stems from a new definition of the term “non-native species”, which is so broad that it includes native species that died out in the UK but have since been reintroduced. The labelling means that many species, such as the white-tailed eagle, eagle owl and common crane could be placed at risk as they would be classed as non-native.

It is entirely possible that this legislation could be used to eradicate some native species from the UK. Wild boar, beaver and goshawk are particularly vulnerable. If the bill is passed in its current form it could lead to an irreversible loss of native biodiversity. The legislation could also preclude future species reintroductions.

Some non-native species could also be vulnerable because a landowner only needs to prove economic damage to apply for an order to control or eradicate a species.

A magnificent male Goshawk

You can bet your last pound (OK - bottom dollar) that the real impetus behind this proposed legislation is coming from owners of shooting estates and their gamekeepers, wanting to protect stocks of game-birds for their rich clients to blast out of the skies. 

This alarming proposal must be rejected.  

First Irish-bred White-tailed Eagle found shot

Ongoing raptor persecution is a sadly familiar story in the UK, 60 years after it was made illegal, but it's rearing its ugly head in Ireland too. One of the first White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla to fledge in the Irish reintroduction scheme has been found dead with shotgun injuries. It was found by a member of the public near Ballinderry, North Tipperary, on the north-east shore of Lough Derg.

Subsequent post-mortem examination by pathologists at the Regional Veterinary Laboratory at Knockalisheen, in Co. Limerick showed that the young male eagle had been shot, the body holding some 45-50 shotgun pellets. The impact of the shooting broke one of its legs and wings but the bird survived for some weeks after the shooting before dying. The horrific nature of the bird's shooting and ultimate death has shocked all those involved in the reintroduction project.

For the full story see here: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/one-of-only-two-irish-bred-white-tailed-eagles-shot-and-killed-1.1713647