Daffodils or 'naffodils'? Broadcaster Chris Packham and poet William Wordsworth agree to differ

                                       

A 'host of golden daffodils' but celebrity broadcaster reckons they are a 'big yellow mess' 

Chris Packham (spring 2025) on daffodils: 

'It feels like spring is impatient this year. The daffodils, or naffodils as I call them, are making a big yellow mess.' 

                      

William Wordsworth (spring 1804) on daffodils:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

                                             

What are William Wordsworth's words worth?

Firm market for secondhand ornithological titles at Dominic Winter auction sale in Gloucestershire

A  hammer price of £580 was achieved for this collection of secondhand ornithological titles when it went under the hammer this afternoon. This was comfortably higher than the pre-sale guide price of between £300 and £400. The sale was conducted by auction house Dominic Winter at Cirencester in Gloucestershire.

Warden sought by RSPB for its prestigious reserve at Dungeness in Kent

The reedbed at the Dungeness reserve - photo: RSPB

THE RSPB is looking for a warden for its reserve at Dungeness in Kent.

Says the job description: "You will conduct our annual monitoring, recording and reporting of or priority habitats and species, including Bittern, Marsh Harrier, Lapwing plus rare plants and invertebrates. 

"You will plan and deliver our habitat restoration and management work to improve these protected areas for nature."

Other duties include:

* Managing the team to ensure delivery of the site's work programme.

* Supporting  the development, delivery and reporting of externally funded projects.

* Ensuring the reserve is managed in accordance with best practice with respect to Health and Safety,, environmental management and legal compliance of conservation and land management laws.

* Procuring and supervise contractors to carry out work on site safely and legally.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience include:

* Wet grassland and reedbed management. 

* Relevant ecological knowledge.

* Relevant knowledge of compliance requirements (eg agricultural and environmental legislation with particular reference to grazing livestock).

* One-on-one and team management skills - proven track record of working within a multi-disciplinary team.

* Proven track record of practical habitat, estate and land management.

* Record keeping / data management and use of GIS software.

* Knowledge of servicing and maintaining vehicles, machinery, tools and equipment.

The salary is  £29,200 - £31,347 per annum.

For further information, contact:  craig.edwards@rspb.org.uk 

Nine ornithological titles included in Gloucestershire auction's bumper collection of Observer's Books

                                                                  

NO fewer than nine Observer’s titles dedicated to birds are up for bidding at  an auction this week.

They were originally published as The Observer’s Book of British Birds, but later editions appeared as The Observer’s Book of Birds or, in one case, as The Observer’s Book of British Birds’ Eggs.

Such was the popularity of the ornithological title that publishers Frederick Warne extended the range to cover many other subjects - from herbs to canals, from dogs to architecture.

A collection of 100 volumes will go under the hammer - as Lot 454 - at an auction to be conducted by Gloucestershire-based auction house Dominic Winter at its Cirencester saleroom tomorrow  Wednesday March 5.

The pre-sale estimate is that the collection will fetch between £80 and £120.

                                                                    

RSPB looking to appoint Black Grouse conservation officer, but he/she should have Welsh language skills

                                                          

Black grouse - the species is thought to be struggling in Wales

THE RSPB is recruiting for a Black Grouse conservation officer with a brief to help safeguard the species in Wales.

Says the RSPB: "This is not a traditional reserve-based role - instead, the appointee will work alongside farmers, private landowners, stakeholders and the local community.

"The post requires resilience, understanding and engaging interpersonal skills to maximise conservation opportunities.

"There will also be a need to combine rigorous scientific monitoring with practical conservation delivery, applying expertise in uplands ecology and ornithology while building strong, trust-based relationships."

Candidates for the position, which is based in Llangollen, North-East Wales, should also have Welsh language skills.

The salary is between £30,940 and £33,2153, but it should be noted that the position will end in March next year.

The closing date for applications is Monday March 17 with interviews on March25.

More information from:   anya.wicikowski@rspb.org.uk

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Impressive study of MacQueen's Bustards expected to sell for upwards of £300 at Gloucestershire auction

 

This captivating gouache-on-paper study of two MacQueen's Bustards is expected to fetch between £300 and £500 when it goes under the hammer at a sale of British and European Paintings to be conducted by Gloucestershire auction house Dominic Winter on Wednesday March 12. It is the work of acclaimed Lincolnshire artist George Edward Lodge (1860-1954).  The success bidder will also have to pay a 26.4% buyer's premium.

One of Britain's greatest bird illustrators - Jemima Blackburn of Rothven - is now almost forgotten

Jemima Blackburn - many admirers

                                                       

IF she had been alive today, one woman might have been particularly apprehensive about the residential development proposed for Commando Rock in the Scottish Highlands (see previous blog).

It was here that Edinburgh-born Jemima Blackburn developed her skills watching and sketching birds.

Though now almost forgotten, Jemima (1823-1909) was a superb artist - her best known works being published in a book called Birds Drawn from Nature (1868).

Author-illustrator Beatrix Potter was one of her biggest admirers and named her best-known creation Jemima Puddle-duck in her honour. 

Others who admired her work were the novelists, Thackeray and Trollope, plus essayist John Ruskin.

Jemima's acquaintance and long love of Commando Rock came after her husband, mathematician Hugh Blackburn bought it as part of the Rothven estate.   

* Keep watching this blog for a further report about the great Scottish artist                                                                 

Jemima's study of a Tawny Owl

 

Fashion designer Stella McCartney and husband face opposition in bid to build house in Highlands beauty spot

Place of beauty - Commando Rock and Rothven Bay

                                                                   

CONTROVERSY has bubbled up over plans by a celebrity couple to build a luxury house at a birding hotspot in the Highlands of Scotland.

Fashion designer Stella McCartney and husband Alashdair Willis, a brands consultant, are believed to have spent £450,000 on the purchase of 18.5 acres of land at Commando Rock on Roshven Bay from which there are breathtaking views of  mountain peaks and the islands of Eigg, Muck and Rum.

The couple's proposed away-from-London holiday retreat, which lies 25 miles west of Fort William,  has been described as "a sprawling £5-million showcase of ultra-modern architecture bristling with concrete, steel and glass".

But objectors include both Woodland Trust Scotland, unhappy about the prospect of mature pines and other trees being lost, and also wildlife enthusiasts who fear adverse impact on Red-listed birds, such as Curlew, and on otters, pine martens  and red squirrels that also frequent the area.

However, an ecological consultancy for the applicants says mitigation for any disturbance could come in the form, for instance, of installing nest boxes for various species including Barn Owl and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

The consultant's survey of December 8, 2023 came up with 29 species. 

However, the tally of species would almost certainly increase significantly if a similar survey were to take place in mid-summer or during a period of migration,

In advance of being determined, the planning application is currently under consideration by The Highland Council. 

* The full list of species for December 8 was:

Curlew 

Redwing 

Red Grouse

Great Northern Diver 

Fieldfare  

Rook 

Goldfinch 

Carrion Crow 

Jackdaw 

Magpie 

Blackbird 

Woodpigeon 

Chaffinch 

Blue Tit 

Great Tit 

Jay 

Dunnock 

Robin 

Wren  

Long-tailed Tit 

Oystercatcher 

Raven 

Grey Heron

Great Black-backed Gull 

Herring Gull 

Common Gull 

Hooded Crow 

Cormorant 

Buzzard 

The path leading up to Commando Rock would need to be widened to make way for the development

   

Who will bid for this collection of ornithological titles? Pre-sale estimate is between £300 and £400

 

The market for secondhand ornithological titles has not been particularly strong of late, but auctioneers Dominic Winter have set a pre-sale guide price of between £300 and £400 when this collection goes under the hammer  as Lot 465 at the saleroom in Cirencester, Gloucestershire next Wednesday (March 5).