My blog

This is where I share updates on my writing and conservation work, thoughts on topical conservation issues, and news about nature and the artists who are inspired by it.  Sometimes I blog about other stuff, too.

Barn owl

The unexpected appearance of a barn owl in broad daylight on a snowy November day, as I was writing about…...

Continue reading →

Restore Nature Now

I joined over 60,000 people on a march through London, then joined a new organisation: Music Declares Emergency, inspired by...

Continue reading →

Connecting with the River

A few miles from where I live in West Yorkshire, the River Holme connects people, places, history and nature from...

Continue reading →

A brief return to India

In my new role as an in-house writer for the RSPB's Species Recovery Unit, I returned to India to research the catastrophic crash in vultures, meeting two key figures in the story.

Continue reading →

Recent writings

Whether it's a brief view of a woodcock against the sunset, or a hundred years of conservation effort, writing up some stories from the field has been keeping me busy.

Continue reading →

Vulture Awareness Day

September 3rd is Vulture Awareness Day, and raising awareness of the plight of these critically endangered birds has never been...

Continue reading →

The Lark Descending

On 29 May, BBC Radio 3’s Sunday evening celebration of all things sonic Between the Ears presents a programme titled The Lark Descending. Presented by Lucy Hodson, it takes the much-loved song of the skylark, and Vaughan Williams’s much-loved orchestral paean to the bird, and places them in their 21st century context. The programme airs a newly commissioned piece by Hinako Omori and includes a contribution from me.

Continue reading →

The RSPB 50 years on

One day this week I reached a personal milestone, and the following day I reached another. On 31 January, after...

Continue reading →

E.O. Wilson (10 June 1929 – 26 December 2021)

Edward O. Wilson was an influencer in the true sense - someone whose ideas and ability to communicate them will be valued for decades to come.

Continue reading →

On the road again

At last, the diary has started filling up with real live events and real live audiences. The variety of gigs I have booked this autumn is greater than ever.

Continue reading →