Ian Denton

I know - here on the Dorset/Wiltshire border, lead shot was still the dominant ammunition type in 2026, by my observations..
@ruthtingay.bsky.social

bsky.app/profile/iand...

I was going to go looking for a basking Adder but the Saharan dust plume has taken much of the heat out of the early March sunshine today, here in North Dorset.
What will the sunset be like?
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

UK Government confirms ban on sale & use of toxic lead ammunition for ‘live quarry shooting’ from 1st April 2029 Following the announcement from Defra in July 2025 that the Government aimed to introduce legislation by the summer of 2026 to ban the sale and use of toxic lead ammunition for ‘live quarry s…

UK Government confirms ban on sale & use of toxic lead ammunition for 'live quarry shooting' from 1st April 2029 raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/05/u...

An interesting report - "Dormice have been found in several habitats which are not normally considered to be suitable for them such as coastal scrub" - exactly where I had been searching for Adders & Cirl Buntings!
Another piece of the jigsaw added to my understanding of the wonderful Prawle area.

You are emphasising the wealth of material available, but maybe too many 000+ refs in the first paragraph?
Overall, the mobile layout is really poor Mark, to the extent of being off-putting...

Definitely some work required there, Mark.. (Android phone view...)

‘A big burden for farmers’: Gulf shipping crisis threatens food price shock Iranian blockade of the strategic strait of Hormuz is hitting global fertiliser supply chain

Or, to put it another way, wars are a bad thing and affect lots of industries. We’ll have to see how it goes.
UK farming very reliant on high inputs - many would say too reliant and too high inputs. Check a waterway near you to see where some end up. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Aahh... Dormice - I hadn't thought of that, Ian. Thank you.
You also mention connectivity & interestingly the location of the nest on the coast path was connected on the landward side by this wonderful hedge-lined path.
I've sent the image & the W3W off to the National Dormouse Database for an ?ID.

Can someone tell Shooting Times that snaring was banned in Wales in 2023 Oh dear. In this week’s edition of Shooting Times, ‘the official weekly journal of BASC’, there’s a three-page article all about trapping, apparently ‘balancing tradit…

Can someone tell Shooting Times that snaring was banned in Wales in 2023 raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/05/c...

I've seen a lot of Wren nests and I really don't think it was Troglodytes & very very tidy for a Sparrow.
The twine/ grass stems appeared to be of long length and woven together very skilfully.
I couldn't get closer to the nest because there was a lower level of impenetrable scrub out of shot.

2/2 Unlike any LTT nest I have seen. It was very well-constructed of tough looking grasses. The pic was taken on a cliff-top position & behind me, the English Channel & so the site was exposed to strong winds.
@richardkbroughton.bsky.social @johnwalterswildife.bsky.social
@ianparsons.bsky.social

1/2 Any thoughts, Bluesky, on this 'nest' which I found next to the SW coast path nr Gammon Head, on the Prawle peninsula last week?
It was set back from the path in dense thorn scrub.
The more I looked at it the less certain I became - avian or mammalian?
Approx x2 tennis balls in volume.

Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) at gamebird rearing farm in North Yorkshire An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) was confirmed yesterday at a large gamebird rearing farm in North Yorkshire. A 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance Zone have been…

Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) at gamebird rearing farm in North Yorkshire raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/04/o...

3rd March A gentle headwind was just enough to drop a steady arrival of passerines today, with Meadow Pipits featuring in numbers for the first time ...

www.portlandbirdobs.com/2026/03/3rd-march.html

Protect caterpillars as UK’s moth population plummets, urge charities Instead of removing plant-munching caterpillars, gardeners asked to take relaxed attitude to support the moths many of them grow into

Protect caterpillars as UK’s moth population plummets, urge charities

Btw, this info is all down to the @btobirds.bsky.social Atlas projects and the volunteers who collected the data. The new Atlas is starting next year, 2027-2031, and it's well worth taking part to give us updates on the incredible level of information we have in the maps below. #ukbirding

Very early Vanna - but there's so much variation in flowering times in the Dorset woods & coppices, depending on site, situation & aspect. The genetic potential for adaptation must be enormous.

Very early, Bella - but obviously just the correct location, location...

There she rises!
The Full Worm Moon over my North Dorset garden just now at 18.30...
A sight to behold.
#FullMoon #WormMoon

First Chiffchaff of the year back at the #weedypond.
Just flown over from overwintering in the Stour Valley or the Mediterranean region? - we cannot say but what a beautiful-looking bird.
Also in great condition, the Wren, the Goldfinch & the Greenfinch.
Tokens of stability, in insane times.
#birds

And the first Bluebell today, Rebecca...

Lifted by Birds - RHS Malvern

Delighted to announce a new collaboration!

🐦“Lifted by Birds”, informed by BTO Garden BirdWatch, debuts at RHS Malvern Spring Festival (7–10 May). It turns bird-monitoring evidence into design, based on how #birds really use gardens.🌱

RPUK blog reaches 16th birthday and passes 13 million views Today marks 16 years since this blog started and it has recently passed 13 million views. Thanks, as ever, to everyone who follows the blog and supports its aims. Particular thanks to the generous …

RPUK blog reaches 16th birthday and passes 13 million views raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/03/r...

First Bluebell - North Dorset woods.
March 3rd.
@bsbibotany.bsky.social

Kestrels - sworn airborne enemies.

Delightful Cathy!

NatureScot reinstates use of General Licences on Raeshaw Estate during appeal process On 10 February 2026, NatureScot imposed a three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate in the Scottish Borders (and on neighbouring Watherston Wood, which is understood to be under sepa…

NatureScot reinstates use of General Licences on Raeshaw Estate during appeal process raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/03/n...

A bird is perched on a rock on heathland, looking from right to left. Another bird slightly lower, looking the same way, peers through the grass.

Ladybird Nature Corner.
Wheatear
Artist:Roland Green
(Third book of British Birds, 1956)

We saw 3 pairs of Marsh Tits along this North Dorset woodland edge today - all constantly calling.
#MarshTits #Ukbirds

Wood Anemones were responding to the early March sunshine in many Dorset Hazel coppices today.
Just wonderful.
#Dorset #Spring #Nature
@bsbibotany.bsky.social