Bog standard urban lawn. Turf laid in 2016 & now 22 vascular plants & 2 mosses. Nothing special though surprised to find Luzula multiflora. But a lovely mix and buzzing with insects and becoming more meadow-like every year thanks to #NoMowMay and #LetitBloominJune Plantlife

For anyone else who has sprained an ankle, or suffered any other relevant injury, this is just the thing. (Thanks Stephen)

Congratulations to the Breeding Bird Surveys team for producing an excellent report celebrating the 30th anniversary of BBS. Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who have taken part in the scheme since 1994 (and some the pilot too!). Top work!

This is the view from one side of the house. There’s not a single footpath across any of the land visible here. Some people suggest that makes it a no-go zone for humans. ‘It should be left for the wildlife, disturbance free - people must keep to paths.’ Thankfully, I disagree.

🕊️✨ Witness an epic showdown inside a barn owl nest in Tarras Valley Nature Reserve! 🌿🐦 A dove and a barn owl battle for the cozy spot. No birds were harmed in this breathtaking encounter. 🦉✨

#NatureShowdown #DoveVsOwl #TarrasValley #Wildlife #BirdWatching

Aha! Fix the problem by closing a small loophole that allows people to draw attention to the problem. Genius. Except we see you, Defra UK. River guardians everywhere see you and your failings. And there are thousands of us. #WildService Right to Roam Paul Powlesland

Much excitement in the Menmuir house today. My first view of the finished book! It was a huge privilege spend the last two years in woodlands across the UK and Ireland with such knowledgeable, passionate people. Such a buzz to see it so beautifully presented too.

You need to check this out! Please excuse the fruity language, but it took me by surprise! Isn’t this the funkiest nightingale you’ve ever heard?! New territory at Bicester MOD. What an amazing place 👌 Bucks Bird Alert Chris Packham ScrubUpBritain

People have some bizarre (and sometimes, unhinged) ideas about how humans move in the landscape when they're given unrestricted access.

No, they don't trample every bluebell. Nor do they carry out search & destroy operations on every bird nest.

Here are some examples 🧵

Rights of way: thin, constricted muddy lines from A to B.

Country lanes: walking on tarmac, dodging the cars.

NNRs: the places where vulnerable wildlife is concentrated.

There has to be a better way. In Scotland (and many other countries) there already is a better way.

My chapter talks about rewilding Westminster - aurochs thundering through central lobby, a lynx sleeping on the Speaker's chair

Out in August. You can pre-order now: whittlespublishing.com/Great_Misconce…

In my chapter in the forthcoming Great Misconceptions, I look at #rewilding tree planting schemes & argue it's far better to let #nature do it. In these photos, Bramble is spreading, allowing Blackthorn to grow, which allows the Oak to follow. 13 different chapters by 14 writers.

Coming soon! A Birdwatcher's Guide to Norway by Bjørn Olav Tveit 🇳🇴

With 265 photos, 95 maps and comprehensive information about each site, this book is an essential guide for anyone planning a trip to watch birds in Norway or Svalbard.

📖 Learn more ➡️ loom.ly/0cALpfo

A happy Ianternational Ians Day to all those who celebrated. A selection of some of our finest Ians and Iains below:

We have the same problem. The garden is a no go zone after about 8 pm in summer. The Hedgehogs have already been eaten and we're terrified that we'll be next. They look in through the windows sometimes. We sleep with a baseball bat close at hand.

Good piece on farming in an age of climate chaos. Guy Singh-Watson “It is not averages that determine our crop performance, it is the extremes that have to be managed in order to give the crop any chance of approaching its theoretical maximum yield.” theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Anyone know if this is Whorled Caraway? At RSPB Ken-Dee marshes near the edge of the water. And lots of singing Pied Flycatchers in the woods.

#TheGraniteKingdom (here with some previous iterations) is out in paperback today - in case you were waiting for a cheaper version! A long, meandering walk through Cornwall, and some musings on history, literature, myth, place and identity... Head of Zeus
bloomsbury.com/uk/granite-kin…

Paperback edition of Wild Air is published today! Many thanks to all those who have read it & to 4th Estate Books for making this happen and for this beautiful jacket.

I've never seen such a display of wild garlic before, it was like a white foaming sea before me! #wildgarlic #woodlands #wildflowers #botany #NatureBeauty