Fighting for Birds

A brilliant day at the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) Conference! So many interesting and varied talks that I couldn't begin to do them justice here. We've learnt such a lot in a few hours and marvelled at the dedication people have to researching into birds.
Perhaps the talk that made the the biggest impression on people, judging by the number of questions and comments that followed, was one by Mark Thomas of the RSPB who talked about Bird Crime , or Crime, as someone suggested we call it. Some of the images film footage and accounts he gave were truly horrendous. Somehow he still managed to remain entertains and upbeat.
I know what you are thinking - PB doesn't do people blips but my willing subject, Mark Avery, seemed a very appropriate one. He is a tireless campaigner for birds, and along with Chris Packham (also here) organised the Hen Harrier Day, which took place near us in the Derwent Valley back in August. To my regret, I wussed out partly because of the weather, and partly because of my dislike of crowds. Having seen photos and videos of the event, I really wish I'd been there.
You'll notice that Mark is still proudly wearing the T-shirt.
Fighting for birds is the appropriate title of one of Mark's books.