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Bon Voyage? 250 Years Exploring the Natural World
The Society for the History of Natural History’s (SHNH) summer meeting and AGM in association with the BOC, World Museum Liverpool is set for Thursday 14th and Friday 15th June 2018 (Optional visit to Knowsley Hall, Wednesday 13th June). The event marks the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook’s first voyage to the Pacific. A…
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Is this British agriculture’s chance to be more nature-friendly post-Brexit, or will the efforts of more than 100 farmers, with a new vision to ‘restore British wildlife, reverse declines in soil quality and help manage impacts of climate change’ fall on stony ground?
I’ve written numerous articles about farm birds declining by more than 50% since the 1970s. The problem is that we see this kind of figure brandished about so often that we eventually become immune to bad news, and then it becomes the norm – the new baseline data. In other words, birds can continue to…
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Happy New Year!
I’m wishing all readers of the Frightened Face of Nature (FFON) blog a wonderful 2018. Thank you for your support and kind messages. 2017 was a terrific year for the FFON team: John and Margaret Cooper announced that a commemorative symposium to celebrate Maxwell Knight, the original “nature detective” and Second World War MI5 agent would be…
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Anti-pigeon spikes in Bristol trees
There’s something sinister about seeing an anti-pigeon spike in a tree. If birds are unwelcome in trees, where exactly are they welcome? In the countryside? Our ancient woodlands? Amongst the UK’s forests, woods and trees? (As long as no vehicles are parked nearby!). Or have changes in the wider countryside and intensive farming methods forced…
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Should there be a bottle deposit scheme in the UK?
Yes. We’re way past all the other alternatives. Put a price on the head of plastic bottles, and guess what? Fewer bottles will find their way into our oceans. In an ideal world, manufacturers would use fewer single-use plastic formats. I can’t see that happening without significant pressure – here’s why: Delivering products through the…
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MASTERCLASS: DR. JANE GOODALL TEACHES CONSERVATION
In 29 lessons, Dr Jane Goodall shares her insights into animal intelligence, conservation, and activism. Learn from the legendary naturalist Dr Jane Goodall in her first ever online class. Only available through MasterClass. Take action “There is still a window of time. Nature can win if we give her a chance.” In her first ever online class, Dr…
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Blue Planet II: we “dump eight million tonnes of plastic into the sea” every year, and it “entangles and drowns a vast number of creatures”. Think about that when you next shop.
I’m not a fan of the word compulsory. Rules can bring out the worst in people. Make them feel grumpy or rebellious or, make them switch off. But I’m going to say that Blue Planet II should be compulsory viewing. We should all sit and watch that pilot whale carry its dead calf. And we…
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“Warning of ‘ecological Armageddon’ after dramatic plunge in insect numbers”
The Guardian reported in October that “Three–quarters of flying insects in nature reserves across Germany have vanished in 25 years, with serious implications for all life on Earth, scientists say.” It’s funny how scientists often confirm what we instinctively know. Anyone who’s driven a car this summer will have noted how few insects there…
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‘Wildlife Forensic Investigation: Principles and Practice’
This book by Professor John E. Cooper and his wife Mrs Margaret E. Cooper, with contributions from many countries in the world and a Foreword by Dr Lee Durrell, was published in May 2013. It is published by CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group. The book provides an in-depth introduction to the rapidly-evolving field of wildlife…
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‘Be a Nature Detective’ by Maxwell Knight (1968) – natural history tradecraft from Britain’s greatest spymaster and the original ‘Nature Detective’ courtesy of the BBC
It certainly wasn’t appropriate for Maxwell Knight to share his spy training during his Sunday afternoon BBC broadcasts, or was it? Surely not? Perish the thought. But, what if his broadcasts and books contained the same basic training (the same ‘tradecraft’) he was giving MI5 recruits? As far as Knight was concerned, the two were…
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How Ocean Pollution Affects Humans: “The Devil in the deep blue sea”
“Oceans are fundamental to the health of our planet – the very lifeblood of Earth’s ecosystem. To survive and prosper, mankind needs a harmonious relationship with our planet’s oceans.”
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Trump administration’s stance on the environment is ‘willful ignorance’ says DiCaprio
According to The Independent, actor and environmentalist, Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t mince his words during an encounter with Donald Trump. In an attempt to encourage Mr Trump to see the opportunity to make nature great again, DiCaprio tried to sway him to take another look at the Paris Climate Agreement. Reverting to type, Trump claimed that the Paris…
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It’s World Rhino Day today, who feels like celebrating?
If there is something to celebrate it’s the dedicated people who commit their life to the protection of wildlife and make every day a World Rhino Day. These wonderful (underpaid) individuals deserve all the cake and tea in China; however, I’ve a feeling they don’t have much of an appetite to party after spending 364.25…
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We need more naturalists, more 21st Century Nature Detectives
Maxwell Knight was amongst the first – if not the first – to coin the phrase ‘nature detective’ before the Second World War; however, he would have been the first to admit that his natural history forefathers had literally risked life and limb detecting fauna and flora as skilfully recorded in Richard Conniff’s book The Species…
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Smiley is back
John Le Carre’s master spy is making what the author says will be his last appearance in a novel in A Legacy of Spies. If you missed James Naughtie’s moving interview with John le Carré on the Today Programme at 07:40 this morning, it’s available here. He referred to his colleagues “Max Knight and John Bingham”.…
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Interview with John Cooper (2010) reveals the source of his clinical diagnosis skills to be Major Maxwell Knight, Britain’s greatest MI5 spymaster and the original ‘Nature Detective’
Q: Who has been the most inspiring influence on your professional career? A: THE BBC NATURALIST AND BROADCASTER, MAJOR MAXWELL KNIGHT, WHO – THROUGH HIS WRITINGS AND PERSONAL TUITION – HELPED ME TO APPRECIATE THE NATURAL WORLD AND TAUGHT ME THAT BEING AN OBSERVANT “NATURE DETECTIVE” COULD ASSIST IN CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS AND WAS THE FOUNDATION OF FORENSIC INVESTIGATION. Acknowledgements: John Bonner and…
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Commemorative Symposium: Maxwell Knight, the original “nature detective” and Second World War MI5 agent. Birkbeck College, London, Autumn, 2018
A half-day Symposium about Maxwell Knight, OBE, FLS, naturalist and Second World War MI5 agent, will be held at Birkbeck College, University of London, 43 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PD, on a Saturday (date to be decided) in the Autumn of 2018. The meeting will be hosted by the British Herpetological Society (BHS) and supported…
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Greenpeace: Join the fight against plastic pollution
SAY NO TO OCEAN PLASTICS A truckload of plastic waste enters the ocean every minute… Up to 12 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year and will take centuries to degrade. An area of plastic rubbish three times the size of the UK has been floating in the north Pacific for decades –…
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Green Brexit: Farm subsidies ‘must be earned’ – Michael Gove
Michael Gove, as environment secretary, has made Greenpeace UK’s day by saying that farming subsidies must be earned and benefit the environment. Looking for a ‘green Brexit,’ Michael Gove may only be prepared to hand out payments when farmers agree to protect the environment and enhance rural life. “Huge news! Michael Gove has just said…
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BBC News: “Hundreds of butterflies released into the wild by schoolchildren”
Hundreds of Painted Lady butterflies have been released into the wild by schoolchildren in Cumbria who nurtured them from caterpillars in the classroom. Watch the video here.
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Government rules out GCSE in natural history
Dear Simon King, The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Develop a GCSE in Natural History.”. Government responded: There are existing opportunities in the curriculum to study natural history. Schools need time to adjust to the recent qualifications reforms, and there are no plans to introduce new GCSE subjects. The government has…
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Should urban developers be forced to contribute to nature’s recovery in the UK?
By Simon H King With one in seven of the UK’s wildlife species at risk of *extinction should property developers be encouraged (or forced) to contribute to nature’s recovery? (*State of Nature report, 2016). ‘The natural world needs our help as never before,’ warns Sir David Attenborough in the forward to the State of Nature…
What will you do now that you know?
The Frightened Face of Nature is a space for slowing down.
Maxwell Knight (1900–1968) is known in some circles for his work in intelligence (MI5), but that’s not really why his name appears here.
Long before ‘the environmental crisis’ became a headline, Knight noticed something many around him overlooked: nature was on the back foot.
It was his love of animals and the natural world, not his professional career, that made him pay attention.
Knight’s life, anchored in curiosity, observation, and attention to detail offers a way to think about how we see the world, and how easily we can stop seeing it at all.
The Frightened Face of Nature takes its name from an unpublished manuscript he wrote, which was found inside a secret cabinet.
Here, we explore stories and questions that don’t fit neatly into clickbait headlines — not because they aren’t urgent, but because they are complex and demand more than fleeting attention.
Knight’s perspective reminds us: Awareness isn’t passive. It’s an active choice.
So what will you do now that you know?
— Simon King FLS
