James Common Nature, Nature Writing, Press Release

A sneak peek at an outstanding new book

If, like me, you are an avid consumer of natural history based literature, you will surely love the below extract from Peter Reason's new book, In Search of Grace - An ecological pilgrimage. The book is the story of an ecological pilgrimage undertaken by the author in his small yacht, Coral, from the south of England and … Continue reading A sneak peek at an outstanding new book

James Common County Diary, Half-Penny, Nature, Nature Writing

Half-Penny: aliens and interlopers

There are many words used to describe species which, through human intervention, have found themselves existing far outside of their historic, natural range. Terms such as invasives, aliens, invasive aliens and nonindigenous species are quite familiar; while a glance at social media often reveals myriad more unflattering phrases: pest, nuisance, menace, vermin - I particularly loathe … Continue reading Half-Penny: aliens and interlopers

James Common Nature, Nature Writing

Farewell university, once again

Well, that's that then. Today, after four months of fieldwork, data analysis, frustration, sublime locations and sensational wildlife, I submitted my MSc thesis. The title: a comparison of monitoring techniques used to assess Atlantic Puffin breeding density.  Truth be told, I am rather glad to see the back of the lengthy document. Not because I disliked writing … Continue reading Farewell university, once again