I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
Archery Insights and Avery's Reflections
Tommy's OutdoorsConservation and ScienceNewsletterArchery Insights with Jim ClarkIt feels like I’m one of the only very few who talks about bowhunting with European listeners in mind. Indeed, I would like to see hunting with archery tackle being legalised and popularised on the old continent. In my view, the notions that it’s inhumane or somehow unethical are ill-advised and plain wrong. It is especially disturbing when such unwise opinions are expressed with confidence by hunters or veterinary practitioners who have no experience or previous exposure to bowhunting. To talk about these matters I’m joined by expert bowhunter Jim Clark. In our conversation, Jim shares a wealth of knowledge about bowhunting as well as some of his personal stories. As always I didn’t shy away from asking him hard questions to tease out the potential downsides of using archery tackle over firearms. It was a thoroughly enjoyable conversation and it only made me want to try my hand at bowhunting even more. I will keep talking about hunting with archery tackle to at least provoke a constructive discussion among European hunters and hunting organisations alike. If you would like to see bowhunting legalised, please leave a comment. What are your thoughts? Mark Avery’s Reflections - A Book ReviewMark Avery, a prolific author, senior UK conservationist, and independent campaigner, is well-known for writing book reviews on his blog. Those, like me, who read his reviews in search of their next book might be saddened by the fact that it would be awkward for Mark to write a review of his own work. So, someone else had to do it. You’re welcome. From what I can tell, about half of my audience are big fans of Mark and his work, and the other half wouldn’t have a positive opinion about his campaigning efforts and by extension about the man himself. I also know that the way people present themselves on social media might be misleading as we’re mostly looking at imagined personas rather than real people. So, I decided to pick his book not so much to learn about the state of nature in the UK but as a way to learn more about the author himself. The book titled “Reflections” should give plenty of hints on what he really thinks! BlueskyI got more invitation codes to the Bluesky app (it's a Twitter alternative). So, feel free to reply to this email if you fancy getting one. And if you're already there, can catch me at @tommysoutdoors.com |
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Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science
I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
Conservation and Science This week, it is my great pleasure to once again bring you my conversation with Alexander Lees. Alex is one of those special people - a walking encyclopaedia on the topic of birds and all things ecological. On top of that, he's an incredibly effective science communicator and an all-round good chap! I definitely encourage you to give him a follow on social media. If social media is useful for anything, it's to pay attention to people like Alex. Oh, and in case you're...
Conservation and Science Fair warning folks, this might be a controversial one for some of you. I got in touch with today's guest after a listener contacted me following one of the previous episodes. Shout out to Rod and thank you! In the end, the episode isn't about what Rod had suggested, though I think the topic is no less interesting. While talking to Ryan, I knew we were going to discuss a topic that is highly controversial and one I dealt with back in the day in episode 76. Some people...
Conservation and Science The topic of interactions between beavers and salmon was something I wanted to cover for some time. The most interesting aspect for me was that anglers are usually on the side of nature, conservation and restoration. In this case however, anglers were the group who weren't so keen on the return of beavers to British rivers, despite the unequivocal benefits beavers bring to ecosystems. How strange! Sometimes the "boots on the ground" attitude might be the source of...