Some general background !

Last week I travelled to Glasgow to attend the World Track Cycling Championships. The journeys to and from Glasgow provided an ample amount of time in which to have a think about various things including resuming Blogging!  Recent times, despite firm intentions, have seen renewed attempts simply fade away and fail.

But , to be quite frank, I've suddenly had an urge to start Blogging again, not simply to relate wildlife experiences, but, given the disgraceful record of our current Government as far as environmental matters are concerned , to use the medium to draw attention to these shortcomings and lend an additional voice of criticism and objection , particularly in advance of the upcoming General Election in 2024.

What may have provided a lifetime's interest and enjoyment to many is now being disregarded, if not trashed, in favour of an agenda which seems to have no empathy with the natural environment and to have scant regard for the serious threats which are begining to engulf the planet. To ignore such matters is not just foolhardy, but ignores our contribution to a collective global responsibility which might just have some chance of alleviating disaster. Kicking things into the long grass is a sure route to disaster ! Raising impossible deadlines simply to transfer reality into another administrations term of office is adolescent politics at its most blatant. Sadly, this appears to be the approach which has been embraced on a number of fronts, not just on matters relating to climate change, but also on air quality, water quality, habitat degradation and much more.

So, while the intent and objectives of all of the above might be plain, the decision caused me a dilemma !! Should I create a separate "environmental/political" Blog  or amalgamate more of the latter content alongside the conservation and wildlife focus of Birding Odyssey  ( comments please ).  Finally I decided that, as I was unlikely to stray into social or economic maters very often, I would leave things as they are, although things can be changed.

So, there you have it, the  " new approach ".

However, given I'm staying in Kilnsea, East Yorkshire at present, which is immediately north of Spurn Bird Observatory and adjacent to both the North Sea and the River Humber, I think you can infer the main emphasis will be on birding activities in the immediate future. How long my residing in such an idyll will maintain my being able to resist venturing into commenting on ever deteriorating circumstances remains to be seen!!