Gannets were 'Mackerel Gants', Oystercatchers 'Mussel Crackers'. Storm Petrels were "Frequently caught by the children in winter". The 'Royston Crow' was Hooded Crow, then a common winter visitor to northern England.

Presumably Carrie dressed him? There's more chance of winning the Lottery than Boris buttoning his jacket correctly by himself.

If 20th century taught us anything, it's that simplistic answers to a hideously complex world define authoritarians and populists of right and left alike. But New Labour 2.0 are centrist version of same thing with their "growth at any cost" mantra. And it's still a great idea to tax the rich more.

Mottled Backswimmer was found alongside its relative Notonecta viridis in this pond. Neither were known north of York before the turn of the century: now both occur widely in north-east England, joining a growing assemblage of northwards-expanding aquatic insects.

Thanks, I don't pay much attention to crucifers. It's very fast growing and prolific.

Thank you

Dictator Kitsch: this wouldn't have looked out of place in Mussolini's villa. See also Ceausescu/Saddam/Gaddafi/Kim Jong-un. A few years ago, Erdogan (Turkish MAGA and in many ways Trump's model) had to deny that the toilet seats in his presidential palace were gold-plated.

Ceausescu/Saddam/Gaddafi/Kim Jong-un/Trump: Dictator Kitsch is back in style.

Kim Jong-un is his interior designer.

Out on the estuary, wildfowlers would conceal themselves in wooden casks buried in the mud, as described by R. Lofthouse in his essay 'The River Tees: Its marshes and their fauna', published in the Proceedings of Cleveland Naturalists' Field Club in 1907.

The "war on woke" is about making this kind of hateful discourse mainstream again.