Author Archives: admin

How does climate change affect garden birds?

Our climate is changing. 2019 was the Earth’s second warmest year since modern records began in 1880. The average UK temperature has increased roughly 1deg C since the 1960s, leading to warmer and wetter winters, and the evidence is growing that changes in our UK climate are affecting our birds.

Source: How does climate change affect garden birds? – Saving Species – Our work – The RSPB Community

River insects and lichens bucking trend of wildlife losses

Green Drake mayfly, Ephemera danica by Frupus (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Green Drake mayfly, Ephemera danica by Frupus (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Freshwater insects, mosses and lichens are bucking the trend of wildlife losses in the UK and have expanded their ranges since 1970, according to a new study. Reductions in air and water pollution are the most likely reason.

Source: River insects and lichens bucking trend of wildlife losses | Environment | The Guardian

CORONAVIRUS – ALL MEETINGS CANCELLED

Following the closure of the Cruck Barn until further notice, all planned indoor meetings were cancelled, including the AGM, which was scheduled for  17 March 2020.  Since then, the Committee has taken the inevitable decision to suspend all outdoor meetings planned as part of the Summer Programme. As and when the lockdown is lifted and it is again possible to get together,  the Summer Programme will be resumed.

Identification guides for soldierflies and allies extended

We’re spoiling you with a second new ID guide in less than a week! This time to the genus Pachygaster and allies – small, rounded soldierflies that are easy to overlook. But not any more! We look forward to lots more records of them this year!

A new feature on the website: a list of species recorded in each vice-county. You should be able to filter by species and see which counties it’s been recorded in, or filter by county and see which species have been found there.

Source: Identification guides for soldierflies and allies | Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme

Mass poisoning blow to the largest colony of Griffon Vultures in Greece

We are devastated to report that eleven Griffon Vultures fell victim to poisoning in the area of Klisoura Gorge in Greece. Unfortunately, nine vultures died from the incident, and two are alive but currently in recovery.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Mass poisoning causes a heavy blow to the largest colony of Griffon Vultures in mainland Greece, news via @RareBirdAlertUK

Dormice need your help!

More dormouse surveys needing volunteers!

Following the successful trial of the dormouse footprint tunnels last year, we are planning to use them in a few other locations in Northamptonshire to identify where dormice are present along this northern edge of their core range.

To make this work I will need team of local volunteers to help check on the tunnels so if anyone is interested in getting involved these are the locations we are looking at next:

  • Hazelborough Woods near Silverstone *NEW SITE*
  • Salcey Forest/adjacent hedgerows north of Milton Keynes
  • Stoke Wood, adjacent to last year’s survey site near Corby
  • Fineshade Forest near Peterborough (joint with Friends of Fineshade)

Click here for more information.: Dormice need your help! | Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants

For peat’s sake: how to protect bogs

Bladderwort: garden pond, ©Ian Saunders Stoke Goldington 15 July 2018

Bladderwort: garden pond, ©Ian Saunders Stoke Goldington 15 July 2018

In a shallow pool amid a mossy landscape is a trap, a tiny triggered vacuum that sucks in unexpected prey at great speed, absorbs what it needs, then ejects the empty husk of its victim. If you’ve sunk and splashed your way through a peat bog in summer, you may have caught a glimpse of the plant’s more alluring feature, the showy yellow flowers that wave above the water.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: For peat’s sake: how to protect bogs | Alys Fowler | Life and style | The Guardian

RSPB Calls for Nests Not Nets

The RSPB wants to see nests and not nets, and is appalled to see netting used once again to prevent birds nesting. We are facing a twin nature and climate crisis: wildlife must be allowed to thrive and we all have a role to play in not letting this practice go unchallenged.

Click here for more information:
Discover Wildlife
RareBirdAlertUK

Ecobat  for the  interpretation of bat activity data

How Ecobat can help:

1. Quantify bat activity relative to local and national datasets – to help identify sites at risk from development

2. Assess nightly variability in bat activity – to help identify sites with roosts nearby

3. Produce easy-to-use, report-ready summaries – to make your life easier

Click here for more information.

Wren retains top spot as UK’s commonest bird

The latest report, Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the United Kingdom shows that the Wren continues to hold the title of our commonest bird – the last report in 2013 also had Wren at the top of the list but with a population of just over 8.5 million pairs. Wren numbers are known to fluctuate according to environmental conditions and it may be that generally milder winters are benefitting one of our smallest birds.

Source:
Discover Wildlife
Rare Bird Alert UK

Why we need to keep peat in the ground – and out of our gardens

Peat is plant material which is partially decomposed and has accumulated in waterlogged conditions.

Peatlands include moors, bogs and fens, as well as some farmed land.

Peat bogs are particular types of wetlands waterlogged by direct rainfall. Peat bogs grow slowly, accumulating around 0.5 to 1 mm of peat each year, and the water prevents the plants from decomposing. As a result, many areas of UK peat bog have been accumulating gradually for as much as 10,000 years, and can be up to 10m deep. Due to its slow accumulation, peat is often classified as a fossil fuel.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plantlife :: Why we need to keep peat in the ground – and out of our gardens

Disturbed Turnstones

In a 2020 paper, Mark Whittingham and colleagues show that, in one area of northeast England, the decline in Turnstone numbers is more obvious on mainland sites that are subject to human disturbance than on offshore refuges. Whilst national declines are probably linked to factors affecting productivity in breeding areas in Greenland and Canada, it is interesting that Turnstone seem to be withdrawing into areas where they are subject to less winter disturbance.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Disturbed Turnstones | wadertales

Join in with Bee-fly Watch 2020!

Bee-fly by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 22 March 2016

Bee-fly by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 22 March 2016

Bee-fly Watch is now into its fifth year, following a bumper year in 2019 when more bee-flies than ever before were recorded, and they broke all previous records by first appearing on 17 February (two sightings), about two weeks before their normal emergence date! These distinctive furry flies are more usually on the wing from March to June, often hovering over flowers and using their long ‘nose’ (proboscis) to feed on nectar. Once again we are asking people to look out for bee-flies and add your records to iRecord.

Click here for more information.: Bee-fly Watch | Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme

Population estimates of birds in GB and UK

Estimates of population size are a key tool, used alongside population trend information and that on other aspects of bird ecology (such as survival and productivity rates) to assess conservation status. Periodic assessments of the size of breeding and wintering bird populations in the UK and in Great Britain are made by the Avian Population Estimates Panel (APEP). Their fourth assessment ‘APEP 4’ is published in the journal British Birds, and summarised here.

Click here for more information.: APEP 4 – Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the United Kingdom | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Transform your garden into a butterfly paradise

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly by Peter Hassett , Shenley Church End 17 February 2017

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly by Peter Hassett , Shenley Church End 17 February 2017

Once abundant, the UK’s small tortoiseshell butterfly has experienced a population decline of three quarters since the 1970s.

With 97% fewer wildflower meadows now than in the 1940s, and intensive farming practices removing lots of hedgerow habitat, it’s easy to see why these colourful invertebrates need our help.

Source: BBC Blogs – Winterwatch – Naturehood: transform your garden into a butterfly paradise

Changing phenology

Rising temperatures mean that phenology is changing.

Scientific studies using Nature’s Calendar data have indicated how phenology is changing and some are beginning to suggest what the impact of this will be:

• Spring events like budburst, leafing and flowering are getting earlier
• Fruiting of trees and shrubs is getting earlier
• Late autumn events such as leaf fall may be delayed

Click here for more information.: Changing phenology – Nature’s Calendar

Track the Seasons with Nature’s Calendar

ur climate is changing, and we need your help to track its effects on Nature.

From snowdrops flowering to frogspawn appearing, from the first time you mow your lawn to the first ladybird you see – we want to know when events like these happen across the UK!

Your help will give scientists a clearer picture of how nature is responding to changing weather patterns. Register online and become a recorder: Natures Calendar

Climate change – is it all bad?

The issue of climate change is in the news on an almost daily basis. We are seeing growing evidence of its impacts on the natural world, from the bleaching of corals in the Indian Ocean, to raging wildfires in Australia, to shrinking ice-sheets affecting polar bears in the Arctic. Closer to home, the fingerprints of climate change are all over the British countryside, but here, the impacts on species are not always negative.

Source: BBC Blogs – Winterwatch – Climate change – is it all bad?

New way to support MKNHS

Milton Keynes Natural History Society has registered with #easyfundraising, a website which supports fundraising for hundreds of charities and good causes.

The Society Committee decided to take this step as it offers a way for members to make small donations to MKNHS when they shop online without actually having to pay anything more than the price of their purchase, because the donation is made by the retailers who have signed up to the scheme.

The donations received will help the Society to build up the fund set up in 2018 to replace, or upgrade, as necessary the essential equipment and promotional display items purchased in previous years.

Currently there are over 4,000 participating shops and sites which will donate to us when you use #easyfundraising to shop with them. These include well-known names such as eBay, Argos, Amazon, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com, Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S and Expedia, covering most retail sectors, from grocery shopping to holiday and travel bookings.

So if you buy anything online, do consider signing up to easyfundraising to support MKNHS. Donations may be small, but mount up over time, the more people participate.

Click here to see how it works.

If you don’t shop on line but would like to make a small donation you can do this via the Voluntary Donations scheme, launched last year, which gives members the option of adding a voluntary donation to the annual subscription (currently £25 payable from 1st April). Amounts suggested were £5, £10 or £20 but any amount however small (or large!) is welcome It is your decision to make a donation and you can cancel it at any time. Speak to the Treasurer if you want more information.

Of course there are other ways to support the Society, not just financial. If you would like to take on a more active, practical role in running weekly meetings, or in running the Society, the committee would love the hear from you!

The Secret Life Of Butterflies

Butterflies and sunshine are as synonymous as polar bears and snow. Think of butterflies and you are instantly transported to a summer’s day. In the UK we are lucky if we get more than a few weeks each year when we can enjoy butterflies, blue skies and colourful flowers. Seeing a butterfly before April and after September is an unusual occurrence. So where do our butterflies disappear to when it is too cold and wet for them to be able to fly?

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – The Secret Life Of Butterflies

Ants run secret farms on English oak trees

Britain has a new farmed animal, which is kept in barns, milked and moved between high and low pastures – but not by humans.

The pale giant oak aphid, Stomaphis wojciechowskii, has lived undiscovered for thousands of years on English oak trees, where it has been looked after by brown ants.

Source: Ants run secret farms on English oak trees, photographer discovers | Environment | The Guardian

Nine red-listed UK waders

If you ask British birdwatchers to name the nine wader species that are causing the most conservation concern in the UK, they would probably not include the Ringed Plover. Curlew may well be top of the list, even though we still have 58,500 breeding pairs in the UK*, but would people remember to include Ruff? This blog is written to coincide with the publication of Red67, an amazing collaboration of artists and essayists that highlights and celebrates the 67 species on the current UK red list, nine of which are waders.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Nine red-listed UK waders | wadertales

Bringing beavers back to Sussex

We’re delighted to announce that on 10th January Natural England granted our application to release beavers into an enclosed area at Knepp. This is one of a number of beaver licenses granted in England for similar introductions so far this year, in a move which could, eventually, see beavers back in the landscape after an absence of around 500 years.

Click here for more information.: Bringing beavers back to Sussex — Knepp Wildland

Hunting Beetles in Winter

One of the good things about recording beetles is that you can do it at any time of the year, since many beetles overwinter as adults. In summer techniques like sweeping and beating are used to find active insects, but in winter the emphasis shifts to finding insects that have tucked themselves away in various hideouts to await more favourable conditions. Habitats like litter piles, loose bark, crevices and rotholes in trees, and particularly the base of grass tussocks, are all worth exploring.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Beavers released on National Trust land

Beaver number one was in no hurry to exit her safe, straw-lined wooden crate. After a tense six-minute wait, Derek Gow, a wildlife expert, reached a hand into the creature’s temporary home, grabbed her gently by the rear end and encouraged her out.

Click here for more information:
BBC
The Guardian

the connection between peat and nature?

Scotland’s peatlands are host to characteristic species of plants and animals that have adapted to living in harsh conditions. Peat forms in areas of high rainfall and most often where there is low availability of nutrients. Consequently, peatland habitats are waterlogged, acidic and nutrient poor.

Source: Peatland ACTION case study: What’s the connection between peat and nature? | Scottish Natural Heritage

Moths’ flight data helps drones navigate complex environments

The flight navigation strategy of moths can be used to develop programs that help drones to navigate unfamiliar environments, report Ioannis Paschalidis at Boston University, Thomas Daniel at University of Washington, and colleagues, in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Moths’ flight data helps drones navigate complex environments

How to build a bug mansion

An average garden accommodates more than 2,000 different species of insect! Very few of these creatures cause significant damage to our prized plants, and there are many more insects that actually help us to control the ones that do! By providing the right habitats, we can greatly increase the number of ‘beneficial’ insects in the garden.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: How to build a bug mansion | The Wildlife Trusts

Predicting the next wildlife “invasions” heading for Antarctica

A new study undertaken by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the UK Centre for Ecology and Conservation (UKCEH) and a team of international scientists provides a list of 13 species most likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Predicting the next wildlife “invasions” heading for Antarctica – Discover Wildlife

The 2019 breeding season; a year to remember for Blackcaps and Blue Tits

Blue tit, CC BY_NC_SA Peter Hassett, Rhayader 14 May 2014

Blue tit, CC BY_NC_SA Peter Hassett, Rhayader 14 May 2014

Information collected by British Trust for Ornithology volunteer bird ringers and nest recorders provides an insight into how some of our resident and migratory birds fared during the 2019 breeding season.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: The 2019 breeding season; a year to remember for Blackcaps and Blue Tits, news via @RareBirdAlertUK

Hedgehog petition success

It is hard to ignore 622,000 people with hedgehogs on their mind – at least that is what Bovis Homes have discovered. The lobbying work done by you all – and in particular those individuals who have made direct contacts with developers – has born great fruit. Here is what Bovis had to say:

“In an industry-first initiative, Bovis Homes, part of the newly-formed Vistry Group, will install hedgehog highways to its existing developments and all future sites wherever possible, as part of a campaign that will also help other small mammals, birds, frogs and insects.”

Click here for more information.: Petition update · Petition success story! · Change.org

Book sale icon

MKNHS book sale 4 February 2020

We are holding another Natural History Book Sale before our meeting on Tuesday 4th February. This will raise funds for the running of the MK Natural History Society.

Please look out natural history books to donate and bring them as soon after 7.30pm that evening so we can price and sell them. The newer the books the better unless they are sought after older books.

Do come any time after 7.30pm on  4th February with cash, ready to buy from an interesting range of books.

Study shows crop yield increases when biodiverse environments surround farms

As winter sets in over Punjab, one can hear the humdrum of hundreds of machines harvesting rice across lakhs of hectares of paddy fields. In Maharashtra, villages in Vidarbha lug their snowy cotton harvest to the market. Years ago, these landscapes were a sprawling array of forests, grasslands, wetlands and multiple crops cultivated on a shifting basis. But in the last five to six decades, many such natural landscapes have been converted into permanent farms that grow only one or two crops while extensively using resources such as water and chemicals in the form of pesticides and herbicides.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Friendly neighbours? Study shows crop yield increases when biodiverse environments surround farms | Research Matters

Dip into the world of dabbling ducks

Winter is a wonderful time to see wildlife, particularly for fans of our feathered friends. As the cold grip of the Arctic winter takes hold on the lakes, pools and marshes of Northern Europe and Russia, huge numbers of swans, ducks and geese retreat to the relative warmth of the UK. Our lakes, rivers, reservoirs and coasts are a winter home for an estimated 2.1 million ducks!

Click here for more information.: Dip into the world of dabbling ducks | Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants

The Butterflies of Northamptonshire in 2019

The fantastic butterfly season during 2018 was always going to be a difficult act to follow and although some species were down in 2019 the year still held some great success stories. Among 2019’s achievements was a very welcome spike in Peacock numbers, a Painted Lady invasion, the continued colonisation by Dark Green Fritillaries and the incredible news of the first Chequered Skippers to emerge in the wild in the county for nearly half a century.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

New report from Committee on Climate Change doesn’t go far enough – The Wildlife Trusts

Wildlife Trust Logo

Wildlife Trust Logo

The Wildlife Trusts are disappointed that the new report from the Committee on Climate Change fails to recognise the full array of natural solutions available in the UK, and their immense value for achieving net zero emissions.

Click here for more information.: New report from Committee on Climate Change doesn’t go far enough | The Wildlife Trusts

Brussels wants to stop unfettered growth in beehives

Come springtime, the RTBF reports, the Brussels region’s environment agency Bruxelles Environnement will take up the beehives it manages at nature sites in Brussels, and remove them permanently.

The move forms part of a plan by the region to tackle the recent huge growth in members of the public keeping bees – a trend inspired by concerns about pollution, climate and biodiversity. Bees have become something of a mascot for this movement, in part because they are an excellent barometer of environmental conditions, and in part because of their crucial role in maintaining biodiversity.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Brussels wants to stop unfettered growth in beehives

Conservation action has reduced bird extinction rates by 40%

We’ve all heard of species brought back from the brink of extinction, but have you ever wondered how impactful conservation actually is? A new study shows that global conservation action has reduced the effective extinction rate of birds by an astonishing 40%. But is it all good news?

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Conservation action has reduced bird extinction rates by 40%, #ornithology #conservation news via @RareBirdAlertUK

Young sea eagle takes up residence among Oxfordshire’s red kites

It is one of the country’s top predators, with a 2.4-metre (8ft) wingspan and a preference for plucking fish from the ocean.

So a young sea eagle’s choice of landlocked Oxfordshire as its home is unexpected. More surprising still is that the bird has lived for four months almost completely unnoticed by the public close to the M40 and the commuter belt.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Young sea eagle takes up residence among Oxfordshire’s red kites | Environment | The Guardian

Breaking Down the Social Stigma of Invasive Species

Harlequin Ladybird ©Peter Hassett at Preston Montford 4 August 2015

Harlequin Ladybird ©Peter Hassett at Preston Montford 4 August 2015

While climate change and habitat loss seem to keep making all the headlines when it comes to environmental damage, invasive species are still chugging along comfortably as the second biggest threat to our planet’s biodiversity. New cases are popping up all the time, with the Burmese python, Crucian carp and the emerald ash borer beetle recently reaching new levels of notoriety.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Breaking Down the Social Stigma of Invasive Species with Professor Helen Roy | Ecology for the Masses

Get your ear in

Birds bring a wonderful soundtrack to spring, and even in towns and cities the array of voices can be quite dazzling. If you are trying to develop your skills in identifying bird songs, you are best off initially trying to familiarise yourself with a few of the more frequent songsters. In early spring, four of the key species to listen out for are Robin, Song Thrush, Great Tit and Dunnock.

Click here for more information.: Get your ear in | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Scientists formulate a roadmap for insect conservation and recovery

A growing number of studies are providing evidence that a suite of anthropogenic stressors — habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, climate change and overharvesting — are seriously reducing insect and other invertebrate abundance, diversity and biomass across the biosphere. These declines affect all functional groups: herbivores, detritivores, parasitoids, predators and pollinators. Insects are vitally important in a wide range of ecosystem services of which some are vitally important for food production and security (for example, pollination and pest control). There is now a strong scientific consensus that the decline of insects, other arthropods and biodiversity as a whole, is a very real and serious threat that society must urgently address. In response to the increasing public awareness of the problem, the German government is committing funds to combat and reverse declining insect numbers. This funding should act as a clarion call to other nations across the world — especially wealthier ones — to follow suit and to respond proactively to the crisis by addressing the known and suspected threats and implementing solutions.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: International scientists formulate a roadmap for insect conservation and recovery | Nature Ecology & Evolution