The solar eclipse isn’t exactly an everyday event, and it’s something that brings together photographers, amateur astronomers and the public alike in an attempt to catch a glimpse of its celestial beauty. But if you missed it for one reason or another, then fear not. NASA – being the astronomical experts they are – have captured images almost as rare and stunning as the eclipse itself.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: These are NASA’s Awe-Inspiring Images of the Solar Eclipse 2017 | Nature TTL

Conservationists are celebrating these camera trap images of a pine marten taken on the North York Moors.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why this pine marten is causing excitement in Yorkshire | Discover Wildlife

FoLLNR logo

Work Sunday at Linford Lakes NR

3 September 2017 10:00-13:00hrs.

Help needed to care for the reserve.

Time for tea and a chat too.

Healthy exercise in the fresh air, all good fun!

!

Do you live in or around London? Here’s a great opportunity if you’re new to birding or have a little experience. Spend a day in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park learning how to identify the resident and migrant birds found here – and more widely throughout London. With the River Lea running through the middle of the Park and new wetlands and woodlands created alongside, we’ll be able to see how well birds are colonising the area just a few years after the 2012 Olympic Games. We’ll be watching, listening and using the latest smartphone apps to help you become more confident in your identification, learn more about bird behaviour and increase your enjoyment of birdwatching generally.

Click on the link for more information: Identifying Birds by Sight and Sound – 66148 – FSC

Bucks Bird Club will be hosting a field Trip to Farmoor Reservoir on 3 September 2017

Click here for more details.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Daubenton’s bat by Chris Damant

During this introductory day and evening course in Bushy Park we will look at bats in general, but with emphasis on the 17 species of British bats. Starting with their biology, evolution and environmental requirements for feeding, living and breeding, etc, we will then cover classification and names of our native species and how we identify them in the hand, with the assistance of some live bats. We will also learn how bat detectors can be used to identify bats in flight, using their echolocation calls, and there will be a practical session in the Park in the evening, using bat detectors to find and identify some of our common bats in flight.

Click on the link for more information: Bats and their Natural History – 66149 – FSC

Brushing past a plant in the undergrowth whilst out walking might sound fairly innocuous. In the case of Giant Hogweed, however, it’s anything but. This plant’s sap can cause burns and blistering a…

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Compound Interest – The chemistry of Giant Hogweed and how it causes skin burns

Until now, insects have been too wriggly to make good subjects for scientists wanting to understand more about insect innards.
But an interdisciplinary team of biologists and imaging specialists from Western University has worked out a novel micro-imaging solution that’s leading to unprecedented new ways of viewing insect development.

Click on the play button to watch the video

Click here to read the rest of the article: New scanning process allows unprecedented look inside live insects

Wetland Plant Walk 9th Sept 2017

Wetland Plant Walk – Cock Marsh (Cookham)

Saturday 9^th September, 10:30-12:00

Join us for a guided walk around the Cock Marsh Ponds and discover more about the wetland plants that make this site so special.

Cock Marsh is one of 70 selected flagship sites. Flagship Sites are the best of the best ponds and pond landscapes in England and Wales. Cock Marsh itself supports several of our rarest and most threatened wetland plants. With the help of local volunteers and support from the Heritage Lottery Fund we are working to protect these ponds for the long term.

From 12pm onwards there will be chance to learn how to identify a selection of rare wetland plants before trying your hand at surveying them across the site.

No booking is required to this free event.

For more information or to let us know about any special requirements please email Peter at pcase@freshwaterhabitats.org.uk

Peregrine by Harry Appleyard, Hazeley Wood, 29 May 2016

Roads can be dangerous to wildlife. Animals making the perilous journey against the traffic run the risk of meeting an untimely death. Until recently, it was widely believed, unlike other animals, birds were largely unaffected by the presence of roads and traffic, simply because they could fly.

A new study, published in the open-access journal, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, reveals this is not the case. Birds can find roads challenging too – they are less likely to be found next to roads and are hesitant to cross them.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Birds avoid crossing roads to prevent predation

Turtle Dove, Julie’s garden, Julie Lane, January 2014

Several RSPB members living in Staple, Kent, pooled their money and donations from friends to buy the feeding ground of migratory turtle doves when it came up for sale in summer 2016.

Source: Villagers go extra mile for turtle doves | Discover Wildlife

How to sow a wildflower mini-meadow in your garden in 4 easy steps.

Click here to read the article: How to sow a wildflower mini-meadow | Discover Wildlife

A dinosaur that seemed to be an evolutionary mishmash turns out to have a key place in history.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: ‘Frankenstein dinosaur’ mystery solved – BBC News

Volucella zonaria Hoverfly ©Julie Lane. Johnson’s Field, Olney. 25 July 2017

Our co-chairman Julie Lane recently reported seeing the hoverfly Volucella zonaria in her garden in Olney. Julie describes Volucella zonaria as

Very beautiful and hornet like! It’s larvae lives in wasps nests scavenging on detritus.

This guide will help you identify other Volucella hoverflies

Starling by Harry Appleyard, 20 April 2016

Mercury is an ubiquitous environmental contaminant that affects the health of birds and other wild animals. Two varieties of songbird — zebra finch and European starling — were found to shed mercury accumulation with their feathers in a recent study.

Source: Molting feathers may help birds deal with environmental contaminants — ScienceDaily

Nesting Hedgehog by Susie Lane, Skelton, Cumbria 20 May 2017

Today (15 August 2017) sees the launch of the “hedgehog housing census”. All over the country, thousands of people are going to the trouble and expense of building or buying hedgehog homes. We want to know how important this is to the lives of one of our most loved animals – and how we can improve the way we help hedgehogs in the future.

Click on the link to find out more: There’s a way to save hedgehogs – and all of us can help | Hugh Warwick | Opinion | The Guardian

Volunteers play an essential role within Observatree. They are critical ‘citizen scientists’ who help perform a number of functions.

How anyone can help – Increasing surveillance and reporting

This could be you! We aren’t looking for any huge commitment. All we ask is that you keep an eye out when you’re out and about around trees:

• • Look out for unusual pests and diseases or even for symptoms that look worrying
  • Report unusual sightings through Tree Alert – find out how to report

Click on the link for more information: Observatree – the official project website

Elephant hawk moth Caterpillar, Deilephilia Elpenor by Julian Lambley, Old Wolverton Mill, 11 September 2016

Caterpillars are not pests. I know the cabbage white will make light work of your tea, the clothes moth will leave your finery in tatters and the tomato moth will munch through your ripening tomatoes, but for every one that is after your crops or clothes, there is another that brings beauty to your garden. And not just in the obvious fluttering way: those fat teenaged blue tits ganging around your garden right now are almost pure caterpillar. They are an essential part of the food chain.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why gardeners should protect caterpillars | Life and style | The Guardian

Silver-washed Fritallary (male) ©Paul Young, Bucknell Wood 8 July 2017

Highlights
•Urban abundance trends were negative for all 28 UK butterfly species considered.
•Trends were more negative in urban versus rural areas for 25/28 species.
•Declines in composite abundance were significantly more negative for urban areas.
•Urban populations generally showed earlier emergence and longer flight periods.
•Indicators are vital for monitoring populations pressurised by urbanisation.

Click here to read the rest of the article Urban indicators for UK butterflies – ScienceDirect

At 8pm every Sunday, we all share pictures of flowers we have found growing wild in Britain and Ireland over the preceding week. Of course, if you’re busy at that time, you can always post something during the week – but 8-9pm is when we have a proper party.

Click on the link for more information: About us – #wildflowerhour

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve visitors enjoying an Open Sunday

Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 20 August 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.

Activities for the family today.

Simon Bunker has two sessions on;-

An Introduction to Grasshoppers & Bush Crickets.

Morning session 10:30- 12:30.  Afternoon session 13:30 – 15:30.

No need to book, just turn up.

Crafts, bird seed and refreshments & home-cakes on sale.

.

The British Trust for Ornithology has published the 2016 Breeding Bird Survey.

Visit this page to download your copy.

Grass-Carrying Wasp, Isodontia mexicana (de Saussure), is recorded as new to Britain. Morphological characters are given, and illustrated, to establish its identity and a key is provided to distinguish it from other British Sphecidae. Notes are provided on bionomics, the circumstances of its arrival and its status in Britain.

Source: Grass-carrying wasp, Isodontia mexicana (de Saussure), genus and species new to Britain (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) (PDF Download Available)

Mary Holland has written a very interesting article about how spiders spin silk.

Click here to read the article: Spider Silk | Naturally Curious with Mary Holland

CONSERVATIONISTS are celebrating a revival in numbers of one of the country’s rarest amphibians at a Bedfordshire reserve, despite difficult breeding conditions.

Last month RSPB wardens and volunteers counted more than 300 of the thumnail-sized natterjack toads emerging from the pools at the RSPB’s nature reserve at The Lodge, in Sandy.

Read more at http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/rare-natterjack-toadlets-causing-a-stir-on-rspb-nature-reserve/story-30473412-detail/story.html#EBObXYwxkBF5jLUJ.99

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Baby boom as rare natterjack toadlets spotted in their hundreds at Sandy RSPB lodge | Bedfordshire News

There are now four species of wild snake native to the UK, not three as scientists first thought.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: New grass snake discovered in the UK – BBC News

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has launched the first online database of the world’s flora.

Plants of the World Online (POWO) contains information on identification, distribution, traits, threat status, molecular phylogenies and uses of all known seed-bearing plants around the world.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Comprehensive plant database can be accessed by everyone | Discover Wildlife

Chaffinch by Tony Wood. Linford Lakes NR. 8 June 2016

Over the last century, land use in the UK has changed drastically. Small mixed-crop farms, traditionally separated by lanes, hedgerows and wild meadows have been replaced with larger, more specialised facilities. At the same time, the density of grazing animals such as sheep and cattle has also risen substantially. This combination of land-use change and agricultural intensification has contributed significantly to habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, and has led to huge, often dire, changes for the wildlife that call these places home.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

For the first time in recorded history, a pair of Night Herons has bred in the UK. Two adults and two recently fledged juveniles are now roosting at Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve, having either bred there or nearby on the Avalon Marshes site

Source: Night Herons breed in Somerset – a UK first, #Ornithology news from @SomersetWT via @RareBirdAlertUK

Red Admiral by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 20 December 2016

By any standards, it was a poor day to count butterflies. Denbies Hillside, on the south-facing flank of the North Downs – supposedly a summer haven for lepidopterists – was swept by wind and heavy showers. Butterflies, like humans, take a poor view of such conditions and had made themselves scarce.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Red Admiral spotting: desperately seeking a British butterfly revival | Environment | The Guardian

The Wildlife Gardening Forum have a new website http://wlgf.org.

They are looking for photos particularly invertebrates. Click here for more information.

Would anyone be happy to help at the event below? It would be great if someone from the society can give them a hand.

From: Kirstin McIntosh 

Email:<kirstin@miaswood.org.uk>

Message:

“Hello there,

I am the co-founder of a children’s environmental charity, Mia’s Wood (registered charity number 1169919), which is located on a small 2 acre newly planted woodland site just outside Little Horwood (the entrance is on the Little Horwood Road towards Great Horwood.)

We hold an annual children’s nature festival, MiaFest, and we are always looking for naturalists and knowledgeable folk who might be willing to speak to children to teach them about different aspects of nature.  I have found this quite challenging so far, as many of the big groups provide online resources rather than hands-on experience. This year, MiaFest will be held on Saturday 23rd September 12 noon-late and I’d love it if we could find a way to share your members’ nature knowledge with our little MiaFesters.

http://www.dfmanagement.tv/category/wildlife-presenters

MiaFest is a free children’s nature festival where we have 500 people who come along to enjoy a magical day of fun together.  There are all kinds of nature crafts and activities, as well as music, food and experiences.   Here’s a link to our website www.miaswood.org.uk and you can find MiaFest here, as well as some of our activities.

Mia’s Wood is a children’s environmental charity which has been set up in the memory of our daughter, who died unexpectedly at the age of 13 months.  Even at that age, she loved the outdoors, and we want Mia’s Wood to be a way for children to experience the wonder of nature.

We have two Forest Schools using Mia’s Wood, and we hold regular events at the site to maintain the little woodland and nature activities.

For MiaFest, we have previously had Kate from BBOWT and her team to support us, but otherwise, it has proved very challenging to have an educational element around nature for children.  We know the Parks Trust quite well, but they always have an event clash with MiaFest, and otherwise, groups like The Woodland Trust are not able to support us as so much of their material is online learning only.

Ideally, I would love someone who could help us to engage children in observation skills – perhaps something as simple as insect identification and why they are different, or even learning about different types of trees and leaves.  I’d be very happy to discuss further if it would help.

MKNHS Indoor Meeting by Peter Hassett

The Society’s programme of events for September to December 2017 can now be viewed on the Programme page of the website.

FoLLNR logo

Sunday 13th August 2017,

Coach Trip to Lackford Lakes,

All day event.

A few seats available.

Please contact gjgevents@gmail.com if interested.

FoLLNR logo

Work Sunday at Linford Lakes NR

6 August 2017 10:00-13:00hrs.

• Fancy a workout in the fresh air?
• And help your local reserve at the same time.
• Overhangs to cut back, paths to clear,
• Some construction assistance needed.
• Refreshments for helpers.

Tree Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 24 February 2017

Many insect pollinators are becoming less widespread in Britain and elsewhere and we have limited understanding of the effect of these changes on the pollination services they provide. This is largely due to the lack of long-term, standardised monitoring of their populations.

Source: Establishing a UK Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Scarce Chaser Dragonfly by Martin Kincaid, Linford Lakes NR 27 July 2017

On Thursday 27^th July, Martin Kincaid spotted a dragonfly at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve which turned out to be a Scarce Chaser Libellula fulva. This species, once restricted to East Anglia, has undergone a period of range expansion in recent years and has been found across Northants. This however is the first record for this species in Milton Keynes. Similar to the more common Black Tailed Skimmer, this species can be told apart by the blue tinted eyes and slightly thicker abdomen.

Picture and text by Martin Kincaid

Tardigrades are arguably the toughest animals on earth, as Brett Westwood discovered when recording Natural Histories. With the appearance of a hoover bag and powers that put most sci-fi heroes to shame, these micro-animals can withstand being boiled, frozen or blasted into outer space…
Here are 10 tough facts to put you in your place.

Source: BBC Radio 4 – Natural Histories – What Are Tardigrades?

A recovery from near total collapse has led North Sea cod stocks to be labelled as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council for the first time in 20 years

Click here to read the rest of the article: Sustainable British cod on the menu after stocks recover | Environment | The Guardian

Our perceptions and understanding of dinosaurs have altered significantly since the first fossils were found and they continue to change as new discoveries are made..

Source: BBC Radio 4 – Natural Histories, Dinosaurs – 10 things we got wrong about dinosaurs

Natural History Museum Rockpooling research

The Big Seaweed Search gathers data for research into the effects of sea temperature rise, ocean acidification and the spread of non-native species on UK shores. We need more data points to robustly address our research questions.

If you’re heading to the coast this summer, please download a survey guide or request a hardcopy by emailing your name and address to seaweeds@nhm.ac.uk.

Researchers talk of ‘biological annihilation’ as study reveals billions of populations of animals have been lost in recent decades

Source: Earth’s sixth mass extinction event under way, scientists warn | Environment | The Guardian

Long Tailed Tit by Peter Hassett, College Lake 18 June 2017

Julie Lane has provided details of a local Long-tailed tit retrap record.

I have just had news from my friend Del Gruar that a female long-tailed tit that he ringed at Potton, Cambridgeshire last April was retrapped by Kenny Cramer at the Wildlife Day at Howe Park Wood on 1st July this year. A real coincidence as Del was the ringer at our first Howe Park Day in 2016. What goes around comes around!!

These are the details supplied by the British Trust for Ornithology:

Here are the details of a recovery of one of your birds.
Species: Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) Scheme: GBT Ring no: HRX352

Ringing details
Age: 4 Sex: F Sex meth: B P.ringed: 0 P.alive: 0 Condition: U
Colour marks added: – Metal marks added: N Act1: U Act2: U
Ringing date: 16-Apr-2016 14:20:00
Reg code: – Place code: POTTON Site name: Potton, near Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK
County code: GBBED Grid ref: TL2248 Accuracy 0 Co-ords: 52deg 6min N 0deg -13min W Accuracy 0
Hab1: F2 Hab2: —
Biometrics: Wing: 60.0 mm. Weight: 9.5 g. Time: 14:20:00hrs
Remarks: –
Ringer: D J Gruar, 4538
________________________________________
Finding details
Ring not Verified Age: 4 Sex: F Sex meth: B
Colour marks added: – Metal marks added: – Act1: U Act2: U
Finding date: 01-Jul-2017 (0) 15:10:00
Reg code: – Place code: HWPKWD Site name: Howe Park Wood, Milton Keynes, UK
County code: GBMKE Grid ref: SP8334 Accuracy 0 Co-ords: 51deg 59min N 0deg -47min W Accuracy 0
Hab1: A1 Hab2: —
Biometrics: Wing: 61.0 mm. Weight: 8.3 g. Time: 15:10:00hrs
Finding condition: 8:20 Movement: 9
Subsequent Capture by Ringer Intentionally Taken
Remarks: –
Duration: 441 days Distance: 41 km Direction: 252deg (WSW)
Finder: Northants Ringing Group, 9187

Many animal species suffer reduced reproductive success in urban habitats, despite wide-spread supplementation of breeding and feeding opportunities. In some years, the breeding success of city birds is devastatingly low.

Biologists have now shown conclusively that in urban blue tits, reduced breeding success is linked to poor nestling diet and in particular to scarcity of caterpillars, their preferred nestling food.

Source: Caterpillars key to urban blue tits’ low breeding

Silphid beetles (also known as Carrion beetles) display fascinating behaviours and are also very important recyclers.

They are a small family of beetles which makes them an ideal group for beginners. The workshop will be led by Ashleigh Whiffin (National Museums Scotland) and Matthew Esh (Edge Hill University) who set up the Silphidae Recording Scheme in 2016, along with Richard Wright.

The scheme aims to address the lack of research into the distributions and habitats of these beetles. You can be involved in this scheme by getting out and creating records, come along to learn how!This practical workshop will help you learn how to find, identify and record Silphid beetles. Ashleigh and Matt will be sharing their knowledge of Silphid life histories, showing you how to identify them using keys, how to set baited traps to attract them and how to submit your records to the scheme.

You will need to bring a notebook and suitable outdoor clothing. Specimens will be provided for identification, but if you have any of you own feel free to bring them along.​Accommodation is not included but if required it is available within the local area, some suggestions can be found on our ‘local accommodation’ page – please arrange this yourself. Refreshments are provided on the day but not lunches. There is a well stocked local village shop within the village itself called ‘Ashbury’s Village Shop’.​​Toilet and classroom all easily accessible from the car park *Please bring a packed lunch*.Attendees must be over 11, under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Source: Silphidae Beetle Recording workshop 9th-10th September 10am-4pm

Discover Wildlife have published some great photos of puffins:

Meet the puffins of Skomer Island, which have been photographed by the award-winning young wildlife photographer, Becky Bunce.

Click on the link to view the photos: A passion for puffins | Discover Wildlife

Painted Lady by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Park 5 June 2016

In case you missed it, this 90 minute documentary is available on the iPlayer until 19 AUgust 2017

The migration of the painted lady has long fascinated scientists, artists and nature lovers alike. The longest butterfly migration on earth, it sees millions of these delicate creatures travel from the desert fringes of north Africa, across thousands of miles of land and sea, before settling in the UK.

Click here to view on the iPlayer: BBC iPlayer – The Great Butterfly Adventure: Africa to Britain with the Painted Lady

You can find details of the Buckinghamshire Fungus Group’s walks and meetings by clicking on this link Bucks Fungus Group

Orphaned hand reared Dormice ©Paul Manchester 25 January 15

Britain’s population of hazel dormice, famed for their sleepy lifestyle, has declined by more than 70% in just over two decades, new research from the University of Exeter has shown.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Female Peregrine in the MK Stadium

The Buckinghamshire Bird Club have published a very interesting article on the Peregrine Falcons at Stadium MK.

Click here to read the article.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust has reported the uprooting and theft of five milk parsley plants from its nature reserve at Hickling Broad. Most if not all of the milk parsley plants had rare swallowtail butterfly caterpillars feeding on them and the plants were deliberately removed from the site to acquire the caterpillars.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: 2017-07-18 Theft of the food plant and ca – Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Over a 5-year period, 1300 seabirds of four species (Shag, Kittiwake, Razorbill and Guillemot) were tracked to see where they went when foraging from their breeding colonies.  These data were then applied to all breeding colonies around the UK to produce predictive maps of marine use by these four species.  these predictive maps could be used by industry and government to ensure that important seabird feeding areas are not harmed by over-fishing, mineral extraction, pollution or developments such as windfarms and oil or gas extraction.

Click on link for the rest of the article: Important new seabird data from 5-year GPS study – Mark AveryMark Avery

Here are 12 longhorn beetles to look out for when they are searching for places to meet partners and lay their eggs.

Source: How to identify longhorn beetles | Discover Wildlife

Highlights

• Restoration attempts often fail, but may benefit from utilising ecosystem engineers.
• Impacts of beaver released onto drained pasture were studied for 12 years.
• Beaver increased habitat heterogeneity and plant richness at plot and site scales.
• Ecosystem engineers can contribute significantly to meeting common restoration goals.

Source: Using ecosystem engineers as tools in habitat restoration and rewilding: beaver and wetlands

An ecological introduction to the grasslands, ponds and streams of Bushy Park. The grasslands at Bushy are vast for their urban setting. We will get to know a range of the plant and butterfly species of some of the acid and neutral grasslands. The other focus of the day will be on the ponds and streams, doing some dipping for pondlife and taking in the wetland plants as well.

Click on the link for more information: Ecological Introduction to Bushy Park – 66172 – FSC

Brimstone nectaring on Sanfoin, Pitstone Quarry, 28 May 2017

Butterflies are beautiful and fascinating creatures, and good indicators of the health of the environment. Around 30 species are resident in London, with others turning up as occasional migrants. This course provides an introduction to butterfly natural history, identification and conservation, using a mix of indoor activities and presentations, plus fieldwork observing butterflies in the varied habitats at Bushy Park. The course will help you understand how butterflies use their habitats, and how you can find and identify them. We will also look at the opportunities for conserving butterflies in gardens and parks, and how to get involved with recording and monitoring them. Butterflies are an approachable and popular group, and anyone can play a role in studying and conserving them – this course will help you develop the skills and knowledge needed to enjoy watching and recording butterflies.

Click on the link for more information: Introduction to Butterflies – 66151 – FSC

The hobby’s are busy feeding and looking after their two chicks, which (we think) hatched on Monday

We have now set up a trail to the marked view point where you can safely watch them and we have organised some initial dates when RSPB volunteers will be on hand to show the birds through the telescope….

White Admiral ©Paul Young, Bucknell Wood 8 July 2017

The Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation are holding a butterfly walk on the North Bucks Way & Oakhill Wood, Milton Keynes, Bucks

A walk of 2.5 miles approximately along the North Bucks Way to look for White Admiral, Hairstreaks and other summer species of butterfly.

The Purple Emperor was also seen here last year.

Meet at Shenley Wood car park SP824356.

Leader and Contact Martin Kincaid 01908 235632 Mob:07768 146232.

This event is taking place during Big Butterfly Count, the largest insect citizen science project in the world. Why not download an ID chart and take part in a 15-minute count during the event, which runs from 14 July – 6 August? The results help us see how butterflies are faring across the UK.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Two students from Somerset have won this year’s award with a pioneering investigation into birds’ perception of colour – the results could have important practical applications

Source: Schoolboys win the GSK UK Young Scientist award with ingenious bird experiment | Breakthrough science | The Guardian

Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR

16 July 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.

Lots of butterflies and wildflowers on site now.
Bring friends and family to enjoy the reserve.
Bird seed, crafts and second-hand books on sale.
Home-made cakes and refreshments available.

On the 1^st July 2017 the Society took part in the third Family Fun Day at Howe Park Wood as part of the MK50 celebrations.

Our first event at Howe Park, in conjunction with The Parks Trust and The Wildlife Trust, was held in memory of one of our founder members Bernard Frewin.

MKNHS display boards at Howe Park Wood. Photo courtesy of The Parks Trust

It was such a success that it was repeated the following year. However this year the event also marked the start of the ‘Milton Keynes Festival of Nature’ a week of events to promote and celebrate our local wildlife and beautiful landscape around the city.

The day was a great success with many attractions to draw in the crowds such as pond dipping, wildlife walks, bird ringing and our very own Gordon the Moth Man and many more. We also had a table in the woods with activities based around feathers and a scavenge hunt.

Howe Park Family Wildlife Fun Day held in memory of Bernard Frewin by Julie Lane

Our new display boards were on show for the first time on the MKNHS stand and looked very smart alongside a table of different tree leaves that Roy had brought along for people to identify.

Thank you very much for all of you who came out to help manned the display and activities and lead walks etc. We are lucky to have so many active members.

Julie Lane

Traditional orchards are a cultural feature in the local landscape and a fascinating wildlife habitat. There are thousands of apple varieties; many considered local to particular areas. How can you design and create a community orchard or one in a garden? Why are rootstocks important, and how can one encourage the trees during the first few years.Based in Greenwich Park.

Click on the link for more information: Traditional Orchards, Wildlife Orchards and Garden Orchards – 66161 – FSC

False Click Beetle Eucnemis capucina by Udo Schmidt (CC BY-SA 2.0)

This year, Mark Telfer, one of the UK’s leading coleopterists, has been surveying Howe Park, Kingsmead and Shenley Woods on behalf of The Parks Trust. Mark has been looking for invertebrates associated with dead and decaying wood. A similar survey, focusing on beetles, was carried out by Colin Plant in 1996 so this is the first survey of its kind in MK for twenty years.

Although the survey is ongoing, Mark says that he is “staggered” by the diversity of saproxylic beetles he has found, and in particular a number of Red Data Book and nationally rare species. One of the most impressive of these if the false click beetle Eucnemis capucina (pictured) which he found in Kingsmead Wood. This incredibly rare beetle is considered a flagship species of ancient woodland. It is known only from the New Forest, Windsor Great Park and Bredon Hill in Worcestershire, so its discovery in Milton Keynes is little short of miraculous.

Atomaria pulchra by Mark Teller

In Shenley Wood, Mark has discovered several beetles new to him – itself very unusual. One of these is a tiny beetle called Atomaria pulchra . Mark shared this information with fellow coleopterist Tony Allen who has the largest beetle list in the UK. Tony has since made two visits to Shenley Wood from Dorset, as he had never before recorded this species. Tony Allen not only saw A.pulchra but also found another Atomaria beetle which may be new to the UK! This specimen has been taken to the Natural History Museum in London to be identified later this summer.

Parks Trust Biodiversity Officer Martin Kincaid said, “The early findings of this survey far exceed our expectations and it’s exciting that Mark has already found so many rare and scarce species. This really highlights the importance of standing dead wood as a habitat and shows that even where there is relatively little dead wood, important populations of invertebrates can survive. The creation of more standing dead wood in our woodlands will help these and other species to expand”.

The full results of this survey will be available in late 2017 and we will provide a further update then.

Author: Martin Kincaid

Caring for God’s Acre have produced a short (5 minute) video on mananging churchyards for nature.

Click on the play button to watch the video

Just down the road from Gatwick, the neatly hedged English countryside gives way to an exuberant, utterly alien-looking landscape. Arable fields are obliterated by dense thickets of sallow. Eight metre-wide blackthorn hedges spill into flowery meadows. Wild pigs and red deer run rampant through ragwort, thistles and other weeds. The air is alive with birdsong rarely heard in Britain today – spectacular bursts of nightingale and the purring of turtle doves.

Source: ‘It is strange to see the British struggling with the beaver’: why is rewilding so controversial? | Environment | The Guardian

A team of researchers from Austria and Sweden has found that ravens are able to remember people who trick them for at least two months. In their paper published in the journal Animal Behaviour, the group describes experiments they conducted with the birds and offer some suggestions regarding how the behaviour they observed might be useful to the birds in the wild.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Ravens remember people who tricked them, #ornithology news via @RareBirdAlertUK

Ladybirds are instantly recognisable, but what about their larvae? BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine helps you identify these useful garden predators.

Source: Garden Wildlife Identifier: Ladybird Larvae

The biggest reintroduction of water voles in the UK began this week, with 325 voles released into Kielder Forest in Northumberland, and 350 more to follow later in the summer.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Ratty returns: hundreds of water voles released in UK’s biggest reintroduction | Environment | The Guardian

First Place. Bee by Paul Lund. Taken in Paul’s garden using two flash guns to freeze motion.

The world’s largest ever field trial demonstrates widely used insecticides harm both honeybees and wild bees, increasing calls for a ban

Source: Pesticides damage survival of bee colonies, landmark study shows | Environment | The Guardian

Five leaved Herb Paris by Peter Hassett, Linford Wood 2 May 2017

The use of environmental and botanical data in forensic science has a long history dating to at least the early 20th century. It comes as a surprise to many that vegetation can be used to help understand how a crime was committed. Please note, some aspects of this course may be challenging to some participants as it will be necessary to discuss scenarios involving human decay processes. Based in Bushy Park.

Click on the link for more information: Forensic Ecology – 66170 – FSC

Last year, I was surprised to find my female mandarin duck was turning into a male. Even as a zoology graduate and someone who has kept birds in an aviary since I was 10 years old, I had absolutely no idea this could happen, so I started investigating, and it turns out that the way birds express their sex is a fiendishly complex affair.

Source: How does a duck change its sex? – BBC News

Staggeringly, over 97% of our meadows have been eradicated since the 1930s – that’s an area one-and-a-half times the size of Wales. As a result, many iconic meadow flowers such as ragged robin, harebell and field scabious are now hurtling towards becoming threatened in England.

Source: Real action needed to save our vanishing meadows

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Salcey Forest on 5 July 2017:

A return to this large forest site, led by Chris Coppock. He is sure to give us an all-round naturalist’s walk with butterflies and other insects, as well as plants and birds.

See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Snipe by Tony Woods at Willen Lake, 4 February 2017

Climate change is increasingly altering the composition of ecological communities, in combination with other environmental pressures such as high-intensity land use. Pressures are expected to interact in their effects, but the extent to which intensive human land use constrains community responses to climate change is currently unclear.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Large extents of intensive land use limit community reorganization during climate warming – Oliver – 2017 – Global Change Biology – Wiley Online Library

Explore the Ecological Status of Great Britain’s 10km squares.

Ecological Status is a biodiversity index developed by the Biological Records Centre from national plant and animal observations. It is calculated for each 10km square of Great Britain and is relative to the Environmental Zone that that square occurs in. An Environmental Zone is a region of broadly similar environmental characteristics and is used here to control for non-biological factors that affect biodiversity (e.g. geology and climate).

Click here to explore the map.

Shelduck by Peter Hassett, Rainham Marsh 15 May 2017

The 35th BTO/JNCC/RSPB WeBS annual report Waterbirds in the UK 2015/16 provides an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in waterbirds in the UK and beyond. The latest report features the results of the 2015/16 Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey (NEWS III) as well as the latest trends and data from WeBS

Source: The Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

National Meadows Day is a growing event which celebrates wildflower grasslands, providing an opportunity for you to showcase the amazing wildflowers and species you have on your sites and in your communities. Feedback from last year showed that many people attending events were surprised by the diversity of the flora and sheer number of insects and reptiles found in the meadows they visited. This really reinforced the importance of meadow preservation, and of the role of the National Meadows Day events in educating the public about this important habitat that is fast disappearing.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: National Meadows Day | Magnificent Meadows

Soldier Beetle by Peter Hassett at Grangelands NR. 23May15

Mark Gurney has produced a guide to Soldier Beetles

Click on the link to download the guide.

The magnificent stag beetle needs your help. This endangered species has become extinct in many parts of the UK, but together we can protect those that remain, before it is too late. Please take part in our stag beetle survey below to help us build a national picture.

Source: Stag beetle survey- take part in the national ‘Great Stag Hunt’

Photographic Event
Practical Macro Photography.
Wednesday 28th June
Start 19:30 hrs

‘How We Do Macro Photography’

by Simon Bunker and Peter Garner.
To include a practical outdoor session,
(Weather allowing)
Please bring your camera and lenses.

You may like this short video clip shot in my garden on 13^th June 2017.

There is a large bird bath on the left and the small bowl for hedgehogs by the hedgehog feeder on the right!

Click on the play button to watch the video (30 seconds)

Surveys in German nature reserves point to a dramatic decline in insect biomass

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Where have all the insects gone? | Science | AAAS

This important historical parkland of Greenwich Park, much of it on steep slopes giving stunning views across the Thames estuary (in good weather), is also the setting for an array of veteran trees. We will survey their ecology and importance as a habitat and look at the development of the parkland within its landscape.

Source: Veteran Tree Survey and Ecological History – 66160 – FSC

The Wildlife Trusts interviewed 2,400 people living in cities and found 89 per cent felt nature was important to them.

However, only 20 per cent of the urban residents said they were spending enough time connecting with the natural world.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: City-dwellers want to get closer to nature | Discover Wildlife

An informal, beginners guide to flowering plants in Bushy Park, one of London’s Royal Parks. During the day you will see a variety of species and learn more about how to identify them correctly. There will be time spent in our flower-rich meadows and on the grazed acid grassland. By the end of this course participants will have: – Discovered more about the wildflowers of Bushy Park. – Have an understanding about how to identify wildflowers. – Be aware of where to find further information.

Click on the link for more information: Introduction to Wild Flowers – 66155 – FSC

Peregrine by Harry Appleyard, Hazeley Wood, 29 May 2016

Despite extensive research on city-dwelling Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus in mainland Europe and other parts of the world, little has been undertaken and published in the UK. We analysed the diet of Peregrines in three cities in southwest England – Bristol, Bath and Exeter – between 1998 and 2007.

The wide range of prey species taken included many species associated with a variety of non-urban habitats. Some prey species appear to be hunted at night, while on migration.This paper summarises the diet of Peregrines in urban areas and reviews their night-time hunting behaviour.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

New Hydrological Summary shows May 2017 was the second warmest in the UK since records began in 1910

Click here for more information.

Wild orchids, as seen here in the Peak District, Derbyshire, are among plants that are sensitive to increases in nitrogen levels. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Measures to cut air pollution need to be extended beyond urban areas, say representatives of six wildlife organisations. Plus Dr Richard Carter warns that avoiding main roads won’t protect you from small particulates

Source: Air pollution is killing wildlife and people | Letters | Environment | The Guardian

See how we’ve created a new wildflower meadow in the Conwy Valley using natural seeding techniques as part of the Coronatrion Meadows project

Red-tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 14 March 2017

A great many people are wary of bees because they fear being stung, but the truth is that bees are far more interested in going about their business foraging for pollen and nectar than they are in stinging human beings. Only in rare cases will a bee sting without being seriously provoked – and many species of bee don’t sting at all.

Source: Brigit Strawbridge: WHICH BEES ‘STING’ AND WHICH DON’T?