BIRDS

Male Cuckoo singing at Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve (26^th)

Yellowhammers and Skylarks singing near the North Bucks Way

Peregrine over Hazeley Wood (29^th)

Peregrine over Hazeley Wood, 29th May

House Sparrows with fledglings, Tattenhoe

Little Egret, Tattenhoe Linear Park (23rd May)

Little Egret, Tattenhoe Linear Park (23rd May)

INSECTS

Lepidoptera

Red Admiral, Tattenhoe Park (29^th)

Common Blue butterflies around Tattenhoe Park and Howe Park Wood

Cinnabar Moth, North Bucks Way (29th)

Female Orange Tip, Tattenhoe Park (23rd May)

Female Orange Tip, Tattenhoe Park (23rd May)

Odonata

Large Red, Azure and Blue-Tailed Damselflies throughout Tattenhoe

Broad-Bodied Chasers, Four-Spotted Chasers and Hairy Dragonflies throughout Tattenhoe

MAMMALS

Female Roe Deer near the North Bucks Way (28^th)

Muntjac Buck near the North Bucks Way (29^th)

All sightings and photographs by Harry Appleyard

As you may have heard, our swifts are struggling. It is believed that the UK population of swifts has declined by 35% since 1995. Whilst the reasons for many of our bird declines are still unclear, we can be fairly confident that the main cause in the decline in this species is the loss of nesting sites, as modern housing excludes swifts from roof spaces.

Happily, many organisations including Swift Conservation and the RSPB are working hard to address this issue and to make our urban landscape more swift friendly. There are a number of specially designed swift bricks and swift boxes that can be fitted into new buildings easily and cheaply.  Where these have been installed on a large scale they have been shown to be very successful in establishing new nesting colonies.

I recently met with Rebecca Pitman who is the RSPB’s new Swift Cities Project Officer.  Part of her remit is to develop a network of swift cities across the UK – places where all major development includes nesting opportunities for swifts (and other species). So far, Belfast and Exeter are registered as Swift Cities…wouldn’t it be great if we could add Milton Keynes to the list in time?

For now, the best way to help is to contribute to the RSPB’s database of nesting sites. Some of the older parts of Milton Keynes still support swift colonies. You can help by visiting the website at http://rspb.org.uk/swiftsurvey  and logging your sightings of nesting swifts. Just make a note of date and time of any swifts you see entering or leaving a nest and enter these details with a grid reference.  Remember that the hour before dusk is often the best time to look and listen for swifts, when they emerge from their nest sites and ‘swarm’. You can hardly miss them as they fly overhead in tight formation, screaming as they go!

If any members have a deeper interest in swifts and their conservation and might be interested in becoming involved in a local action group for the species, please let me know.

Martin Kincaid

A Common Clubtail emerging. Created from 2500 images shot over  70 minutes.  River Thames @ Goring on 23rd May 2016.

Click here to watch the video (1 minute).

Without action to protect this treasured bird, it will disappear from the UK altogether within the next decade

Source: There will be no 12 Days of Christmas if we lose the turtle dove | Catherine Bearder | Environment | The Guardian

Sunday 5th June.

Work Sunday.

10:00-13:00hrs

Help needed to tidy up front of house, plant saplings

And clear paths. Refreshments available.

If you’d like to give something back to the reserve

This is your chance.

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.

Researchers from the University of Guelph in Canada and Royal Holloway University of London, showed the effects of insecticides change bees’ foraging behaviour.

Source: Pesticides stop bees from learning how to extract nectar from wildflowers | Daily Mail Online

Birds’ ability to adjust their spring egg-laying times as temperatures rise could help them beat global warming, according to experts from Edinburgh University and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

Source: Birds beating global warming by adjusting their egg-laying times – The Scotsman

12 best plants for a pollinator-friendly wildlife garden.

Source: 12 plants for a pollinator-friendly wildlife garden | Discover Wildlife

Avian species that can adapt their migration strategies cope better with environmental changes.

Source: Flexible migratory strategies are an advantage for birds | Discover Wildlife

For the first time researchers have uncovered a unique ability in bats which allows them to carry but remain unaffected by lethal diseases.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Bat ‘Super Immunity’ To Lethal Diseases Could Help Protect People

Willow Warbler by Harry Appleyard, Furzton Lake 4 May 2016

Sixteen of us met in Salcey forest this Tuesday and spent the evening concentrating on brushing up our birdsong ID skills. Martin Kincaid and Peter Garner were our experts and we had a great evening strolling along the rides listening to the evening chorus.

The thrush family were in full voice with mistle and song thrushes and blackbirds singing beautifully. As were the warblers with numerous chiffchaff, willow warblers, garden warblers and blackcaps  warbling away in the undergrowth! But the highlights of the evening were a grasshopper warbler in full song in an area of scrubby willow, a male cuckoo calling and flying around and a female heard very briefly, and a group of about four ravens that we disturbed in an area of conifers.

We went home happy, having all learnt a bit more thanks to Peter and Martin.

Use this link if like to learn about grasshopper warblers and hear their song.

Julie Lane

RSPBNBLG visit to Willen Lake on 1Jun16

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be visiting Willen Lake on 1Jun16. 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.

Click on the graphic above 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.

BIRDS

Swifts, House Martins and Swallows over Tattenhoe Park

Peregrine hunting at dusk at Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve (22^nd)

Pair of Goosanders over Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve (22^nd)

Pair of Kestrels in Tattenhoe Park (Possibly nesting)

OTHER CHORDATES

Tadpoles and Sticklebacks, Howe Park Wood (23rd May)

INSECTS

Odonata

Broad-Bodied Chasers, Four-Spotted Chasers and Hairy Dragonflies in and around Tattenhoe

Broad-Bodied Chaser and Large Red Damselfly, Tattenhoe

Large Red and Azure Damselflies around Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park

1 Blue-Tailed Damselfly by Howe Park Wood (23^rd)

Lepidoptera

2 Dingy Skippers, 1 Brown Argus and 1 Common Blue by Howe Park Wood (22^nd)

Brown Argus, Howe Park Wood (22nd May 2016)

Holly Blues in and around Tattenhoe

Burnet Companions and 1 Clouded Border in Tattenhoe Park (22^nd)

Hymenoptera

Tree bumblebee Bombus hypnorum – nest in bird box in last year’s blue tit nest in Secretary’s garden, Blakelands. This species, which has arrived in Britain over the last 15 years, is stated in the literature to have a strong preference for hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, a large specimen of which grows outside the Secretary’s gate 10 metres from the nest.

Birdbox with Tree Bumblee nest inside (Steve Brady)

Tree bumblebee nest (Steve Brady)

(All sightings and photographs by Harry Appleyard unless otherwise stated)

Click on the play button to watch the video

Birds Birds use sophisticated changes to the structure of their feathers to create multi-colored plumage, using a process that could pave the way for the creation of paints and clothing colors that won’t fade over time.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Nature’s unique way of controlling color explains why birds never go gray — ScienceDaily

When do ladybird huddles emerge from hibernation? Find out the answer

Source: When do ladybird huddles emerge from hibernation? | Discover Wildlife

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. When first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, 29 December (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity), was designated The International Day for Biological Diversity. In December 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This was partly done because it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.

Source: International Day for Biological Diversity – 22 May

Sunday 29 May, 2016.
Morning Warbler Walk 07:30 hrs.
Leader Andy Harding, County Recorder and Bird Guide.
The reserve is alive with singing warblers
Get out and about early,
Come along and see what’s around.
Refreshments available after the walk.
Children welcome when accompanied by an adult,
Friends and neighbours welcome too.
£2:00 for adults.

Friends or Linford Lakes Nature Reserve

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.

All sightings by Harry Appleyard unless otherwise stated

Birds
Cuckoo near Oakhill Wood (13th)

Skylarks singing over Tattenhoe Park

Yellowhammers singing in fields near Oakhill Wood

Coots with chicks in Tattenhoe Park

Juvenile Blackbirds, Robins and Starlings around Tattenhoe and North Bucks Way

Hobby perched on island opposite far hide, Linford Lakes (15th)

Reed Buntings (13th May Whaddon, 15th Linford Lakes)

Male Reed Bunting near Whaddon (13th May- Harry Appleyard)

Reed Warbler, Linford Lakes (15th May – Harry Appleyard)

Insects

Lepidoptera
Holly Blue butterflies in and around Tattenhoe

Holly Blue, Howe Park Wood (12th May – Harry Appleyard)

2 Dingy Skippers and 1 Small Copper by Howe Park Wood (16th)

Dingy Skipper by Howe Park Wood (16th May – Harry Appleyard)

1 Small Copper in Tattenhoe Linear Park (17th)

Drinker Moth Caterpillars around Tattenhoe Park

Odonata

Large Red, Azure and Blue-Tailed Damselflies in Tattenhoe Park

Hairy Dragonflies in Tattenhoe Park (16th)

Four-Spotted Chaser by Howe Park Wood (17th)

Broad-Bodied Chaser by the North Bucks Way (17th)

Diptera

Female Xanthogramma citrofasciatum  Linford Lakes NR today (17^th, Peter Garner).  This hoverfly is listed in Britain’s Hoverflies (Ball and Morris) as being ‘scarce’, with its main distribution being in the South and South West of England.

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum by Peter Garner at Linford lakes NR, 17 May 2016

Last month was 1.11 C above the 1951-1980 average, making it the warmest April on record, according to NASA. It was the seventh consecutive month to

Source: NASA: Last Month Was Warmest April Ever Recorded, Marking Seven Months of New Highs

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum by Peter Garner at Linford lakes NR, 17 May 2016

Peter Garner has found a female Xanthogramma citrofasciatum,  at Linford Lakes NR on 17 May 2016.

Peter commented that this rather attractive hoverfly is listed in Britain’s Hoverflies (Ball and Morris) as being ‘scarce’, with its main distribution being in the South and South West of England.  It’s the first one I’ve seen!

The Big Garden Birdwatch 2016 survey results have been published.

Long-tailed tits benefitted from a mild winter and have appeared in the top 10 most spotted garden birds for the first time in eight years.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Long-tailed tits benefitted from a mild winter | Discover Wildlife

Paul Brown on the oldest vertebrate, who possesses a permanently open mouth, with a great number of teeth, and some nasty habits

Source: Return of the lamprey – ancient, ugly and swimming up British rivers | Environment | The Guardian

Start of recording: 18.55          End of recording: 20.52          Weather: Cloudy, light rain

Number of species recorded: 23

Total number of individuals recorded: 117

Mammals on same walk

• Noctule Bat x20
• Pipistrelle Bat x4
• 1 Fox
• 1 Rabbit
• Muntjac tracks

MAMMALS

Otter spraint  on the footings of Tyringham bridge (17^th – Julie Lane)

BIRDS

1 Cuckoo at Oakhill Wood (14^th) and 3 (2m, 1f) at Linford Lakes (15^th)

2 Black Terns at South Willen (11-12^th), 1 at Linford Lakes (11^th)

4 pairs of Common Tern and 1 Hobby at Stony Stratford Nature Reserve (17^th – MK)

Buzzard on nest at Elfield Park (13^th – MK)

Little Owl calling at Woughton (15^th – MK/HA)

Skylark singing at Stanton Low (16^th – MK)

Pair of Red Kites circling over the river at Tyringham (17^th – Julie Lane)

Huge numbers of Swallows and House Martins twittering over Emberton Park sailing lake (13^th – Julie Lane)

Blue and Great Tits nesting in the dormouse boxes in Little Linford Wood are still sitting on eggs when in a normal year they would have hatched by now (Tony Wood)

INSECTS

 Orthoptera

Roesel’s bush-cricket nymph – North Bucks Way (14^th – MK)

Slender Groundhopper – Pineham (Simon Bunker)

Lepidoptera

Small Copper butterfly – Stonepit Field (16^th – MK)

Red Admirals arriving in number now.

Common Blue, Red Eyed and Large Red Damselflies at Linford Lakes (15^th)

Painted Lady in Olney (16^th – Julie Lane)

FLOWERS

 Meadow Saxifrage in flower at Stony Stratford Reserve (17^th)

Bee Orchids close to flowering at South Willen (17^th)

Common Crow-foot flowering in ponds at Woughton on the Green (15^th)

 N.B. MK = Martin Kincaid, HA = Harry Appleyard

Ornithologists hope for glimpse of species reported to have been seen in Wales and west country

Source: Spectacular bearded vulture spotted for first time in UK | Environment | The Guardian

Polecats, which were almost wiped out in Britain 100 years ago, are now spreading across Britain, a survey shows.

Source: Conservationists: Polecats ‘spreading across Britain’ – BBC News

We had a lovely evening in Hollington Wood – thank you Gordon for leading the walk. The bluebells were looking amazing and this little gem of a wood always has the touch of magic about it that you find in so many of our ancient woods. Philip Solt (the owner) took us round the wood introducing us to his wonderful Mangalitza pigs, pointing out a wild honey bees nest, an active badgers sett and also showing us just how tall the bluebells were this year, maybe as a result of the long growing season. We ended the evening sampling his home brewed beer and primrose wine which was exceptional, as was the sunset on the way back across the fields!!

HARRY Potter beware! Life for your beloved owls is hardly a hoot.

Source: Conservationists are warning of the decline in Tawny owls | Nature | News | Daily Express

You may hear the distinctive seven-note call of a Whimbrel overhead in late April or May but where is it going and where has it been? In a new paper in Wader Study, Tómas Gunnarsson and Guðmundur G…

Source: Whimbrels on the move | wadertales

The Solar System’s smallest planet has made one of its irregular passes between the Earth and Sun.

Source: Mercury completes journey across Sun – BBC News

The purple emperor and chequered skipper await, whether you just fancy a flutter or metamorphose into a full-blown spotter

Source: Britain’s best places to take off on a butterfly safari | Environment | The Guardian

Paul Hobson goes in search of the small but perfectly formed Harvest Mouse

Source: Wildlife – the Harvest Mouse – Wildlife – Derbyshire Life and Countryside

Red-Tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 11 April 2016

The Polli:Nation survey is a large-scale national survey that will provide answers to important research questions about the health and status of pollinating insects across the UK.

You can contribute to this research by becoming a citizen scientist and surveying your local patch (school grounds, park or garden) for pollinators.

.

Click on the link to find out more: Polli:Nation Survey | OPAL

MAMMALS

Bank Voles in Howe Park Wood (HA)

Roe deer by the North Bucks Way (7^th May – HA)

Roe Deer – Shenley Wood (6^th)

Badger seen at Linford Lakes (5^th – MK)

BIRDS

Garden Warblers singing in Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park (HA)

Garden Warbler, Tattenhoe Park (5th May) (HA)

Reed Warblers around Furzton Lake, Tattenhoe Park and North Bucks Way (HA)

Swifts over Tattenhoe and Furzton (HA)

Pair of Spotted Flycatchers by brook in Furzton (4^th May – HA)

Hobby over Tattenhoe Park (5^th May – HA)

Cuckoo, 2 Barn Owls, 2 Hobbies – Linford Lakes (5^th – MK)

8 Red Kites at Newton Longville (8^th – MK)

Goosander with 9 young at Olney Mill

Turnstone at Manor Farm (5^th)

Spotted Flycatchers at Shenley Wood and Linford Lakes

LEPIDOSAURIA (aka “REPTILES”) 

9 Grass Snakes found at Walton Lake (4^th – MK/Ella Cooke)

2 Grass Snakes basking outside Near Hide, Linford Lakes (7^th)

Adder skin found at Rammamere Heath (2^nd – Helen Wilson)

INSECTS

Lepidoptera

Holly Blue and Large White butterflies around Furzton and Tattenhoe (HA)

Holly Blue, Howe Park Wood (6th May) HA

Green-Veined Whites and Orange Tips in most parts of Tattenhoe (HA)

Red Admirals in and around Howe Park Wood (HA)

Dingy Skipper and Small heath butterflies at Blue Lagoon (8^th – MK)

4 Red Admirals on North Bucks Way (8^th – MK)

Pair of Orange-Tips in copula – Blakelands  (15^th May, Steve Brady)

Coleoptera

Great Diving Beetles in ponds at Linford Lakes (5^th – MK)

Hymenoptera

Red Mason bee, Ashy mining bee, Hairy Footed Flower Bee all nesting in walls at Manor Farm Court, Old Wolverton (6^th – MK)

Odonata

Large Red and Azure Damselflies emerging around Howe Park Wood ponds and Tattenhoe Park (HA)

Hairy Dragonflies around Tattenhoe Linear Park and Howe Park Wood ponds (HA)

Female Hairy Dragonfly, Tattenhoe Linear Park (6th May) HA

Four-Spotted Chaser in Tattenhoe Linear Park (6^th May) (HA)

Homoptera

Black and Red Froghoppers in Tattenhoe Park (HA)

FLOWERS

Water Crowfoot in ponds at Woughton on the Green.

Early Purple Orchids in most woodlands.

Herb Paris in flower in Linford Wood

Field Poppies out along grid roads

Sightings reported by HA = Harry Appleyard, MK = Martin Kincaid, or as named

*Sightings cover the past 10 days, unless indicated by individual dates*

The largest field-study so far in to the group of pesticides called “neonicotinoids” has concluded that each acts differently on the brains of the bees.

Source: Banned pesticides ‘not equally harmful’ to bees – BBC News

Iridescent flowers are never as dramatically rainbow-coloured as iridescent beetles, birds or fish, but their petals produce the perfect signal for bees, according to a new study published today in Current Biology.

Source: Flowers tone down the iridescence of their petals and avoid confusing bees | University of Cambridge

Discover 6 fascinating facts about the BTO May Bird of the Month: Whitethroat

Source: 6 whitethroat facts you need to know | Discover Wildlife

Human existence is utterly dependent on wild plant species we’ve shamefully neglected. Now Kew has become a global voice for plants

Source: Plants are our lifeline – but we’re letting them die | Michael McCarthy | Opinion | The Guardian

Keith Balmer, one of the Bedfordshire County Recorders for butterflies, has produced an excellent website providing information about the 36 butterfly species resident in Bedfordshire, plus two regular migrants. Species that are occasionally seen but are not believed to breed in the county have been omitted.

The distribution maps relate to Bedfordshire. The site also contains extensive information about eaxh species of butterfly and photographs to aid identification.

Click on this link to find out more.

Sharks are the first fish known to have networks of friends, just like mammals.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Even deadly sharks have ‘social networks’, scientists find

David Attenborough has the honour of a dragonfly being named after him.

Source: BBC One – Attenborough at 90, A dragonfly named Attenborough

Open Sunday
15th May,
10:00- 16:00 hrs.
Another opportunity to invite friends and family to explore the site.
Refreshments including home-made cakes available.
A chance to meet with like-minded people and compare notes.
Second-hand books, crafts and bird food on sale.

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.

The South Beds Group of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust are leading an early summer butterfly walk around Whipsnade  Downs on Sunday 15 May 2016 from 11:00-14:00.

One of the target species is the Duke of Burgundy. Click here 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.

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be visiting Linford Wood on 15May16. 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.

Animals with distinct life stages are often exposed to different temperatures during each stage. Thus, how temperature affects these life stages should be considered for broadly understanding the ecological consequences of climate warming on such species. For example, temperature variation during particular life stages may affect respective change in body size, phenology and geographic range, which have been identified as the “universal” ecological responses to climate change. While each of these responses has been separately documented across a number of species, it is not known whether each response occurs together within a species. The influence of temperature during particular life stages may help explain each of these ecological responses to climate change.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Exploring the universal ecological responses to climate change in a univoltine butterfly – Fenberg – 2016 – Journal of Animal Ecology – Wiley Online Library

Bluebells by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 10 April 2016

What are the secret ingredients of the bluebell’s unique aroma? Click on the link to find the answer

Source: Heaven scent | Blog | About us

Bats find their way acoustically when they are flying by using echolocation calls, often also employing them when hunting for food. A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich has now discovered how these animals handle interference in the form of environmental noise. They analyzed thousands of echolocation calls under various natural ambient noise conditions and showed that bats adapt both the amplitude of their calls and their duration to the noise level. Although every individual reacted slightly differently in the process, all the mechanisms used improve the detectability of the signal.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Bats adapt their echolocation calls to noise

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be hosting a Special Meeting on 12May16. 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.

These flying insects can see fast-moving objects that humans would completely miss

Source: BBC – Earth – Dragonflies see the world in slow motion

Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil by Peter Hassett at Grangelands NR. 23May15

Plantlife produce a number of interesting guides to wildflowers. Here is their  May Wildflower Spotter Sheet.

1. Both sexes of robins have red breasts and both puff out their chests as a sign of aggression. In breeding season, males can be particularly ferocious – attacking each other bloodily and even,

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Seven things you never knew about robins | Countryfile.com

Scientists have imaged the brains of bumblebees in unprecedented detail, revealing the regions linked to learning and memory.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Miniature brain scans hold key to understanding bee behaviour | Natural History Museum

Contrary to popular opinion, Nightingale is not the only bird that sings at night. In fact, due to it’s recent decline, you are more likely to hear other birds singing after dark. This video illustrates the difference in song between the four most common ‘Night Singers’ – Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush and of course, Nightingale.

Click on the play button to watch the video

Source: BTO Bird ID – Nightingale and Other Night Singers | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Forestry commission elevates oriental chestnut gall wasp to high-priority tree pest after 2015 outbreaks

Source: Asian wasp listed as threat to UK’s sweet chestnut trees | Environment | The Guardian

Warbler Walks
with Andy Harding.

Wednesday 4th May, 2016.
Evening Walk.
Meet at 18:15hrs, to set off about 18:30hrs

£2:00 for adults, children free

Please note revise start time.

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.

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be visiting Rushmere Country Park on 4May16. 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.

1 May 2016, Work Sunday.
10:00- 13:00hrs
Refreshments available.

Help needed with trimming overhanging trees (only branches which clearly can not hold nests),
we would also like if possible to replant some
blackthorn along the perimeter fence to help security
Tidying up the front of house and other jobs
Refreshments available.

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.

BIRDS

(Apart from our pair of Black-winged Stilts – see separate News item!)

• PURPLE HERON photographed at Linford Lakes (21st – Neil Schofield)
• 2 White Wagtails at Manor Farm – with Yellow Wagtails
• Swifts seen at South Willen Lake (22nd – Martin Kincaid)
• Cuckoo at Linford Lakes (22nd – Martin Kincaid)
• Common Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, Garden Warblers all singing now across MK.

Howe Park Wood

• Pair of Ravens being chased by Crows (Saturday 23rd)
• Small group of Linnets frequently visiting meadows by Howe Rock Place car park
• Tawny Owl hunting at dusk (Monday 25th)

Tattenhoe Park

• Pair of Coots with nest
• Red Kites hunting over fields
• Swallows passing through
• Common and Lesser Whitethroats singing

(Howe Park Wood and Tattenhoe Park sightings by Harry Appleyard)

MAMMALS

• Hedgehog reported from back garden, Furzton (Jean Aslett, 22nd)
• 4 Badgers, 1 Hedgehog – Old Wolverton (Martin Kincaid, 24th)
• Large numbers of Noctule bats seen over Stantonbury Lake, Linford Lakes (Martin Kincaid/Helen Wilson – 21st)
• Bank Vole, Tattenhoe Linear Park (Harry Appleyard)

• Muntjac in and around Howe Park Wood (Harry Appleyard)

  LEPIDOSAURIA

  • Large female Grass Snake basking outside Near Hide, Linford Lakes (Martin Kincaid – 24th)
  Grass snake by Martin Kincaid, Linford Lakes NR,24 April 2016

   

INSECTS

Lepidoptera

• Hummingbird Hawk-moth and Holly Blue butterfly – both in the Allen’s garden, Newport Pagnell (Carol Allen -23rd)
• Emperor Moth reported from Tattenhoe (20th)
• Holly Blue butterfly, Tattenhoe Park (Wednesday 20th – Harry Appleyard)
• Small White Butterflies around Howe Park Wood (Harry Appleyard)
• Speckled Wood butterflies, Water Spinney (Harry Appleyard)

Odonata

• Large Red Damselfly, Tattenhoe Park (Wednesday 20th) – First record in Bucks for 2016 (Confirmed by Alan Nelson)

Large Red Damselfly by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Park 20 April 2016

ANGIOSPERMS

• Field Poppies in flower along H3 (Monks Way), Great Linford
• Early Purple Orchids in flower – Linford Wood (23rd)

Ramsons in flower at Bradwell Abbey and Stony Stratford Nature Reserve

A pair of Black-Winged Stilts, Himantopus himantopus, have been seen at Floodplain Forest NR at Manor Farm on Sunday morning, 24th April. This photo was taken of one:

Black-winged Stilt by Mark Appleton, Floodplain Forest NR 24 April 2016

The birds were seen to mate several times. If this leads to breeding here, and it is successful, it will be only the fourth recorded successful breeding of this essentially Mediterranean wader in Britain. The last two were in 2014 near Chichester in Sussex and in 1987 in Norfolk. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for another breeding success here this year.

Keep your eyes on this website for the latest news on these exciting rare birds in our area!

Butterflies and moths can hear many things we cannot, revealing a sensory world that we are slowly beginning to understand

Source: BBC – Earth – The surprising way butterflies sense their enemies

Click on this link for details of this special event.

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.

Discover 8 fascinating facts about the Buglife October Invertebrate of the Month: Pholcid spider.

Source: 8 pholcid spider facts you need to know | Discover Wildlife

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

Bluebells by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 10 April 2016

Plantlife produce a number of interesting guides to wildflowers. Here is their  April Wildflower Spotter Sheet.

Scientists identify first tree to show strong tolerance to the disease raising hopes of developing a resistant strain

Source: ‘Betty’ the ash tree offers hope against deadly dieback disease | Environment | The Guardian

It sounds like the stuff of nightmares – giant earthworms that, if left alone, keep growing and growing to the size of a baby snake. But this is no bad dream – scientists working on the Isle of Rum, off the coast of Scotland, have found the biggest specimens ever seen in the UK, more than three times the length and weight of a normal worm.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Giant worms discovered on remote Scottish island

National Whale and Dolphin Watch records more species and individual cetaceans than ever before.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Record-breaking results in UK’s National Whale and Dolphin Watch | Discover Wildlife

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust have produced factsheets on a variety of animals.

This link will take you to the Kestrel factsheet. Why not explore their website to learn about other animals: Kestrel | Animal Facts | Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Discover how nightjars have adapted to hunting after sunset.

Source: How do nightjars hunt in the dark? | Discover Wildlife

Bluebells by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 10 April 2016

Plantlife is the organisation that is speaking up for our wild flowers, plants and fungi. From the open spaces of our nature reserves to the corridors of government, we’re here to raise their profile, to celebrate their beauty, and to protect their future.

Click on the link to read the article: A Guide to Britain’s Bluebells | Publications

Discover 6 fascinating facts about the BTO April Bird of the Month: Ring ouzel

Source: 6 ring ouzel facts you need to know | Discover Wildlife

‘Habitat Creation and Management for Pollinators’ is a  free, practical guide for conserving insect pollinators, published this month.The guide is the distillation of a 20-year research partnership between Marek Nowakowski – a practitioner with a passion for wildlife conservation on farmland – and applied ecologists working for the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), led by Professor Richard Pywell.It provides farmers and other land managers with the best available advice on creating and managing habitats for bees on farmland.

Source: New practical guide: Habitat Creation and Management for Pollinators | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

AMPHIBIANS

BIRDS

Male Blackcap by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe, 17 April 2016

• Common and Lesser Whitethroats – Tattenhoe, First seen (15 April) [HA]
• Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs – St. Giles Church Meadow [HA]
• Coots with nest – Tattenhoe Park [HA]
• Ring-Necked Parakeet near retail park  – Westcroft (15 April) [HA]
• 5 Skylarks, 2 Yellowhammer and flock of Linnets – Magna Park (15 April) [MK]
• Cuckoo, Yellow Wagtail, Sedge Warbler, Swallows and Sand Martins – Linford Lakes (16 April) [MK]
• Osprey over Campbell Park (18 April) [MK]
• Long Eared Owl reported from Linford Lakes.

INSECTS

Small White by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe, 17 April 2016

• Red-Tailed Bumblebees in and around Howe Park Wood [HA]
• Small White Butterfly in St. Giles Church meadow, Tattenhoe (16 April) [HA]
• Orange Tip butterfly – Stony Stratford Nature Reserve (14 April) [MK]
• Water Stick Insect found on pond dipping session – Linford Lakes (18 April [Parks Trust staff]

MAMMALS

Hare Tattenhoe Park in January 2016 by Harry Appleyard

• Brown Hare -Tattenhoe Park) [HA]
• Brown Hare, (Magna Park 15 April)  [LD]
• 15 Chinese Water Deer (Magna Park 15 April)  [LD]
• Water Vole (Lodge Lake 16 April) [LD]

PLANTS

• Cowslips everywhere!
• Fantastic display of Marsh Marigold in ponds at Campbell Park.
• First Early Purple Orchids emerging at Shenley Wood (14 April)

Grass Snake by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe, 15 April 2016

REPTILES

• 2 Grass Snakes – Tattenhoe Linear Park [HA]

[HA = Harry Appleyard]
[LD = Lewis Dickinson]
[MK = Martin Kincaid]

A newly discovered tarantula sports a black coat that is as dark and brooding as its celebrity namesake: the renowned singer Johnny Cash.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Wildlife Extra News – Newly discovered Tarantula species named after Johnny Cash

France is banning glyphosate mixed with certain additives due to its perceived risks to human health, including Monsanto’s weedkiller Roundup. In Europe

Source: France to Ban Glyphosate Weedkillers Due to Health Risks and another article in the Ecologist

An app has been produced to record the UK’s most problematic invasive, non-native plant species.
Click on the link to find out more: Home | Plant Tracker

17th April, Open Sunday.
10:00- 16:00hrs.

The friendly warm atmosphere in the Centre makes up for the fresher conditions outside – call in for hot drink and cake, to browse through the second-hand books and crafts, and to share news about what they have seen.

Migrant visitors are arriving back now, every day can bring something new. Pop along and share what you have seen.

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.

French lawmakers approved plans for a total ban on some widely used pesticides blamed for harming bees, going beyond European Union restrictions in a fierce debate that has pitched farmers and chemical firms against beekeepers and green groups.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: France moves toward full ban on pesticides blamed for harming bees | Reuters

Meadow Flowers by Tony Hisgett. (CC BY 2.0)

It is well documented that significant losses in semi-natural grassland occurred across Europe during the second half of the twentieth century. However, comparatively few studies have investigated and quantified the fate of large numbers of individual grassland areas. This is important for understanding the causes of decline, and consequently establishing new policies to conserve and restore lost habitats. This study addresses this problem; GIS was used to compare historic survey data collected between 1960 and 1981 with two contemporary spatial datasets of habitats in England. The datasets included the Priority Habitats Inventory 2013 and the Land Cover Map 2007 and this was undertaken for different types of semi-natural grassland across England. Considerable decreases occurred across the different grassland types, with a loss of 47% of studied semi-natural grasslands sites in England over 32–53 years. Of this, the majority of grassland was lost to conversion to agriculturally-improved grassland or arable cultivation, 45% and 43% respectively. Changes to woodland and urban areas were also evident, but on a much smaller scale. Sites receiving statutory protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest were found to have retained more grassland (91%), compared with non-protected sites (27%), thus highlighting the effectiveness of this aspect of current conservation policy in England, and the need for this to continue in the future.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Fate of semi-natural grassland in England between 1960 and 2013: A test of national conservation policy

Your garden can play a crucial role in bat conservation, says Shirley Thompson from the Bat Conservation Trust. Here are her tips for how to ensure it does.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: How to create a bat-friendly garden

British mapping agency Ordnance Survey has released an easy-to-read map of terrain from the planet Mars.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Ordnance Survey releases digital map of Mars surface – BBC News

Hen Harrier Day returns for its third year and this time takes place on Sunday 7th August 2016. Some campaigners are already at an advanced planning stage and have confirmed that Hen Harrier Day ev…

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Hen Harrier Day 2016 (Sunday 7th August) | Raptor Persecution Scotland

I recently spent a wonderful week on the southern part of the Island of Mull with my daughter and her partner who is an RSPB warden and has an incredible knowledge of birds. We stayed in a lovely cottage with views across the sea to Staffa, Colinsay and Dutchmans Cap etc. The week was full of great wildlife sightings including 20 plus sightings of hen harriers, 14 golden eagles and 17 sea eagles, plus a wonderful view of a snipe drumming tail feathers extended to create that amazingly evocative humming sound.

We didnt see many otters apart from one amazing view of a mother and older cub playing together on the rocks about 20 metres away. However one cold damp morning we decided to go down to the local beach for a morning dog walk and just inside a gate we found to our dismay a perfectly formed but lifeless baby otter. As we looked on sadly I noticed the minutist twitch of one of the half opened eyes. I picked the cub up and cuddled it inside my coat to try and warm it up – no response at all. Meanwhile we had met some locals who invited us into their home and spent the next half hour trying to contact someone from the Mull Otter Group but to no avail. Eventually the local wildlife crime officer supplied them with a mobile number and soon our otter rescue lady was rushing over from Tobermory with a supply of bright pink rehydrate solution.

The otter cub perked up after being given rehydration solution

We could now see that the cub was breathing more deeply and after two syringes of rehydrate which she swallowed she started to open her eyes and look more alert, but still there was absolutely no movement in her floppy limbs. She was bundled into a cat crate and disappeared off in the car and that was the last we saw of her.

Two days after rescue and she is looking much healthier.

However two days later I received an email from the lady with the wonderful news that Gribun our cub was doing very well indeed and was soon to be sent off to the SSPCA who had another little 13 week old cub who needed a friend. This week came more good news, that the cub has settled happily with her playmate, after a bit of grumpiness, and they are both doing well. They will be kept together at the centre with minimal human contact for a year, after which they will be released into the wild.

Apparently otter mums bear their cubs in holts that are up to three miles inland and at about 7 weeks of age they move them to a holt nearer the sea. Maybe this little cub got separated from her mum on this journey and became dangerously weak and dehydrated.

We feel incredibly privileged to have been involved in the rescue of such an exquisite creature and to have held her little furry body and examined her leathery black paws and needle sharp teeth – wow!! It’s so good that it had a happy ending as well, although she would have been better off gambolling in the loch with her mum like the other cub we had seen earlier in the week.

Ps Apparently the otter cub who was rescued after the floods in MK recently ended up in Tiggywinkles rescue centre and it is also going to be sent up to Scotland for release, as there are more suitable habitats for it up there. So a happy ending for both orphans!!

The article and photos were kindly supplied by Julie Lane

You might not associate a garden rockery with butterflies and moths but actually the hot and dry microhabitat, with well-drained soil, can offer conditions suitable for some great nectar plants. The rocks can also provide butterflies with warm places to bask in the sun.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – Dig It – April Tips from the Secret Gardener

The BBOWT South Beds Local Group is hosting a talk about the Ashridge Estate.

The talk is taking place on Wednesday, 20 April 2016 7:30-9:00pm at

Dunstable Community Fire Station Lecture Theatre
Brewers Hill Road,
Dunstable,
LU6 1AA

Click on this link for more information.

BIRDS

• Red Kites over Tattenhoe and Westcroft
• Swallows over Tattenhoe
• Willow Warblers singing in and around Tattenhoe
• Sand Martin and pair of Curlews over Stony Stratford Nature Reserve (Weds 6th)
• Wheatears, Tattenhoe Park (Mon 11th)
• Common Sandpiper, Tattenhoe Park (Mon 11th)
• Green Woodpeckers Howe Park Wood (Mon 11th) (Harry’s pic below appeared on the official BBC Springwatch Facebook page!)

Green Woodpeckers, Howe Park Wood (11th April)

Sightings by Harry Appleyard

Bucks Bird Club at Manor Farm/Floodplain Forest NR 10th

Cetti’s Warbler, Little Ringed Plover  (sightings from Peter Garner – full list below)

Manor Farm Friday 8th April am

Little Ringed Plover (x2);Oyster Catcher; Snipe; Redshank (several); Shoveller (x2); Green Woodpecker (x2); Goosander (x2); Cetti’s Warbler; Blackcap

Stony Stratford Reserve Friday 8th April pm

Oyster Catcher (x2); Snipe (3); Shoveller (x2); Bullfinch (x2)

Encouraging numbers of lapwing displaying at both sites.

Sightings by Joe Clinch

MAMMALS

• Bank Vole, Tattenhoe Linear Park (Mon 11th) (Harry Appleyard)

INSECTS

Lepidoptera

• Comma and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, Tattenhoe Linear Park
• Peacock butterflies, Blakelands, 12th

Full list of birds seen on Bucks Bird Club visit to Manor Farm/Floodplain Forest NR, Sunday 10th April, led by Peter Garner:

Great tit
Blue tit
Wren
Willow warbler
Blackbird
Robin
Tufted duck
Gadwall
Magpie
Canada goose
Crow
Wood pigeon
Little ringed plover
Pied wagtail
Mallard
Redshank
Coot
Lapwing
Pheasant
Sand Martin
Cormorant
Buzzard
Moorhen
Little egret
Reed bunting
Great crested grebe
Oystercatcher
Teal
Sparrowhawk
Cetti's warbler
Starling
Blackcap
Grey wagtail
Chiffchaff
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Mute swan
Chaffinch
Great spotted woodpecker 
Long tailed tit
Little grebe 
 

Heritage Lottery Funding could help rare and declining UK species.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Funding aims to restore populations of some of the UK’s rarest species | Discover Wildlife

Key part of government strategy to tackle bovine tuberculosis in cattle is lost as shortage of BCG supplies forces temporary closure of badger vaccination in England and Wales.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Badger vaccination programme suspended | Discover Wildlife

Another year has passed and, due to some unusual and record-breaking weather patterns, it has been a challenging one for our wildlife.
The findings from experts at the National Trust in their annual weather and wildlife review found there were species that fared badly but also, as you might expect, those that have done well because of it.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: BBC – Earth – How the weather affected British wildlife in 2015

Climate change is most likely behind the extraordinary spread of a type of vesper bat across Europe over the last four decades. Kuhl’s pipistrelle has extended its range by nearly 400 percent, says Leonardo Ancillotto, lead author of a study supervised by Danilo Russo of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, in Springer’s journal The Science of Nature. It is the first to record a range expansion for bats on such a continental scale.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Climate change helps bats to spread their wings

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group will be hosting a talk, Pineapple Peril by Ann Scott on 14Apr16. 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.

Alaskan butterfly could serve as ‘a canary in the coal mine’ as Arctic climate changes habitat.

Source: Newly discovered butterfly may hold clues to climate change | Toronto Star

Wednesday 13th April
Doors 7.15pm,
£2.50 inc a drink

Prof. Jeff Ollerton will be coming to Linford Lakes Nature Reserve
Anyone out there interested in this: ‘Bees for dinner?
The importance of pollination in a changing world.’
You can email Michele Welborn at michelewelborn@homecall.co.uk to book a place
He’s a great speaker, passionate about his subject,
film and documentary makers consult with him.
(you can reserve a place on the Open Sunday)

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.

Certain species of life from Earth were able to survive on the ISS in Mars-like atmospheres, which could have a great impact on the search for life on Mars.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Fungi and Lichens Survive 18 Months In Mars-Like Conditions Outside the ISS

Few Red Grouse were shot in the UK this year, mainly because of disease and bad weather. But regardless of grouse bags, this was a very bad year for driven grouse shooting and hastened the end of this worthless hobby.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: 2015 – a bad year for driven grouse shooting – Mark AveryMark Avery

Atlas of Butterflies in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire

The Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation have produced an excellent Atlas of Butterflies in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire.

Nick Boles, the chairman of Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation has stated “We were pleased to include your organisation in the acknowledgements. MKNHS provide very important records (often through BMERC) and we would struggle to accurately reflect the situation in MK without those records.” So we can clearly see the benefit of the tetrad records that we have been maintaining.

If you are not already a member of Butterfly Conservation, you can join from £32 a year or £2.66 per month. Once enrolled with Butterfly Conservation, you will receive a copy of the Atlas if you join the Upper Thames Branch.

Alternatively, you can purchase a copy of the Atlas from Diane Garland, Butterfly Conservation, Manor Yard, Lulworth, Dorset BH20 5QP at £10 plus £1.60 p&p.

INSECTS

Brimstone by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 2 April 2016

• Bee-flies now out across MK. [MK]
• Brimstone, Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, Howe Park Wood [HA]
• Comma and Red Admiral butterflies – Manor Farm (2nd April) [MK]
• 3 Male Brimstone and 2 Small Tortoiseshell in garden (2nd) [Val & Brian]
• Green Tiger Beetles – Rammamere Heath (3rd) [MK]

Common Lizard by Harry Appleyard, Rammamere Heath 13 March 2016

REPTILES

• 2 Adders, Slow-worm and Common Lizards – Rushmere Country Park (3rd) [MK]
• 2 Grass Snakes – Walton Lake (3rd) [MK]

AMPHIBIANS

Common Toad by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 23 March 2016

• Common Toads and Tadpoles in ponds by Café, Howe Park Wood [HA & MK]
• Great Crested Newts – Linford Lakes (31st March) [MK]

BIRDS

Male Wheatear by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Park 1 April 2016

• Male Wheatear, Tattenhoe Park (1st April) [HA]
• Willow Warbler by St.Giles Church, Tattenhoe (2nd April) [HA]
• Blackcaps singing in Howe Park Wood, Tattenhoe Park and Furzton [HA]
• 

  Willow Warbler by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Valley Park 2 April 2016

  Swallow, Tattenhoe Park (2nd April) [HA]

• Young Grey Herons, Furzton Lake (3rd April) [HA]
• Barn Owls hunting at Linford Lakes (29th March) [MK]
• Sand Martins and Wheatear – Linford Lakes (30th) [MK]
• Linnet flock, 2 Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, 10+ Snipe – Manor Farm (2nd) [MK]
• Sparrow Hawk in garden (1st) [Val & Brian]

MAMMALS

• 2 Fallow Deer in fields by A5, Great Brickhill (3rd) [MK]
• Otter reported from Stony Stratford nature reserve (1st)

[MK][HA = Harry Appleyard]
[MK = Martin Kincaid]