Greater Spearwort: first flowers of year, garden pond Stoke Goldington ©Ian Saunders 29 May 2018

Identifying private gardens in the U.K. as key sites of environmental engagement, we look at how a longer-term online citizen science programme facilitated the development of new and personal attachments of nature. These were visible through new or renewed interest in wildlife-friendly gardening practices and attitudinal shifts in a large proportion of its participants. Qualitative and quantitative data, collected via interviews, focus groups, surveys and logging of user behaviours, revealed that cultivating a fascination with species identification was key to both ‘helping nature’ and wider learning, with the programme creating a space where scientific and non-scientific knowledge could co-exist and reinforce one another.

Source: From citizen science to citizen action: analysing the potential for a digital platform to cultivate attachments to nature

I thought I’d share a video of the Cryptic Wood White courtship, with the male on the left (note the white tips to the undersides of his antennae, and always-closed wings that distinguishes him from a Wood White).

The industrialisation of agriculture has radically transformed the way most of our food is produced. By making large-scale production possible, it has led to more food being available at lower prices throughout the world. However, we are increasingly seeing the negative side of this chemically intensive system of food production. Today, 2,000 pesticides with 500 chemical substances are being used in Europe. However, data on how such substances affect soil quality is incomplete and fragmented, and fails to clearly reflect their overall impact on soil systems and human health.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Pesticides found in more than 80% of tested European soils

Click here to read the views of a UK Farmer

The population of monarch butterflies wintering in central Mexico is up 144% over last year, according to new research.

The data was cheered but scientists quickly warned that it does not mean the butterflies that migrate from Canada and the United States are out of danger.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Monarch butterfly population wintering in Mexico increases 144% | Environment | The Guardian

Green-winged Orchid ©Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe, 30 May 2018

In this journal article, Dr Amy Hinsley et al. provide the first overview of commercial orchid trade globally and highlight the main types that involve wild-collected plants.

Click here for more information.

Clifden Nonpareil moth ©Gordon Redford, Newport Pagnell 16 September 2018

Species-level moth trends from the @Rothamsted_RIS light-trap network now available for view at their new website.

Click here for more information.

The long-extinct woolly mammoth could gain protected status in an unprecedented attempt to save the African elephant from the global ivory trade.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Extinct mammoths could be given protected status in bid to save elephants | Environment | The Guardian

Tuesday 19 February 2019 – 13-14.00

Rose Pritchard – Monetary national capital assessment in the private sector

‘Businesses have numerous impacts and dependencies upon natural capital which are not captured in normal financial accounting. Much natural capital is freely available, and businesses impact and dependencies on natural capital are therefore not captured in financial accounts. Valuing natural capital in monetary terms makes the invisible visible, and therefore theoretically motivates more sustainable practices.

Monetary valuation of natural capital has only recently begun to gain momentum in the private sector. This synthesis report recognises this trend and aims to provide an accessible overview of the current status of private sector natural capital assessment and to identify key needs for research in this rapidly evolving area.’  Webinar registration

Building a pond in your garden is one of the best things you can do to help – and attract – wildlife. Water is essential for frogs and toads – they wouldn’t be able to breed without it. But a garden pond will attract a myriad of other creatures too.

Peer into any pond and you will soon see what I mean. Pond skaters skim the surface and water boatmen use their long, oar-like legs to propel themselves along. The larvae of damselflies and dragonflies can be seen darting around – and in summer the adult insects, with their beautiful iridescent colours of red, blue and green, hover near the water.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Wildlife ponds | Little Green Space

Street lighting operating all night can alter the natural pollination of a common wildflower, a study involving Butterfly Conservation (BC) has revealed.The research, published in the journal Ecosphere, found that…

Click here to for more information:

Butterfly Conservation
TheConversation
Science Daily

Click here to read the RSPB newsletter February 2019.

Winter is a very different prospect for a Green Sandpiper that spends the non-breeding season in England, rather than Spain, Portugal or countries in northern Africa. Are British winterers living life ‘on the edge’ and how do they cope? One way is to defend resources within clearly-defined territories.

Source: Winter territories of Green Sandpipers | wadertales

In winter 2017-18 some young Ash trees were felled at Holtspur Bottom Butterfly Conservation reserve, to open up and restore an area to chalk grassland. Logs from this felling were stacked. Last weekend we returned to clear another area, and had to move some of the logs from the previous winter.

n the intervening year rather a lot of beautiful patterns had been sculpted onto the logs, the handiwork of the Ash Bark Beetle Hylesinus varius…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Holtspur Bottom’s boring beetles – Kitenet

Brown Hare ©Steve Brightwell, Stoke Goldington 24 June 2018

Rebecca is working on the public perception of wildlife crime at the University of Derby. Would you spend a few moments helping out by completing the attached questionnaire?

Source: Public perception of wildlife crime

This is not a wildflower meadow, but a colourful mix of cornfield annuals © Jonathan Billinger [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps the most frequent enquiry we get at Plantlife is, “How do I grow a wildflower meadow?” This is almost always immediately followed by, “I tried it once and it looked fantastic in the first year, but then it looked rubbish”.

What could be more disappointing and dispiriting? Who’d want to carry on growing wildflowers after that sort of experience?

The problem is that much of the seed sold to grow a “wildflower meadow” is not meadow seed at all. It’s something entirely different.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Are you sure your meadow is a meadow? | The Wildflower Garden

For Northamptonshire’s butterflies 2018 has been a memorable year for many reasons. Not only did we have two national projects in the county but it was also an exceptional season for many of our butterflies. When I first became interested in the serious study of butterflies I’d often hear stories of huge groundings of Purple Hairstreaks, explosive Black Hairstreak years and numerous rare aberrations and colour forms which at the time such spectacles seemed to be confined to the history books so to witness many of these events first hand in 2018 made the year an extraordinary one to say the least.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Being a committed wildlife gardener means compromising a little on the tidiness of your garden to protect the overwintering sites of insects and other creatures.

Hopefully in the autumn you left some of the seedheads on your border perennials such as Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum, Globe Thistle Echinops spp. and Sea Holly Eryngium spp. along with biennials such as Honesty Lunaria annua and Teasel Dipascus fullonum. You might have discovered how beautiful they can look when covered in frost.

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

Nitrogen in the air is one of the greatest threats to our wild plants, lichens and fungi, yet few people have even heard about it. Plantlife’s new report We need to talk about Nitrogen raises the alarm about its devastating impacts.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: We need to talk about Nitrogen…

Wednesday 13 February 2019 – 13-14.00

Jess Davies – Soil natural capital valuation in agri-food businesses

‘Soils are a key natural asset in agri-food supply chains. Yet their valuation is often overlooked as few ecosystems services flow directly from soils to goods, or human benefits. This synthesis report considered what a natural capital approach to soil could offer businesses, existing approaches, and key gaps to implementing this in practice.’  Webinar registration

Scientist Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rican rainforest after 35 years to find 98% of ground insects had vanished

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Insect collapse: ‘We are destroying our life support systems’ | Environment | The Guardian

Seawater temperature is rising faster than predicted, which is likely to worsen extreme weather events around the world

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Warming oceans likely to raise sea levels 30cm by end of century – study | Environment | The Guardian

Brimstone nectaring on Sainfoin, Pitstone Quarry, 28 May 2017

Here are 2019’s earliest sightings of resident and common migrant butterflies, as reported to Butterfly Conservation…

Click here for more information.: First butterfly sightings 2019

The construction of novel compound tools through assemblage of otherwise non-functional elements involves anticipation of the affordances of the tools to be built. Except for few observations in captive great apes, compound tool construction is unknown outside humans, and tool innovation appears late in human ontogeny. We report that habitually tool-using New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) can combine objects to construct novel compound tools.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Compound tool construction by New Caledonian crows | Scientific Reports

Over the course of 2019, Butterfly Conservation (BC) are taking part in an initiative to help make the UK a more wildlife-friendly place. The Year of Green Action(YOGA)  is part of the Government’s 25 year environment plan and is attempting to connect people all around the UK with nature. The YOGA will show …

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Year of Green Action

And they react to the buzzing of pollinators by sweetening their nectar.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plants Use Flowers to Hear the Buzz of Animals – The Atlantic

Hazel Grouse

There is a UK Parliamentary petition to support a proper independent study to find out if driven grouse shooting is of economic benefit to Britain’s uplands.

Click here for more information.

New maps produced provide powerful tools to help the RSPB advocate for better protection for seabirds at sea. The innovative project analysed tracking data to identify the areas at sea used most by kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills and shags in UK and some Irish waters, helpingidentifyy sensitive areas at sea to inform marine planning and highlight key areas for protection.

Peak District National Park – image credit: Thinkstock

Nearly 70 years after National Parks and AONBs were first established, a new review will ensure designated landscapes are fit for the future.

Click on the link for more information: National Parks review launched – GOV.UK

Click here to view the Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust newsletter for January 2019.

The team from the hit podcast No Such Thing As A Fish have collected the best animal stories from this year, including a new species of ant with an exploding head, and the world’s first retirement home for celebrity whales.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: 10 of the craziest animal stories from 2018 – Discover Wildlife

Off-the-shelf wildflower mixes provide an instant hit of pollen, nectar and seed. But to keep the wild in wildflower, we need a different approach.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plantlife :: Keeping the “wild” in wildflower

Developers scale back housing building plans at Britain’s best site for nightingales.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Kent nightingale habitat gets a welcome reprieve – Discover Wildlife

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A moose wandered into a hospital building in Alaska’s largest city and chowed down on some plants in the lobby as workers watched the massive animal in awe.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Villagers call wildlife rescue team after a female leopard was discovered in their well.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Leopard rescued from well in India – with pictures – Discover Wildlife

The RSPB is concerned that their Minsmere reserve could be under threat from a new nuclear power station.

The Sizewell Estate, on the southern boundary of Minsmere, is where EDF plan to build a new nuclear power station, Sizewell C. This could be catastrophic for wildlife. The building work may increase erosion, upsetting the delicate balance of the reserve. It could affect the water levels in Minsmere’s ditches, impacting its rare wetland wildlife, which includes bitterns, otters and ducks. Once the construction is in progress, it may increase levels of noise and light pollution. Rare marsh harriers, breeding ducks and geese and wading birds are very sensitive to this. The effects will be long-term.

Click here for more information.: Love Minsmere – tell EDF what you think

Thursday 6 February 2019, 13:00 – 14:00

Richard Payne – Natural capital trade-offs in afforested peatlands

‘Large areas of Britain’s peatlands were planted with non-native conifers in the twentieth century. Forest expansion onto peat was promoted to secure domestic timber supply and encourage employment in rural areas, but proved controversial and was ultimately halted. As trees reach harvesting age there are important questions about what should be done with these areas next, with principal options including continued forestry and restoration to open habitats. Change in different forms of natural capital is key to this decision-making.’ Webinar registration

Winning images from the year’s national and international wildlife photography competitions

Click here to read the rest of the article.: The best of 2018 wildlife photography awards – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian

FoLLNR logo

Task Team Sunday at Linford Lakes NR

10:00- 13:00hrs

Come and help tidy up the reserve!

Time for tea and a chat too.

Healthy exercise in the fresh air, all good fun!

Wednesday 5 February 2019 – 12.30-13.30

Clare Lawson & Emma Rothero – The Natural Capital of Floodplains

‘ Over the past eighty years there has been a widespread transformation of floodplains from a naturally functioning landscape to a highly modified one, allowing the expansion of intensive agriculture and urban development to occur within the floodplain. Floodplains naturally support a wide range of habitats including species-rich meadows, wet woodland and fens. While these threatened habitats still remain within floodplains, their extent is much reduced.

In a world of public money for public goods, floodplains have the capability of delivering a broad range of ecosystem goods and services. Many of these goods and services result from the interface between terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and the complex relationships between hydrological, physical, biogeochemical and ecological processes and are therefore not obtainable from other landscapes. It is already accepted that species-rich habitats have a vital role to play in the conservation of our natural and social heritage. However, they may provide a wider range of ecosystem service benefits in floodplains when compared to more intensive land-use types.

This webinar will discuss the benefits delivered by floodplains. Using species-rich floodplain meadows as a case study, we will demonstrate that floodplains can sustain productive agriculture in addition to delivering these benefits. We will also explore the potential benefit gain from expanding species-rich habitats within floodplains.’ Webinar Registration

Butterfly Conservation SOuth West Scotland have produced an Identification guide and suggested site guides for Glasgow, Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire, Falkirk & Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire, and Argyll.

Click here for more information.

Young Wildlife Photographers UK is an exciting project unveiling wildlife and nature photography and stories to a broader audience. Social networking is our tool to expose young talent and the next generation of British wildlife photographers.

This project isn’t just about photography but also to show that young people are still keen to be in touch with nature and are eager to conserve and protect it.

The project aims to reveal compelling and striking photography of the natural world in the eyes of young people, to share inspirational stories and powerful images that uncover nature or address a strong conservation issue.

Click here for more information.: British winter wildlife in pictures – Discover Wildlife

An Introduction to Wild Boar in the Forest of Dean

To form an opinion on anything you need to be armed with the facts….

….. here is a short introduction to wild boar, and some information about this special species that inhabits the Forest of Dean, and UK. we will go into more detail in other pages on this website.

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a true native species to Britain.

Historically they were a favourite festive meat for Royals, because of this, and as a result of hunting, they became extinct across Britain during the 13th century…

Click here for more information.: The Boaring Truth – Home

Managing pests biologically requires an integrated approach, including improving our knowledge of pest life cycles & integrating habitat to encourage their enemies. This session will share experience & practical tips from science & practice to help us look to design pest resilient farming systems for the future.
Speaker: Richard Pywell, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Click on the play button to watch the video

Psychedelic fungi may still be in bloom on New Year’s Day due to climate change

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Late frost gives UK magic mushroom hunters an extra high | Science | The Guardian

Thursday 24 January 2019 – 13:00 – 14.00

Rachel Stubbington – The Natural Capital of Temporary Rivers

‘Temporary rivers are natural ecosystems that can sometimes lose all surface water. In the UK, they range from the ‘winterbourne’ reaches of our celebrated chalk rivers to headwater streams in remote uplands. Although valued during flowing phases for their biodiversity and provision of recreational opportunities, many people see dry channels as symbols of ecological degradation, which overlooks the value of natural temporary streams: dynamic ecosystems that support high biodiversity including aquatic and terrestrial species during wet and dry phases, respectively. In this webinar, Rachel Stubbington – lead author of The Natural Capital of Temporary Rivers – will explore these ecosystems’ natural assets and link these to ecosystem services that people value, such as flood protection, water supply, and pollution control. By suggesting metrics that enable progress towards service provision goals to be tracked, Rachel and her colleagues’ research could enable future valuations of service provision and inform management strategies that maintain and enhance these dynamic ecosystems and the species and services they support.’  Webinar Registration

Conservationists used floating cages from Scottish salmon farms to rear and release Madagascar pochards

Click here to read the rest of the article.: From Scotland to Madagascar with love: safe havens for world’s rarest duck | Environment | The Guardian

First global coastline survey shows 16% of tidal flats lost between 1984 and 2016

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Vital ecosystems in tidal flats lost to development and rising sea levels | Environment | The Guardian

10.00 – Arrival tea / coffee / biscuits – Annexe – Pemberley Books stall
10.30 – Welcome & Housekeeping – Lecture Theatre
10.35 – Mark Gurney – Fear no weevil [Mark’s photo of Charagmus griseus is shown, right]
10.55 – Jon Webb – Natural England update
11.15 – Katy Dainton– Beetle- eating beetles, and other forest pest biocontrol methods
11.35 – Jeff Blincow & Tim Newton – “If it doesn’t work, we won’t tell anyone we’ve started – a Saproxylic beetle project at Yardley Chase Training Area”
11.55 – Sue Townsend – FSC Field Studies Council: FSC Find Study Coleoptera
12.30 – 14.00 – Lunch (Museum café, local pub or bring your own – Annexe)
14.15 – Helen Roy, Richard Lewington & Peter Brown – Ladybird field guide Q&A – Annex

Click here for more information.: Programme announced for the 2019 Coleopterists Day | UK Beetle Recording

Want to attract more beneficial insects to your garden? We share some tips, and suggest six insect-friendly plants to try.

It’s well known that bees are vital for pollinating many of our crops. Around a third of the food we eat – strawberries, apples and tomatoes for example – is pollinated by bees.

Most of us are familiar with honey bees and bumblebees, but there are also more than 200 species of solitary bee – and they play an equally important role in pollinating flowers, fruit and vegetables.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: How to create an insect-friendly garden | Little Green Space

Linford Lakes NR BioBlitz by David Easton. 24 June 2016

Opportunities to help with research either by carrying out fieldwork or by recording your sightings.

Click here for more information.: Citizen Science, Wildlife Surveys and Fieldwork advertised with CJS

Invertebrates are central to the functioning of ecosystems, yet they are underappreciated and understudied. Recent work has shown that they are suffering from rapid decline. Here we call for a greater focus on invertebrates and make recommendations for future investigation.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Recognizing the quiet extinction of invertebrates | Nature Communications

Rachel Jone’s of Plantlife, looks at their project to build resilience in temperate rainforests, also known as Atlantic woodlands; a globally rare and extremely important habitat.

Source: Assessing the Rainforests in three National Parks | Campaign for National Parks

The amazing migrations of Ringed Plover, concerns about Spotted Redshank and lessons from Little Tern conservation … … just three of the highlights from WaderTales in 2018. Seventeen ne…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: WaderTales blogs in 2018 | wadertales

Wed 30th January – Managing reserves for Tomorrow’s Climate – an illustrated talk by Dr Andrew Bladon – Andrew and his team of researchers from Cambridge University have been doing lots of work on our local sites looking at ways to help protect butterflies in particular from the threat of climate change. Dunstable Fire Station 7.30pm £3 (please see attached flyer for more details).

Sat 2nd February – Community Orchard Day – Come and celebrate our Blow’s Downs Community Orchard – 10am-12pm Orchard Management demonstrations including some family-friendly activities and. 12pm-3pm a more in depth look at the heritage, management and conservation of local orchards with local expert Colin Carpenter (St Augustine’s Church). This event is free to attend due to funding from the Orchards East project, donations to the ongoing work of the Wildlife Trust BCN gratefully received (please see attached flyer for more details).

Future Talks:

Wed 20th February – Blow’s Downs and the Busway 5 Years on – an illustrated talk by Esther Clarke, Reserves officer for Bedfordshire. Dunstable Fire Station 7.30pm £3

Wed 27th March – Jewels of the Air – an illustrated talk by Dr Wild Powell showing the diversity of the colourful hummingbirds, which include the smallest bird in the world, and describe some aspects of their fascinating behaviour. Dunstable Fire Station 7.30pm £3

Please do get in touch if you have any questions or to book your place(s) on any of the above events, it will be great to see you.

With kind regards,

Sarah Cowling <Sarah.Cowling@wildlifebcn.org>

Twelve nature charities  including Plantlife, RSPB and Friends of the Earth, have welcomed new regulations to cut ammonia emissions.

Click here to read theirresponse to ammonia measures in the Government’s final Clean Air Strategy

Tree Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 24 February 2017

Large-scale declines in pollinator species are a concern at present. Such declines have been attributed to a range of factors that act in tandem, rath…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: The effect of management practices on bumblebee densities in hedgerow and grassland habitats – ScienceDirect

As we reflect on a year of extreme weather and ominous climate talks, 2019 could see some much-needed breakthroughs

Click here to read the rest of the article.: ‘Momentum is growing’: reasons to be hopeful about the environment in 2019 | Environment | The Guardian

False oil beetle, Oedemera nobilis (female), ©Ian Saunders Feeding on spearwort, garden pond, Stoke Goldington 10 June 2018

Just 1-2% of pollen grains reach conspecific stigmas. The rest are lost during pollen removal, consumed by floral visitors, covered by other grains, lost to petals, fall to the ground, or land on stigmas of other species.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

In the UK we have some amazing native wildflowers. Unfortunately, we have lost a staggering 98% of our wildflower meadows and their poetic beauty since the 1930’s. This means that few people have seen an authentic one which is resulting

Click here for more information.: How to Start a Native Wildflower Meadow [6 Easy Steps] – NearbyWild

Over the past couple of weeks a growing number of people on Twitter haven sharing their ‘3 good things in nature’ under the #3naturethings hashtag. This was kick-started by Issy Bryony Hardman @iss…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: #3NatureThings – Moving beyond yourself to nature for wellbeing | Finding Nature

These are some of my favourite beetles that I saw in the UK in 2018. The beetles in this list aren’t necessarily the rarest ones I saw, although a few are quite rare. Instead, I chose them fr…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Top Ten Beetles of 2018 | More Blogs About Insects and Things

This year’s New Year Plant Hunt is now over and it has been a real record-breaker!

Thousands of you took part, from Stromness on Orkney to Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney in the Channel Islands; from Bayfield in north Norfolk to Three Castle Head in south-west Ireland, from St. Margaret’s Bay, Kent to the Isle of Doagh off the coast of Donegal.

You submitted more than 14,000 records and told us about 638 species that you had spotted in bloom.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: BSBI News & Views: New Year Plant Hunt 2018-9: Day Four

 

False oil beetle, Oedemera nobilis (female), ©Ian Saunders Feeding on spearwort, garden pond, Stoke Goldington 10 June 2018

Can plants hear? That is, can they sense airborne sounds and respond to them? Here we show that Oenothera drummondii flowers, exposed to the playback sound of a flying bee or to synthetic sound-signals at similar frequencies, produced sweeter nectar within 3 minutes, potentially increasing the chances of cross pollination. We found that the flowers vibrated mechanically inresponse to these sounds, suggesting a plausible mechanism where the flower serves as the plant’sauditory sensory organ…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Flowers respond to pollinator sound within minutes by increasing nectar sugar concentration. | bioRxiv

Scientists warn policymakers not to ignore links, and stress that ‘every action counts’

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Risks of ‘domino effect’ of tipping points greater than thought, study says | Environment | The Guardian

Wasp Spider ©Ruth McCracken at Simpson 15 August 2017

Most spiders tuck themselves away into nice warm crevices during the winter months but on frosty mornings their frozen webs are more visible than ever. All spiders make silk but only some families make webs. The web structure varies between families so it’s a useful ID feature, you can probably find at least 5 different types of webs around your home and garden.

Click here to download the article.

Wormwood moonshiners live on one rare plant and only emerge at night. A battle is on to save them

Click here to read the rest of the article.: ‘Have you beetled?’: the battle to save one of UK’s rarest species | Environment | The Guardian

Widespread use of herbicides leading to resistant black-grass is costing UK millions in profit.

ZSL scientists have for the first time put an economic figure on the herbicidal resistance of a major agricultural weed that is decimating winter-wheat farms across the UK.

Source: Overuse of herbicides costing UK economy £400 million per year | Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

Fluctuating extreme temperatures ranging from an arctic -14 degrees centigrade, to a sizzling +35 have resulted in a roller-coaster year for wildlife, says the National Trust.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Year of temperature extremes results in peaks and troughs for wildlife | National Trust

The purpose of this survey is to investigate how wintering birds and Brown Hare benefit from using Agri-environment scheme (AES) options in winter, which remains a major gap in our knowledge. This work will complement existing studies that have successfully evaluated the effects of AES options on farmland birds and will further our understanding of why the majority of breeding farmland birds are still in decline.

Click here for more information.: English Winter Bird Survey | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Otmoor, Oxfordshire: The overhead traffic is constant: flocks of lapwings, wildfowl beelining for ponds and starlings on sharp-winged manoeuvre

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Country diary: the sky over Otmoor is busy with birds | Environment | The Guardian

Thanks to photos and films featuring clouds of stunning orange and black monarch butterflies flying across North America, many people today are familiar with how monarchs migrate. The migration patterns of other insects, however, remain more mysterious, for both the public and scientists alike. A new paper in Biology Letters describes a dragonfly’s full life cycle for the first time, in compelling detail.

Source: Three generations, 1,000s of miles: Scientists unlock mystery of a dragonfly’s migration

In the fight against global warming, we’d be better off preserving natural forests than planting new monoculture plantations

Source: Planting trees is only a good news story if it’s done right | Bibi van der Zee | Opinion | The Guardian

Wildlife experts have accused the company behind HS2 of failing to make adequate environmental preparations as it plans to build over irreplaceable habitats. The Wildlife Trusts say the new railway

Click here to read the rest of the article.: HS2 accused of inadequate planning as company prepares to commit ‘unacceptable’ damage to wildlife | The Independent

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve visitors enjoying an Open Sunday

10:00 – 16:00 hrs (hides to close at 15.30)

The reserve is open to friends and family,
Bring the neighbours too.
Stop off at the centre for a fresh cuppa and a piece of home-made cake.

High levels of contamination in Mariana Trench show how pervasively planet has been contaminated

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plastic pollution discovered at deepest point of ocean | Environment | The Guardian

Private organisations and individuals are stepping in to protect vulnerable habitats but they are increasingly under pressure

In September the former publisher and philanthropist, John B Fairfax, quietly gave $2m to the Nature Conservancy in support of the largest private conservation project ever undertaken in New South Wales: the Gayini Nimmie-Caira project on the Murrumbidgee floodplain.

After spending a night glamping on the 85,000 hectare property near Balranald, Fairfax pulled out his chequebook and helped to make the ambitious project a reality.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Game changer: is private funding the only way to save national parks? | Environment | The Guardian

The final few months of 2018 have been excellent for birds at Pitsford Water nature reserve. It’s always a top spot for wintering wildfowl, but the number of ducks out on the water has been impressive. Large numbers of tufted duck, coot, widgeon and pochard are regular visitors to this site, which offers undisturbed and sheltered bays for them to safely feed in the shallow waters.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Wildfowl flock to Pitsford Water | Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to:

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve. Meet in car park. Leave Newport Rd on north side opposite entrance to Black Horse pub. After 50m fork left and follow track, reaching car park after 1/3 mile. SP 843 429.
Postcode: MK14 5AH (Google map)

Saturday 19 January 2019, 10.00 – 12.30 Leader: Chris Ward

One of MK’s best reserves, managed by The Parks Trust and a great Friends Group. Normally a “permit” site, but free to us today. Lakes, wet woodland and four hides. Always a good range of wetland and woodland birds. Paths can be difficult for wheelchairs or buggies at this time of year.

Walk Leader : Chris Ward

Time: 10 am to 12.30 pm

Price: Free event

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.

Plastic was found in the gut of every single sea turtle examined in a new study, casting fresh light on the scale of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Microplastics found in every sea turtle in new research – CNN

Around the world, species hunters unearth 128 vascular plants and 44 species of fungi, many already facing extinction

Click here to read the rest of the article.: From spectacular orchids to towering trees – 2018’s top new plant discoveries | Environment | The Guardian

The role played by volunteers in monitoring the UK’s wildlife needs greater recognition, a leading Welsh naturalist has urged.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Wildlife volunteer army needs recognition – Iolo Williams – BBC News

What better way to start 2019 than doing something great for wildlife in the great outdoors! Join us for the first volunteer task of the new year to see if practical conservation volunteering is for you

Source: Conservation Taster Day | Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants

Towbiters, water scorpions and Nosy Tigers. These are just some the colourful names given to freshwater insects and other invertebrates.

Click here for more information.: Finding “Nosy Tiger’s” and other oddly named freshwater invertebrates – PEARG

Third place,
Wood White ©Paul Lund, Bucknell Wood, 8 July 2017

The ancient woodlands of the Yardley Whittlewood Ridge in Northamptonshire are home to beautiful and increasingly rare butterflies and moths. We are expanding our successful conservation work here to protect more vulnerable species…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Woodland Wings: Conserving the rare butterflies and moths of the East Midlands

A salamander measuring almost 0.6m in length has been described by herpetologists.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Scientists confirm the rumours of a mysterious giant salamander in the US – Discover Wildlife

Red-and-black Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata), Stoke Wood, Stoke Goldington ©Ian Saunders 30 May 2018

This visualisation and multi-access key was built on a knowledge-base for British froghoppers. The knowledge-base construction is the work of Nia Howells for TCV’s Natural Talent project. The visualisation, key design and programming was carried out by Rich Burkmar for the Field Studies Council’s Tomorrow’s Biodiversity project.

Click here for more information.: FSC Identikit

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:

Location: The Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Alston Drive, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes
Postcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)This talk will take you on a migratory bird’s journey, taking in some of the cultures, people, foods and landscapes they traverse. It will also look at the threats and solutions our long distance migrants encounter and how you can join them and witness one of the best experiences in the world of birding on two continents.

Time: Doors open 7.15pm for a prompt 7.45pm start, ends at 10pm

Price: Group members £3, Non-group members £4, Children £1

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.

Findings expose ‘big lie’ behind European marine conservation, scientists say

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Marine life worse off inside ‘protected’ areas, analysis reveals | Environment | The Guardian

Gin lovers rejoice this Christmas! For Juniper, our native aromatic shrub renowned for giving gin its distinctive fragrance, is showing signs of returning to the English countryside.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plantlife :: The Great English Juniper Revival?

Painted Lady by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Park 5 June 2016

Insects account for the main fraction of Earth’s biodiversity and are key players for ecosystems, notably as pollinators. While insect migration is suspected to represent a natural phenomenon of major importance, remarkably little is known about it, except for a few flagship species. The reason for this situation is mainly due to technical limitations in the study of insect movement. Here we propose using metabarcoding of pollen carried by insects as a method for tracking their migrations. We developed a flexible and simple protocol allowing high multiplexing and not requiring DNA extraction, one of the most time consuming part of metabarcoding protocols, and apply this method to the study of the long-distance migration of the butterfly Vanessa cardui, an emerging model for insect migration

Click here to read the rest of the article.: (PDF) Pollen metabarcoding as a tool for tracking long-distance insect migrations.

Wigeon ©Peter Hassett, Foxcote Reservoir 19 January 2018

Our annual winter bird watching event at Foxcote Reservoir on  Sunday 13 January 2019 from10:00 to 13:00

A great opportunity to visit this site to enjoy watching the comings and goings of migrating wildfowl in this quiet corner of Buckinghamshire.

Please note that there is limited parking at this reserve.

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.

Researchers discover urban male túngara frogs call more, and with more complex vocalisations, than rural peers

Click here to read the rest of the article.: City frogs have sexier calls than country frogs, study finds | Environment | The Guardian

In the 1980s, roughly 4.5 million monarchs wintered in California, but at last count, there may be as few as 30,000

Click here to read the rest of the article.: ‘It’s a sad reality’: a troubling trend sees a 97% decline in monarch butterflies | US news | The Guardian

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324906091_Pollen_metabarcoding_as_a_tool_for_tracking_long-distance_insect_migrationsA bat which looks like *NSYNC’s Lance Bass, a gibbon named for Luke Skywalker, and a toad which seems to have come “from Middle Earth,” are among 157 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong Region last year, according to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: WWF announce discovery of 157 new species in Southeast Asia – CNN

I’m doing a PhD on saproxylic invertebrates. I was going to say that I am ‘starting’ but I have realised that I am already two and a half months in… terrifying. When people ask about the topic of m…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Insects, Trees and PhDs | More Blogs About Insects and Things

Scientists have identified 66 alien species which pose the greatest potential threat to the biodiversity and ecosystems of Europe.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: 66 alien species which could threaten European wildlife – Discover Wildlife

Evergreen shrubs are not only useful for festive adornments at this time of year.  Ivy bushes, in particular, provide a much needed safe haven for overwintering butterflies and moths, as well as other beneficial insects.So if you are out collecting natural decorations or gathering greenery for your Christmas wreath, be vigilant not to disturb sleeping butterflies and moths, whose survival may depend on their ability to remain dormant, sheltered and out-of-sight throughout the winter months…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Christmas Surprises

A new paper has been published “A Vision for Global Biodiversity Monitoring With Citizen Science”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Much has been written about the negative impacts of agriculture on breeding birds – but farming can be good for some species. In Iceland, where high-input agriculture is relatively recent, breeding…

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Designing wader landscapes | wadertales

Both male and female reindeer grow antlers, but that makes them unique in the deer world. Why are reindeer different? Biologist Craig Roberts has the answers.

Click here to read the rest of the article.: Why do female reindeer grow antlers? – Discover Wildlife