Winter migrants are arriving to spend the winter here, and there are colourful plants and fungi to discover. Find out which wildlife to look for this month in our area.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Our top 10 wildlife sightings in November | Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
National Lottery backs conservation work to safeguard woodlands celebrated by Wordsworth, Coleridge and Tolkien
- Wonderful ‘Atlantic’ woodlands and their plants face severe challenges from climate change, air pollution, tree diseases and changes in management
- Emergency management will safeguard some of our most rare and threatened lichen communities, such as the string-of-sausages lichen Usnea articulata and the ‘stinky’ Stictas that smell of fish
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plantlife :: Plantlife To Save And Protect ‘Atlantic’ Woodlands
Autumn is when a variety of mushrooms are on show in British woodlands. Use our ID guide to try and spot these 12.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: British woodland fungi ID guide – Discover Wildlife
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
Our Annual General Knowledge Fun Quiz Night
Teams of up to FIVE people – bring your own team or come along and join up with others.
£4 per person and a prize for each member of the winning team.
Extra “Spot round” in the interval for £1 – with an individual prize.
Wicken Sports Club will sell refreshments: tea, coffee and a bar.
Please book in advance by Friday 16 November
To Ann Davies e-mail: AnnRSPBNBucks@hotmail.co.ukTime: Doors open 7.30pm for a prompt 8pm start
Price: £4 per person for main quiz, £1 per person for interval “spot” round
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Emperor dragonfly ©Janice Robertson Caldecotte Business Park ponds 30 June 2019
The floating Water Soldier plant, with its characteristic spiky leaves and white flowers, naturally grows in the fens and broads of Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. However, its popularity as a garden pond plant has resulted in its introduction and spread outside of its original native range. In this short document we discuss the ecological benefits of Water Soldier, as well as the management of introduced Water Soldier colonies.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Water Soldier | british-dragonflies.org.uk
During autumn and winter our woodland wildflowers are thin on the ground. Most will wait until spring before blooming again. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing to see…
No longer overshadowed by their more garish relatives, its the perfect time to discover the mosses, lichens and fungi that call our woodlands home. For while they may be small, they are no less beautiful. Below, Ray Woods presents ten worth looking out for, next time you take a walk in the woods.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: 10 Lichens, mosses and fungi to look out for | Celebrating our woodlands | Explore Nature
View the winning images from this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Source: Winning images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 – Discover Wildlife
Urban areas need to cherish wetlands as a natural defence against flooding, experts warn.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Climate change: ‘Wetlands vital to protect cities’ – BBC News
Campaigners hail court verdict, which bans trapping of several species of the bird
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Malta’s ‘barbaric’ finch traps ruled illegal by EU court | Environment | The Guardian
A study led by Anglia Ruskin University and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has revealed the extent of the spread of the harlequin ladybird in the UK.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Citizen scientists map the rapid spread of harlequin ladybirds | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced a £60,000 fund to develop and test pollinator habitat mapping.
Click here for more information.: Michael Gove announces new funding to protect bees – GOV.UK
For ornithologists studying birds by adding colour-rings, flags and tracking devices, a question of fundamental importance is always “am I affecting the birds’ survival or behaviour by requiring th…
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Leg-flags and nest success | wadertales
In waders (shorebirds), the main moult (molt) usually takes place after the migration that follows the breeding season. Golden Plovers adopt a different strategy, starting wing moult while still nesting. Given that these adult birds are not going to fly anywhere any time soon, this seems like a very efficient strategy. So, why do Icelandic and Scandinavian Golden Plovers moult differently? Is this a reflection of available resources?
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Starting moult early | wadertales
petite group called the satyrines uses swollen veins to channel sound into tiny ears.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: The Butterflies That Hear With the Veins in Their Wings – The Atlantic
With winter migration well underway, it’s a great time to see some amazing birds, from honking whooper swans flocking to our wetlands from Iceland to huge swirls of knots, wintering on estuaries.
Click here for more information.
A project funded by the Greensand Country Landscape Partnership is working with the RSPB, The Greensand Trust and The Wildlife Trust to create better habitats and improve the chances of colonisation on heathlands across the landscape.
Greensand Country, an area of distinct, beautiful and loved countryside stretching from Leighton Buzzard to Gamlingay, has already seen some exciting results from the landscape partnership’s Living Heathlands project.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Greensand Country » Restoration Project Regenerates Areas of Heathland across Greensand Country
Click here to read BBOWT’s October 2018 Newsletter which has a plea for people to contact their MP to lobby for a new Environment Act.
There are articles on dormice, bats, migrant birds amd much, much more…
The Earthworks of Berkhamsted Castle by Peter Hassett
Climatic change is a hot subject and, if you excuse the pun, none can be hotter than the Ice Age. The last 2.6 million years have seen enormous changes in climate. As a result the UK has been thrust from freezing wastes (as ice sheets spread southwards) to hot and humid interglacials.
Such climatic upheavals have shaped the Chiltern Hills. This course will look at the evidence for the Ice Age shaping of the Chilterns, to find information and discover the local story. We will then explore how humans further shaped and used the Chilterns from the Stone Age through to the Iron Age. Individual sessions will include glimpses into the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age.
Click here for more information.
These beautiful dung beetles are relatively common in NW Spain, and can often be seen flying purposefully through the pine forests, like tiny green helicopters, on a mission to find a cow pat or some horse droppings. They are a variety of Dor beetle, (Trypocopris pyrenaeus var. coruscans), similar to a couple of Dumble Dorbeetles we have in the UK, but with a much more metallic, coppery-green sheen, which changes colour as the sun catches the iridescent cuticle. No apologies for blogging about this beetle of again, as it is one of my favourite insects, and continues to fascinate me!
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Beetles taking off! – Ray Cannon’s nature notes
Europe’s largest wildlife crime is the illegal trade of the critically endangered European eel. It’s an industry that many people are completely unaware of and may be unwittingly contributing to.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: You are probably completely unaware of the largest wildlife crime in Europe | Natural History Museum
FoLLNR logo
Task Day at Linford Lakes NR
10:00- 13:00hrs.
Help needed to care for the reserve.
Time for tea and a chat too.
Healthy exercise in the fresh air, all good fun!
Experts worry this will increase demand for the animals and jeopardise efforts to protect them.
Click here for more information.: Rhino horn: Alarm as China eases 25-year ban on rhino and tiger parts – BBC News
Migratory birds can travel thousands of miles across the planet, facing harsh weathers and vast open seas. Migration is a dangerous business.
But every year thousands of pink-footed geese touch down in the UK, and large flocks of finches and thrushes rush overhead. So how do they do it? Well, a lot of them find safety in numbers.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Why do birds fly in formation? – Natures Home magazine uncovered – Our work – The RSPB Community
Linford Lakes NR BioBlitz by David Easton. 24 June 2016
Meaningful species population trends from mass-participation citizen science: the Big Butterfly Count example…
Click here to read the rest of the article.: The value of citizen science
The Living Planet Report 2018 shows that wildlife populations have declined by over half in less than 50 years.
Click here to read the report.
Click here to read the BBC’s commentary
Click here to read the Environment Secretary’s response to the report.
Officials in India say Obsession cologne may help trap animal that has killed nine people
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Calvin Klein fragrance could be used to lure killer tiger | World news | The Guardian
An international conference on illegal wildlife trade is missing plants from its agenda.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Warning that many of the world’s most endangered species are being side-lined – Discover Wildlife
Christmas being weeks away, wildlife lovers will be gathered around the ivy over the coming nights as they search for rare and spectacular moths looking for an autumn lifeline…”
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Ivy lifeline for autumn moths
The Buckinghamshire Fungus Group are conducting a field trip to Stowe Landscape Gardens on 11 November 2018
Click here for more information.
Biodiversity is in trouble.
The State of Nature report showed us that 56% of species were declining, 40% showing strong to moderate declines, and a relatively high proportion of UK species were threatened with extinction.
Yet we know that well-planned conservation interventions work and our protected areas have played a massive role in helping to restore iconic species, like the large blue butterfly, bittern, lady’s slipper orchid, pool frog and sand lizard, and they could do much more in the future.
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
Location: Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Alston Drive, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes
Postcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)This great reserve in Cambridgeshire is one that our Group visits regularly (and we’ll be doing so again in April 2019 – watch our website for more details). Probably best known for being our nearest good site for nightingales, it has so much more to offer throughout the year and Jim, who has been involved with the reserve for many years, is well placed to tell us about this – and about the improvements being made on the reserve.
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
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to:
Location: Meet in Caldecotte Arms (‘windmill’) car park, off H10 Bletcham Way.
SP 888 354
Postcode: MK7 8HP (Google map)Milton Keynes’ second-biggest lake can throw up scarce grebes, ducks or divers as well as assorted gulls.
Toilets and food in pub. Paths hard and mostly level, but a complete circuit is 2-3 miles.Time: 10am to 1pm
Price: Free event
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more informationMKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.
In 2003, scientists at London’s Imperial College hatched a somewhat out-there idea. They wanted to deal with the increasingly pesticide-resistant mosquitoes that were killing half a million people a year by spreading malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. What biologists Austin Burt and Andrea Crisanti proposed was nothing short of hacking the laws of heredity.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Here’s the Plan to End Malaria With Crispr-Edited Mosquitoes | WIRED
Key stakeholders have come together to create the first conservation strategy for the Philippine pangolin, Manis culionensis, a species which is threatened with extinction.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Stopping the roll into decline: how conservationists are hoping to save the Philippine pangolin – Discover Wildlife
Scientists using camera traps in Uganda for a mammal biodiversity survey have captured images of lowland bongo.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Thrilling discovery as world’s largest forest antelope discovered in Uganda for the first time – Discover Wildlife
Research from the University of Southampton suggests new kinds of shark could migrate to UK waters as the oceans warm.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: The new sharks coming to UK as temperatures rise – BBC News
Emperor Dragonfly by Peter Hassett, Pitstone Quarry. 28 May 2017
Ditches provide a home to a wide variety of freshwater invertebrates and plants; however the conservation status and the effect of management on this habitat is largely unknown. Buglife’s ‘Grazing Marsh Ditches Project’ has broadened knowledge and understanding of ditches, and provided management advice to land owners.
Source: Ditches | Buglife
In Britain these insects usually have one brood a year, but this year saw a second generation of the leaf-mining larvae’s foliage trails. A result of climate change?
Source: Country diary: trails of the unexpected hawthorn moth larvae | Environment | The Guardian
The government had an official target to bring 50% of England’s best wildlife sites into favourable condition by 2020. But its conservation agency is now working towards a new target – that’s 0.07% higher than it is currently.
Source: Leaked document shows government is planning to miss key wildlife target – Unearthed
Tree Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 24 February 2017
Steven Falk has produced an identification resource for British bees
Welcome to the BRITISH BEES ON FLICKR site. This collection attempts to cover EVERY species of bee on the British and Irish list (including the Channel Islands) acting as a virtual field experience and virtual museum collection. It is designed to complement the Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Special thanks are due to the Natural History Museum, London and the Oxford University Museum for allowing me to photograph specimens that were lacking in my own collection and to other photographers for allowing me to host their images.
Click here for more information.
The UK government has thrown its weight behind the creation of the world’s biggest environmental sanctuary, covering a huge swathe of the Antarctic ocean.
The massive 1.8m sq km reserve – five times the size of Germany – would ban all fishing in a vast area of the Weddell Sea and parts of the Antarctic peninsula, safeguarding species including penguins, killer whales, leopard seals and blue whales.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: UK government backs creation of Antarctic wildlife reserve | Environment | The Guardian
The Buckinghamshire Fungus Group are conducting a field trip to Stoke Poges Memorial Gardens 25 October 2018
Click here for more information. See ‘Other local events of interest’ underneath the list of BFG walks
Climate change presents both risks and opportunities for UK wildlife, with often more predicted winners than losers, especially amongst insects. Species most at risk are those adapted to cooler, damper conditions, and they often occur in northern, western and upland habitats in Britain. There is already much evidence of the northwards and upslope range retractions of butterflies and moths here and elsewhere in the world.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Microclimate refugia
Hedgehogs in the UK are in serious trouble. Repeated studies have shown that the nation’s favourite animal is being wiped out. But there is something we can do to save them.
Source: Petition · Help save Britain’s hedgehogs with ‘hedgehog highways’! · Change.org
In the final article of the series, Morgan Hughes discusses the importance of submitting records…
The Buckinghamshire Fungus Group are conducting a field trip to Naphill Common 21 October 2018.
Click here for more information.
Botanical Latin comes from a plethora of other languages with a multitude of pronunciations. So say them how you like, says James Wong
Source: Don’t be scared of using Latin plant names | Life and style | The Guardian
Insects are vanishing even in a pristine tropical forest, and an ecologist calls this “one of the most disturbing articles I have ever read.”
Click here to read the rest of the article.: ‘Hyperalarming’ study shows massive insect loss – The Washington Post
New BTO research uses information collected by bird ringers to investigate large-scale differences and flexibility in the timing of feather moult across 15 passerine species that breed in the UK. Different moult strategies were found between migrant and resident species, alongside within-species regional variation in moulting schedules.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: How flexible can birds be with feather moult? | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Click here to view the RSPB guide to garden ponds: Making a pond – give it a go, or share your experiences. – Gardening for wildlife – Homes for Wildlife – The RSPB Community
Streamer moth by Gordon Redford taken at Linford Lakes NR 25Apr15
Scientists have discovered that moths may play a much broader role as plant pollinators than previously suspected.
Click here for more information.: The nocturnal pollinators: scientists reveal the secret life of moths
Otter on bridge ©Martin Kincaid, Linford Lakes NR 29 July 2017
The results of a post mortem conducted on an otter found dead in Irthlingborough a year ago have just been released – and reveal, shockingly, that it was shot several times at close range
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Otter shot in Northamptonshire | Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants
Since September 2003 the author has been making a minimum intervention study of a square metre of land and the immediate surrounding area in his garden in the East Sussex Weald at Sedlescombe near Hastings, UK. By April 2016 over 1000 species of plants and animals (none of which has been deliberately introduced) had been recorded and the area featured on many TV and radio shows including Spring Watch, and The One Show.
Click here for more information: The Square Metre at TQ 78286 18846
Linford Lakes Nature Reserve visitors enjoying an Open Sunday
Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 21 October 2018 10:00-16:00hrs.10 – 16:00 hrs
Tea and coffee, home-made cakes available.
Second-hand books on sale as well as crafts and bird seed.
Great views through the new windows and balcony.
It’s the time of year that migrants will be visiting our reserve so come and see which new arrivals have flown in to stock up prior to their long flight. Bring friends and family.
Also, Andy Harding, the County Bird Recorder, will be recording his monthly wildfowl count this morning. He is willing to take a group along to the hides and will help with identifying ducks and other birds. Please meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Centre.
Today we have a second visit this year from local Opticron Rep (Sarah), who will demonstrate some of their products. Bins, scopes and magnifiers will be available to buy. Sarah will also undertake some routine maintenance of Opticron products, so bring your bins along.
Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published its long-awaited special report on 1.5°C of global warming earlier today, at a meeting in South Korea.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Limit rise to 1.5°C: avoid worst climate impacts – Met Office
CABI scientists are stepping up the fight against one of the UK’s most invasive non-native aquatic weeds. Approval has been given for the release of a novel biological control agent – the mite, Acu…
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Tiny mite could prove a ‘mighty’ weapon in the fight against one of the UK’s most invasive weeds – The Invasives Blog
Kevin Rushby joined the crew aboard the Summer Rose fishing boat seeking insight into the state of our seas. He found life hard for fishermen and marine creatures alike – but can conservation measures such as Michael Gove’s ‘blue belt’ help?
Red-tailed bumblebees such as this one feed on different wildflower plants, making them less vulnerable to the loss of individual species Picture: John Redhead
Insect pollinators that have survived the impacts of agricultural intensification may have a greater ability to resist future environmental changes than previously thought, a new study has
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Surviving plants and insects are tougher than we think | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Small Copper butterfly at Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve, Shropshire by Peter Hassett 06Aug15
Fungi are vital to life on Earth but little studied – new species of mould were found on baby-carrier backpack and an oil painting
Click here to read the rest of the article.: New edible mushrooms among thousands of recently discovered fungi | Environment | The Guardian
Barriers could halt slide of undersea glaciers and hold back sea level rises predicted to result from global warming
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Build walls on seafloor to stop glaciers melting, scientists say | Environment | The Guardian
Poster for Mick Jones talk
Dear Friends of Stony Stratford Library,The next FoSSL talk at the Library will be given at 7 p.m. on Wednesday 24 October by Mick Jones. His subject will be ‘Wildlife West of Milton Keynes: Threats and Opportunities’.Aylesbury Vale has traditionally been thought of as a wildlife desert, and the countryside to the west of Milton Keynes has relatively few areas designated as important for biodiversity. However, there is still a surprising amount of wildlife interest as well as some local specialities. We need to remind ourselves of this as pressure on the area intensifies with the expansion of Milton Keynes, the East-West Rail and Oxford-Cambridge Expressway projects, and the associated proposals for new settlements. Do we know what we want to conserve and are we being active enough to achieve this?Mick Jones MBE has been volunteer warden at the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Dancers End, Tring for the past 36 years. During that time the reserve has grown from 78 acres to the current 211 acres, making it the oldest and largest of BBOWT’s reserves in Buckinghamshire. Mick’s interests have developed from birds and plants, through fungi and butterflies, to slime moulds, plant galls, moths and beetles. Now living in Mursley, north Bucks, he takes a special interest in the Whaddon Chase Biodiversity Opportunity Area and in conservation issues raised by the re-opening of the east-west rail line and the planned Oxford-Cambridge Expressway.Tickets for the talk will be available at the Library (tel. 01908-562562) from Wednesday 3 October. There is no charge for tickets, but FoSSL is grateful to accept donations to cover costs and to support activities at the Library.As always, wine, fruit juice and home-made cake will be served after the talk.
Melting ice sheets cause the seas to rise, but not in the way you might expect
Source: The strange science of melting ice sheets: three things you didn’t know | Environment | The Guardian
Discovering and conserving the lower plants of the Lake District.
Atlantic woodlands are one of the richest and most treasured habitats found within the British Isles. These forested ecosystems are teaming with biodiversity and showcase some of the most exceptional examples of lichens, bryophytes and ferns the UK has to offer.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Plantlife :: Looking Out for the Small Things
Plenty of sunshine is needed to bring out the intense reds and yellows from the leaves, and this year we’re set for a dazzling display
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Long hot summer means we should enjoy spectacular autumn colour | Environment | The Guardian
Some of the finalists in this year’s competition, sponsored by the Born Free Foundation and designed to raise awareness of the natural world
Source: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian
Both are as ecologically useful, say scientists, and the same effort must be made to protect them.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Why do we hate wasps and love bees? – BBC News
The disclosure of the cull, conducted under a legal loophole, comes as Japan seeks to further weaken a global ban on commercial hunts
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Japan killed 50 whales in Antarctic protected area, data shows | Environment | The Guardian
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to:
WILSTONE RESERVOIR, near Tring
Location: Meet in car park under reservoir dam off B489 Marsworth-Aston Clinton, SP
904 135. Space limited, car-share if possible.
(Sorry – No postcode – but the PE Mead Farm Shop just along from the car park has the following postcode : HP23 4NT – just after you pass the Farm Shop on your left you will reach the Wilstone Reservoir car park also on your left)The biggest and best of four canal reservoirs. Good for wildfowl and
passage waders, though anything can turn up! One hide. No toilets but farm
shop/cafe nearby. Sadly not accessible for wheelchairs or those with limited
mobility.Walk leader : Mike Bird
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
Price: Free event
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Old Lady moth (Mormo maura) ©Julie Lane, Loughton Brook 23 August 2017
A new study suggests moths have an important but overlooked ecological role — dispensing pollen over large distances under the cover of darkness.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: The nocturnal pollinators: Scientists reveal the secret life of moths — ScienceDaily
Every October, ORCA invites schools from all around the UK to take part in Whale Education Month!
Click here for more information.: ORCA – Whale Education Month
60% of the bonnethead shark’s diet is made up of seagrass, which they happily graze upon as well as eating fish, crabs, snails and shrimp
Click here to read the rest of the article.: First known omnivorous shark species identified | Environment | The Guardian
Two trains built by the French train maker Alstom are now operating on a 62 mile stretch of line in northern Germany
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Germany launches world’s first hydrogen-powered train | Environment | The Guardian
Snake Head Fritillaries
The BSBI’s Training & Education Committee organises and supports events and resources for teaching botany. We also run the country’s most recognised qualification for botanical surveyors, the FISC.
On this page you can find out about botany courses and training grants available from the BSBI and other sources of grants for botanists.
Glyphosate – the most used pesticide ever – damages the good bacteria in honeybee guts, making them more prone to deadly infections
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Monsanto’s global weedkiller harms honeybees, research finds | Environment | The Guardian
Painted Lady, Tattenhoe Park (9th August)
The Palearctic–African migratory circuit has been typically associated with birds. Very few insects are known to endure annual trans-Saharan circuits, but the Painted Lady butterfly ( Vanessa cardui ) is an exception. While it was demonstrated that this species massively migrates from Europe to the Afrotropics during the autumn, the existence of a reverse migration from the Afrotropics to Europe in the early spring remains hypothetical. Here, we analysed wing stable hydrogen isotope values (δ2H) of V. cardui migrants collected from February to April across the circum-Mediterranean region. We assessed their region of natal origin by comparing their wing isotope signature predicted δ2H values (isoscape). The results unambiguously demonstrate a sub-Saharan origin for many individuals, especially those collected in February, representing the first tangible evidence for a reverse northwards trans-Saharan migration in spring. This work supports the view that the Afrotropics (mostly exploited from September to February) is key in the V. cardui Palearctic–African population dynamics. This species relies on both temperate and tropical habitats to complete their multigenerational cycle, an unprecedented adaptation for butterflies and for most migratory insects. Such a migratory circuit has strong parallelisms with those of migratory birds.
Click here for more information.: Spring V. cardui trans-Saharan migration | Biology Letters
‘Shocking’ study reveals plastic contaminates our skies as well as the oceans, say scientists
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Microplastics can spread via flying insects, research shows | Environment | The Guardian
Tawny Owl ©Julie Lane, Clun 5 May 2018
This survey involves volunteers visiting random preselected tetrads (2x2km squares). In total there will over 6,000 tetrads available at the start of the survey, of which approximately 2650 were surveyed previously in 1989 and/or 2005. We want to survey as many of these as possible and depending on local interest expand this over the course of the survey. Check the tetrads available in your area and sign up to survey one.
Click on the link for more information: Tawny Owl Point Survey | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
In a new assessment, experts recommend that eight birds should be added to the list of extinct species.
Click here for more information:
The Guardian
Discover Wildlife
Little Owls are really suffering in Bucks and across the country. Last winter saw us installing several new Little Owl boxes in the hope that they would encourage the owls to nest this year. Our aim is to further increase the number of boxes this year, so fingers crossed for 2019.
Click here to read the newsletter
We provide an insight into the impact of illegal bird of prey persecution in the UK – a persistent problem which the RSPB urges the Government to tackle.
Click here for more information.: The Birdcrime report | RSPB | Birds of prey | Persecution
Source: Petition · Help save Britain’s hedgehogs with ‘hedgehog highways’! · Change.org
This data resource provides plot-level plant occurrence data for the first three years (2015-2017) of the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (covering the UK, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man). Data consist of individual observations of plants, and other habitat characteristics, at the metre-scale; observations are accompanied by percentage cover information recorded according to the Domin frequency-abundance scale commonly used in plant community ecology. Other information provided includes the plot type (size, shape, according to the NPMS classification), the volunteer-recorded NPMS habitat, the date of sampling, and information regarding the spatial location of the plot. Information contained within the metadata file should allow users to reconstruct the sampling history (including gaps) of any plot that has been sampled within the NPMS scheme between 2015 and 2017.
Click here for more information.: National Plant Monitoring Scheme survey data (2015-2017) – Environmental Information Data Centre
Fox by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 11 November 2016
The Forestry Commission licences ‘trail hunts’ (fox, beagle & harrier packs) to use public land with staff convicted under the Hunting Act 2004 & Protection of Badgers Act 1992. These should be scrapped. This shouldn’t apply to licenses agreed with Masters of Bloodhounds & Draghounds Association.
Source: Scrap The Forestry Commission Licence Agreements With Fox & Hare Hunts – Petitions
Today, Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCNWT) have initiated a challenge to the process whereby Highways England and the Department for Transport selected ‘Corridor B’ for the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway and associated ‘Growth Corridor’ which could include up to one million new homes.¹
Click here for more information.: BBOWT launches legal challenge against government’s Oxford to Cambridge Expressway proposal | Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
Researchers in Quebec discovered the narwhal, over 100km outside its typical range, was playing with the whales
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to:
SUMMER LEYS NATURE RESERVE, Northamptonshire
Location: Meet in car park signed off Wollaston-Gt Doddington road, SP 885 634,
Please note Postcode NN29 7PT is nearest only – using this code in SatNav may not take you exactly to the site.
Postcode: NN29 7PT (Google map)Wednesday 3 October 2018, 10.00 – 13.00 Leader: Pete How
SUMMER LEYS LOCAL NATURE RESERVE, NORTHANTS
Deservedly one of our favourite sites, and always something of interest.
Great white egrets are regular. Five hides. Paths level but some rough, and a
full circuit is two miles.Walk leader : Pete How
Time: 10am to 1pm
Price: Free event
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Not all animals migrate to the same place. Let’s take a closer look at 10 species and their long-distance migration. Read more
Source: Migratory Birds and Animals | Long Distance Migration – The RSPB
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
A YEAR ON AN RSPB RESERVE – Ann Scott
Location: Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Alston Drive, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes
Postcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)Ever wondered what it might be like to live on an RSPB Reserve?
Ann will make a return visit to our Group to tell us of her experience of living and working close to the RSPB Northward Hill Reserve in Kent. Northward Hill is a working farm (with cows and sheep) on a ridge overlooking the Thames Marshes with its resident marsh harriers. The surrounding scrubland is rich in nightingales and whitethroats and there’s also a bluebell wood a large rookery and a cherry orchard
While it was Ann’s husband who was the warden, Ann was very involved with the reserve and all the joys and surprises that brings … including how birds and nature can get into the home!!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 informationMKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.
Protesters including Billy Bragg and Chris Packham take to central London to demand pro-wildlife policies
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Thousands march on Whitehall to call for end to ‘war on wildlife’ | Environment | The Guardian
Mark Avery has also written a blog about the next steps.
Numbers of one of the UK’s best known garden butterflies have plummeted this summer despite the record-breaking hot weather, results from the Big Butterfly Count have revealed.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Small Tortoiseshell crashes despite heatwave
Discover, analyze and download data from RSPB Open Data. Download in CSV, KML, Zip, GeoJSON, GeoTIFF or PNG. Find API links for GeoServices, WMS, and WFS. Analyze with charts and thematic maps. Take the next step and create storymaps and webmaps.
Click here for more information.: RSPB Open Data
A source inside the government’s conservation agency told Unearthed: “we just don’t know what the condition of the best habitats in the country is anymore”.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Nearly half of England’s ‘most important wildlife sites’ are not being monitored – Unearthed
Mushroom Magic 2018 poster v2
On Sunday, October 7th we visit Stoke Common, always an interesting site – very different from our normal calcareous woodland walks boasting a range of species we don’t often see.
For further details go to www.bucksfungusgroup.org.uk/events.html
New Nature Magazine September 2018
New Nature is the only natural history magazine written, edited and produced entirely by young people: by young ecologists, conservationists, communicators, nature writers and wildlife photographers each boasting an undying passion for the natural world. It is intended, foremost, as a celebration of nature, but also of the young people giving their time, freely, to protect it.
Do birds migrate from east to west in Europe?
Click here for more information.: The RSPB: Ask an expert: Do birds migrate from east to west in Europe?
In an opinion piece timed to co-incide with the release of the new film ‘Silent Slaughter’, the conservation activist, author and campaigner, Dominic Dyer, calls for a total ban on the shooting of seals off the coast of Scotland, which is happening to protect the farmed fishing industry
Click here for more information.: Time to stop the seal slaughter – Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics UK
Floodplains occupy only 5% of the land area in the UK, yet deliver disproportionately for people in terms of flooding and nutrient retention. The lack of semi natural habitats and poor functionality in floodplains reduces our resilience to floods and drought, reduces the abundance of pollinating insects and natural pest control agents, and reduces the potential for carbon sequestration and water quality improvements.”
Click here for more information.: Natural Capital Synthesis Report Project – Clare Lawson | Valuing Nature Network
Task Day at Linford Lakes NR
FoLLNR logo
10:00- 13:00hrs.
Come and help tidy up and give a bit of a spring clean to the reserve.
Great way to keep fit, work with a friendly group of people.
Refreshments available for helpers.
