As an international team of scientists has now shown, songbirds are minimalists when it comes to learning a new song. The birds’ learning strategy resembles the methods used by computer scientists for document comparison.
Click here to read the rest of the article: How songbirds learn a new song | ETH Zurich
Rivers in England are contaminated with powerful insecticides, new testing has revealed, increasing concerns over the impact of the toxic chemicals on fish and birds.
Source: English rivers polluted by powerful insecticides, first tests reveal | Environment | The Guardian
The outbreak of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s ravaged European elm populations, killing more than 25 million trees in Britain alone; the greatest impact was on Ulmus procera, otherwise known as the English elm. Here we use molecular and historical information to show that this elm derives from a single clone that the Romans transported from Italy to the Iberian peninsula, and from there to Britain, for the purpose of supporting and training vines. Its highly efficient vegetative reproduction and its inability to set seeds have preserved this clone unaltered for 2,000 years as the core of the English elm population–and the preponderance of this susceptible variety may have favoured a rapid spread of the disease.
Click here to read the rest of the article: Phylogeography: English elm is a 2,000-year-old Roman clone (PDF Download Available)
Migratory birds are arriving in the UK earlier each spring and leaving later each autumn, a study shows.
A number of articles have been written following the publication of The State of the UK’s Birds 2017 report, examining the statuses of the UK’s breeding and non-breeding bird species.
The report analyses long-term data, allowing scientists to track the effects of climate change.
Click on the links below for more information:
BBC News
Discover Wildlife
Wild relatives of modern crops deemed crucial for food security are threatened with extinction.
Click on the link for more information: IUCN Red List: Wild crops listed as threatened – BBC News
The animals are to be released in the Forest of Dean to help prevent flooding by building dams.
A plan to release beavers into the Forest of Dean has been approved by the government.
Click on the link for more information: Beavers will return to the Forest of Dean for first time in 400 years – BBC News
Blattodeans are fascinating insects that suffer from a poor public image. It is time we change our attitude towards them.
Click here to read the rest of the article: A moment of creativity: Reconsidering blattodeans – Gil Wizen
The Willow Tit – the small bird that thinks it’s a woodpecker. This endearing mimic is the only English tit species to excavate a new nest hole each breeding season, rather than using existing cavities. They don’t quite equal woodpeckers in terms of pecking power, so they prefer to hollow out old rotting stumps, which provide a nice soft alternative.
Click here to read the rest of the article: Why the Willow Tit? – Back From The Brink
The Met Office is forecasting a cold month ahead and the conventional wisdom among butterfly enthusiasts is that cold winters are generally better for butterflies than warm ones. There was little hard evidence to back up this perception, until this year when a team of scientists from the University of East Anglia, Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology published new research into the effects of weather on the abundance of UK butterflies.
Click on the link for more information: Butterfly Conservation – Cold Comfort
Astronomers discover the most distant “supermassive” black hole known to science.
New Nature magazine December 2017
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.
The primary aim of BTO surveys is to monitor changes in the health of Britain’s birds, tracking declines and increases via the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey and exploring the factors driving them through bird ringing and nest recording. The long-term trends in abundance, survival and breeding success generated by these schemes are presented on the BirdTrends webpages.
This report provides a preliminary assessment of the 2017 breeding season in terms of population sizes and breeding success, comparing this year’s results to the averages recorded over the previous five seasons.
lick here to read the rest of the article: Preliminary report on the 2017 breeding season | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
The experimental study is the first to directly show harm to songbirds, extending the known impacts of neonicotinoids beyond insects
Click here to read the rest of the article: Common pesticide can make migrating birds lose their way, research shows | Environment | The Guardian
An interesting 4 minute video showing the life cycle of dragonflies.
Click on the play button to watch the video
The Daily Telegraph travel section has published an article “Inside Britain’s magnificent Tree Cathedral – and five more arboreal structures” featuring the Tree Cathedral at Willen
Click here to read the article: Inside Britain’s magnificent Tree Cathedral – and five more arboreal structures
Red Kite by Peter Hassett
Use this link to view the December 2017 edition of the RSPB investigations newsletter.
House Spider by Peter Hassett, Preston Montford 25 September 2016
This “record breaking spider science” paper is amazing. Answers to all the questions I get asked daily!
Click on the link for more information: Record breaking achievements by spiders and the scientists who study them [PeerJ]
Conservationists believe global warming could be partly responsible for the influx of species such as the scarlet darter that have been seen this year
Source: Record numbers of rare migrant dragonflies spotted in the UK | Environment | The Guardian
Rivers map
This map will help you find out about your local river and the condition it’s in.
Source: UK Rivers Map | WWF
The direct monitoring of mosquito populations in field settings is a crucial input for shaping appropriate and timely control measures for mosquito-borne diseases. Here, we demonstrate that commercially available mobile phones are a powerful tool for acoustically mapping mosquito species distributions worldwide. We show that even low-cost mobile phones with very basic functionality are capable of sensitively acquiring acoustic data on species-specific mosquito wingbeat sounds, while simultaneously recording the time and location of the human-mosquito encounter. We survey a wide range of medically important mosquito species, to quantitatively demonstrate how acoustic recordings supported by spatio-temporal metadata enable rapid, non-invasive species identification. As proof-of-concept, we carry out field demonstrations where minimally-trained users map local mosquitoes using their personal phones. Thus, we establish a new paradigm for mosquito surveillance that takes advantage of the existing global mobile network infrastructure, to enable continuous and large-scale data acquisition in resource-constrained areas.
Source: Using mobile phones as acoustic sensors for high-throughput mosquito surveillance | eLife
Three more of the animals are released in Knapdale Forest with the hope of establishing more breeding pairs.
Click here to read the rest of the article: More beavers reintroduced to Knapdale Forest – BBC News
If you find brown, streaky buntings hard to identify, this workshop is for you. Using video footage, still photographs and sound recordings we highlight the differences between four species of bunting that can be found in coastal areas in winter: Reed, Little, Snow and Lapland Buntings.
Click on the play button to watch the video
Source: Identifying Winter buntings | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
“Hedgehogs” – Dr Pat Morris, President of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society
Location: The Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton KeynesPostcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)
Many of us would describe the hedgehog as Britain’s favourite mammal.
Pat is Britain’s foremost authority on hedgehogs and has studied these wonderful animals for over 40 years. years. His talk will cover garden hedgehogs, how far do they roam, effects of putting out food for them, diet and impact on birds (including the controversy about predation on bird colonies in the Hebrides), hedgehog survival and current population status and the impact of caring for sick and injured hedgehogs and their subsequent release into the wild.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
A unique field experiment to test whether the geographical origin (‘nativeness’) of garden plants affects the abundance and diversity of invertebrates (wildlife) they support.
Click on the link for more information: Plants for Bugs – RHS science projects / RHS Gardening
A significant increase in the numbers of rare Swallowtail Butterfly this year has seen the Broads specific-species reach its highest recorded population levels since 2011.
Source: Record breaking year for Broads Swallowtail Butterfly – Environment – Eastern Daily Press
Nature has long been an inspiration for inventors; from gecko-inspired climbing robots to the Japanese bullet train modelled on the kingfisher’s beak. Now, the latest material to add to this list takes its inspiration from a strange place. Mussels.
Click here to read the rest of the article: A new super-strong material was inspired by mussels | Alphr
Otter on bridge ©Martin Kincaid, Linford Lakes NR 29 July 2017
Prompt 10am start.
(Note not at LLNR)
The appeal venue is; Milton Keynes Community Foundation, Acorn House, 381 Midsummer Boulevard, MK9 3HP
Click here for more information about the Society’s objections to the planning proposal
With Jurassic World 2 currently set to be released next year palaeontologist and fossil detective Dean Lomax takes us on a journey back to the amazing British finds that sparked the original dinomania in the 1800s. From the ‘invention’ of dinosaurs to the great granddad of T. rex, he reveals British dinosaur and ichthyosaur discoveries, including recent identification of new species and some incredibly rare finds.
Dean Lomax is an internationally recognised multi-award-winning palaeontologist, science communicator and author. He has travelled the globe and worked on many fascinating projects from excavating dinosaurs in the American West, to describing new species of extinct marine reptiles and winning a gold medal for excellence in science. A visiting scientist at The University of Manchester, Dean is passionate about communicating palaeontology with the public and regularly appears on television, including as series advisor and recurring on-screen expert presenter for ITV’s Dinosaur Britain. He has written two books, numerous scientific papers, and many popular articles. Dean is also the patron of the UK Association of Fossil Hunters (UKAFH).
Click here for more information: Abingdon School
This week, the Indian Government took an important step towards preventing the extinction of Asia’s Critically Endangered vultures by upholding the ban on large vials of diclofenac, a painkiller that is fatal to vultures. The judge was on the vultures’ side throughout, preferring to call them “sanitary workers” rather than “scavenging birds”.
Click here to read the rest of the article: India closes the loophole threatening the recovery of Asia’s vultures | BirdLife
Citizen Science can produce valuable scientific results but is an asset rather than replacement to conventionally collected data.
Click here to read the rest of the article: All aflutter with Citizen Science? | Science Blog – MResBEC
As regulators consider a ban on neonicotinoids, debate rages over the harm they cause to bees.
Source: The bitter battle over the world’s most popular insecticides : Nature News & Comment
Crimes against wildlife are going unpunished, as crime figures aren’t properly recorded and assessed, warns a wildlife coalition as it launches a new report [1] today: ‘The Recording of Wildlife Crime in England and Wales’. The report is being launched at the National Wildlife Crime Enforcers Annual Conference
Click here to read the rest of the article: Wildlife crimes going unpunished without proper reporting
Linford Lakes Nature Reserve visitors enjoying an Open Sunday
Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 10 December 2017 (note 2nd Sunday)
With Xmas Craft Making Event.
Suitable for people of all ages, each session includes full tuition
and all materials to enable you to make and take home traditional
Christmas Decorations, using natural materials.
The Christmas Craft sessions will run from
11am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 3pm
Please note Children under 16 are welcome,
to be accompanied by a responsible adult.
.
Oystercatcher ©Peter Hassett, Floodplain Forest NR 19 June 2017
Buckinghamshire Bird Club will be hosting a field trip on 10 Dec 2017 – 00: to 00:00 at London Wetland Centre, Queen Elizabeth Walk, Barnes (Lat/Long 51.4756 and -0.236873).
Click here for more information:
Barmy about bats…an insight into the species found in the UK
Source: BBC Blogs – Autumnwatch – Barmy about bats…an insight into the species found in the UK
Sea eagles to be scared off sheep farms
Source: Sea eagles to be scared off sheep farms in new trials – BBC News
The swelteringly hot summer of 1976 was the last gasp for the chequered skipper, a dynamic little butterfly that once buzzed along the rides of the ancient royal hunting forest of Rockingham in Northamptonshire.
Click here to read the rest of the article: How to repair our environment, one species at a time | Patrick Barkham | Opinion | The Guardian
Responding to a request for information on the status of deer in Scotland, BTO researchers Dario Massimino and John Calladine analysed data on Red Deer and Roe Deer distribution and abundance, collected through the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey.
Click on the link for more information: Modelled abundance and change in abundance of Red Deer and Roe Deer in Scotland from Breeding Bird Survey data | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Red-Tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 11 April 2016
The familiar sight of bees buzzing around and feeding on flowers disappears from view in the winter. But what do they do? And where do they go in the winter months? Bee expert Ryan Clark investigates.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: What do bees do in the winter? | The Wildlife Trusts
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to The Lodge on 6 December 2017:
Location: Meet in the car park (free to members) behind the shop on the south side of the B1042 Sandy to Potton road
WC near the shop. Please note there will be some steep paths with steps and tree roots.
Leader : George Conchie
Postcode: SG19 2DL (Google map)After a wander through landscaped gardens, hilly pinewoods, old quarries and restored heathland – where better to buy Christmas presents than the RSPB shop? We hope to look inside this elegant house too.
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
Price: Free to members (Parking charge for non-members)
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Red: a colour of alarm, urgency, passion and energy. For most conservationists, “The Red List” evokes all four of these feelings, perhaps all at once. The Red List tells us which species are most in danger and which to conserve first. It is also a powerful tool for persuading governments to protect threatened species, and for most of the plant and animal species worldwide, it is vital. The Red List is nicknamed the “barometer of life”, for it is a rich compendium of information on the threats to species, their ecological requirements, where they live, and information on conservation actions that can be taken to reduce their risk of extinction.
In full, it’s called The IUCN [International Union for the Conservation of Nature] Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM, and BirdLife International is the authority for birds, coordinating the process of evaluating all of the world’s bird species against the Red List categories and criteria in order to assess their extinction risk.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why is the Red List so important? | BirdLife
Red Kite by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Park 19 April 2016
Harvestman, Leibunum rotundum ©Peter Hassett, Floodplain Forest NR , 21 August 2017
There are some 30 different species of harvestmen (Opiliones) in the UK. This interactive guide is a resource for anyone who wants to identify a harvestman and/or learn about the features that can be used to separate the different taxa in the field.
Click on the link for more information: Harvestmen of Britain and Ireland
The curlews are one of the most widespread and far-travelling of all the bird families — and also one of the most threatened. It seems that wherever they roam, habitat loss and human encroachment follows. We can’t let the Far Eastern Curlew go the same way as its fellows.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Curlew crisis deepens: vital Australian wetlands under threat | BirdLife
In a new review paper that’s just been published in the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics I have looked at the question of just how diverse the pollinators are, and why pollinator biodiversity is ecologically important and therefore worthy of conservation. I’ve taken a deep time and wide space approach to this, starting with what the fossil record tells us about when animal pollination evolved and the types of organisms that acted as pollinators in the past (the answer may surprise you if you’re unfamiliar with the recent paleontological literature on this topic). Some of the most prominent biogeographical patterns have been highlighted, and I have tried to estimate the global diversity of currently known pollinators. A conclusion is that as many as 1 in 10 described animal species may act as pollen vectors.
Click here to read the rest of the article: Pollinator biodiversity and why it’s important: a new review just published – download it for free | Jeff Ollerton’s Biodiversity Blog
Spiders Spinners Infographic
All spiders spin silk, with glands that produce custom blends of proteins with different “motifs” that impart just the right properties for each use. The silks exit the abdomen through spinnerets.
Click on the link for more information: Graphic: A spinner’s secrets | Science | AAAS
Long-term studies by ourselves, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, and the British Trust for Ornithology have found that hedgehogs have undergone a drastic decline within Britain over the last two decades (see State of Britain’s Hedgehogs 2011). Our humble hedgehog is now listed as a species of principal importance to protect.
Click on the link for more information: National Hedgehog Survey – Peoples Trust for Endangered Species
The more quickly their wings beat, the more intense the warning
Click here to read the rest of the article: When danger is afoot, these pigeons sound a warning call—with their feathers | Science | AAAS
Redshanks are a common wader found, year-round, on the marshes of the north Norfolk coast. At any time of year, on a visit to RSPB Titchwell, Snettisham or the NWT Holme Dunes you often see redshanks probing their bills into the mud for insects, worms, and crustaceans. This year has even seen them returning to breed on nearby Roydon Common, the first time in 40 years. Winter sees the numbers grow as more birds arrive from Iceland, spending their winters in the UK.
The Autumn and winter months can also bring a small number of the much rarer Spotted Redshanks. Most of these birds are passing through the UK but with a few overwintering on the marshes in this part of the UK. At this time its not uncommon to hear about local sightings of Greenshanks on their migration to their African wintering grounds. In recent years, a number of these have overwintered on the estuaries of SW England.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Help with Identifying Redshanks from Spotted Redshanks
Silver-washed-Fritillary by Julian Lambley Bernwood Butterfly trail 24June 2017
The aim was to assess the sensitivity of butterfly population dynamics to variation in weather conditions across their geographical ranges, relative to sensitivity to density dependence, and determine whether sensitivity is greater towards latitudinal range margins.
Click here to read the rest of the article: European butterfly populations vary in sensitivity to weather across their geographical ranges – Mills – 2017 – Global Ecology and Biogeography – Wiley Online Library
Henry David Thoreau monitored flowering times in Concord from 1852 to 1858; his data is a key component in our study. Photo by Richard Primack and Abe Miller-Rushing.
Species must either adapt in-place to survive climate change or migrate elsewhere to track their prefered environmental conditions. Increasingly, the phenologies of species – the timing of their life history events – are changing in spring, with flowers opening earlier, or birds migrating sooner. Measuring the degree of this phenological change is challenging because it’s difficult to get good data before climate changed (when did plants start flowering in the past?), and it’s hard to be certain when an event actually took place (On a Saturday in spring you noticed the first violet flower; did they first flower that day, or during the past week when you were busier?). In our paper, we apply a new method to estimate the onset of events, allowing us to more precisely combine historic herbarium and museum data with contemporary observations to detect evidence of climate change.
Click here to read the rest of the article: The limits of phenology | Nature Ecology & Evolution Community
You can view the newsletter here: GBW enews: Goldcrests in gardens, caching behaviour and how to keep birds safe
The plant’s operators hope to halt the warming of the Earth, but many challenges remain for the plan to work on a large scale.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: First ‘Negative Emissions’ Plant Opens in Iceland, Turning Atmospheric CO2 Into Stone | Smart News | Smithsonian
Big quantities of nitrate chemicals from farm fertilisers are polluting the rocks beneath our feet.
Click here to read the rest of the article: Scale of ‘nitrate timebomb’ revealed – BBC News
The UK will back a total ban on insect-harming pesticides in fields across Europe, the environment secretary, Michael Gove, has revealed.
The decision reverses the government’s previous position and is justified by recent new evidence showing neonicotinoids have contaminated the whole landscape and cause damage to colonies of bees. It also follows the revelation that 75% of all flying insects have disappeared in Germany and probably much further afield, a discovery Gove said had shocked him.
Click here to read the rest of the article: UK will back total ban on bee-harming pesticides, Michael Gove reveals | Environment | The Guardian
Willen Lake by Ann Strutton
Buckinghamshire Bird Club will be hosting a field trip on 26 November 2017 – 00: to 00:00 at Willen Lake, Tongwell Street, Milton Keynes (Lat/Long 52.0556 and -0.713522)
Click here for more information:
Grey Heron by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 19 April 2016
Back from the Brink is one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken.
Its aim – to save 20 species from extinction and benefit over 200 more through 19 projects that span England; from the tip of Cornwall to Northumberland.It’s the first time ever that so many conservation organisations have come together with one focus in mind – to bring back from the brink of extinction some of England’s most threatened species of animal, plant and fungi. Explore the diverse projects below to find out more about the special species we’ll be saving, the places we’re be working and how you can get involved and make a difference.
Click on the link for more information: The projects – Back From The Brink
Daniel Trim’s airport-roosting pied wagtail has won the 2017 competition, which celebrates the work of amateur and professional photographers and the beauty and diversity of British wildlife. Winning images are chosen from thousands of entries, including film and junior categories.
More than 100 images are on show at the Mall Galleries in London, before touring nationally
Click on the link for more information: The British Wildlife Photography awards 2017 – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian
An introduction the field identification of mosses and liverworts, using characters that can be seen using a hand lens. During the day the field characters of mosses and liverworts will be examined and we will identify a number of common species that can be found in London. Based in Bushy Park.
Click on the link for more information: Mosses and Liverwort Field Identification – 66168 – FSC
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
Location: Wicken Sports Club, Wicken, Milton Keynes – just 15 minutes from Central Milton Keynes.
Postcode: MK19 6BU Google mapOur Annual Fun Quiz Night.
Bring your own team (of up to 6 people) or come along and join others on the night.
£4 per person – a prize for each member of the winning team.
An extra “spot round” during the interval – with an individual prize for the winner.
Wicken Sports Club will provide refreshments – tea, coffee and a licensed bar.Please book in advance by Friday 17 November – to AnnRSPBNBucks@hotmail.co.uk
Time: Doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm start
Price: £4 per person
Booking essential
Telephone: 07803905958
E-mail: AnnRSPBNBucks@hotmail.co.uk
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Red squirrels relocated to woodlands in the north west Highlands are “flourishing and breeding”, according to a conservation charity.
More than 80 squirrels were trapped in other parts of the Highlands in phases of the project led by Findhorn-based Trees for Life.
The animals were released in areas that had no squirrels, including Shieldaig.
Click here to read the rest of the article: Relocated squirrels moving to new areas, says charity – BBC News
New Nature Magazine Issue 11
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.
House Sparrow by Harry Appleyard, Furzton Lake 28 December 2016
House sparrows are well-adapted to living in urban areas, so it is surprising their numbers have fallen significantly over the past decades. An investigation into this worrying trend finds that sparrows living in urban areas are adversely affected by pollution and poor nutrition. The study also finds the birds suffer more during the breeding season, when resources are needed to produce healthy eggs.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: House sparrow decline linked to air pollution and poor diet: City sparrows suffer from more stress than their country cousins, find Spanish researchers, especially during breeding season — ScienceDaily
Draft interactive ID guide for Silphidae Carrion Beetle
A new draft interactive ID guide for Silphidae (Silphidae is a family of beetles that are known commonly as large carrion beetles, carrion beetles or burying beetles) is available for download: goo.gl/FMVZ3i
“A new forest charter that aims to put trees and woods back at the heart of people’s lives has been launched on the 800th anniversary of the original.
Click on the link for more information: Charter
Linford Lakes Nature Reserve visitors enjoying an Open Sunday
Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 19 November 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.
The centre and the reserve are available for you, your family and friends to enjoy,
as well as the usual Open Sunday treats.
You are invited to join Keith on a guided walk on the Periphery Path.
This event will take place at 10:30 from the centre.
On sale are crafts, gifts and bird seed.
Also on sale, the FoLLNR calendar 2018,
Glorious shots, to grace your wall all year.
They make wonderful gifts.
Only £5.00.
Profits from sales go to fund future projects at the reserve.
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The Devon Wildlife Trust has published a review of the impact of Beavers in Devon.
Barn owls – the nation’s most loved owl?
Click here to read more: BBC Blogs – Autumnwatch – Barn owls – the nation’s most loved owl?
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Marston Vale Country Park 19 November 2017:
Location: Meet: Marston Vale Forest Centre car park (free) MK43 0PS. Turn off Marston Moretaine to Lidlington road at SP 999 411.
Postcode: MK43 0PS Google mapWe’ve twice done the free area. This time we’ll visit the permit-only reserve, with wide reedbeds and the splendid new tower hide. Look for bearded tit, barn or short-eared owls, or our nearest breeding marsh harriers! The visitor centre has shops, toilets & a cafe.
Leader: Chris Coppock
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
Price: £2.50 for entrance to permit only area (£1.75 concessions)
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Orphaned hand reared Dormouse
The Society has been running a dormouse monitoring project in Little Linford Wood for many years. You can find out more about the project here.
A similar project has been run in the Midlands by Ruth Moffatt who was Local Biodiversity Action Plan co-ordinator for Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull from 2003 to 2008. She now runs the Warwickshire Dormouse Conservation Group.
You can download the full 40-page report The Status of the Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull using this link.
NESTS are made from things birds find in the environment. For those that live far from human dwellings, twigs and leaves predominate. For those that live in cities, the list of materials is more eclectic. Often it includes plastic bags, paper, aluminium foil, electrical cables and even cigarette butts. Most of these have been assumed to be the result of birds simply making do with what the urban world provides them, but a study just published in Avian Biology by Monserrat Suárez-Rodríguez and Constantino Macías Garcia of the National Autonomous University of Mexico has demonstrated that the cigarette butts are being woven into nests not by accident but by design.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Some birds use discarded cigarettes to fumigate their nests
Red Kite by Peter Hassett
The Hawk Conservancy Trust is seeking volunteers to perform raptor surveys this autumn/winter (Oct-end Dec). Surveys involve walking a pre-determined route (8-10km) along public rights of way and recording every Kestrel, Buzzard and Red Kite seen. Each observation is recorded using a GPS (to note observer location), laser rangefinder (to determine distance to the bird) and a compass (to note bearing to the bird). All equipment (except binoculars) is provided as is training on how to use the equipment and perform the surveys.
If you are good at finding birds in the landscape and interested in taking part, please contact Matt Stevens at Matt@hawkconservancy.org or 07920 720067 for further details.
Barn owls keep their acute sense of hearing into old age, scientists have discovered.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Owls hold secret to ageless ears – BBC News
“Have you seen a fairy ring? Sadly they are not the work of dancing elves, as European folklore might have it…”
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Plantlife :: How do Fairy Rings form?
Every year a proportion of the Scottsh golden eagle population is surveyed by licensed experts from the Scottish Raptor Study Group. This phenomenal voluntary effort (currently 373 home ranges [approx 53% of known ranges] monitored by 150 eagle experts) provides invaluable data that are submitted to the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme and are used to inform conservation policy at local, regional and national level.
The Garden Bird Feeding Survey (GBFS) has charted the use of food supplements by birds in gardens for over 40 years. The network of householders that participate in the survey extends across the UK.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: The Garden Bird Feeding Survey (GBFS) | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
The kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, has been crowned New Zealand bird of the year, with thousands more votes cast for the species than there are surviving individuals.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: New Zealand bird of the year: playful alpine parrot kea soars to victory | Environment | The Guardian
The incredible numbers of Hawfinches across southern England has dominated the migration picture this week, with thousands of birds thought to be involved and there does not appear to be any let up. Many areas where Hawfinch would be a rare bird if a single bird appeared have seen staggering numbers, with the largest count being 115 over Steps Hill in Buckinghamshire on a single morning.
Click here to read the rest of the article: BTO Bird Migration Blog: Hawfinches galore!
A Met forensics specialist who developed an ivory fingerprinting kit used to identify elephant poachers and traders in Africa is to be honoured for his achievement.
Mark Moseley, who works at crime scenes for the Met, developed the kit in his spare time after being challenged by his two daughters to find a way to save elephants. It can allow fingerprints to be obtained from ivory for up to 28 days after it has been handled.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Met forensics expert invents kit to catch African ivory poachers after daughters ask him to save elephants | London Evening Standard
The BTO Breeding Bird Survey survey has recorded a 49% decline in Starlings across the UK since 1995. Why numbers have dropped so dramatically is not fully known. Retrapping Adults for Survival (RAS) projects are helping find out whether adult mortality is a possible cause.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: BTO Bird Ringing – ‘Demog Blog’: The Big Biggleswade Starling RAS
Birdwatchers love to see something new, but after a while new birds can be harder to come by and, as a result, some of us develop wider tastes. One group that has long attracted the attention of birders is the Odonata – better known as the dragonflies and their smaller cousins, the damselflies. As with most insects, the highest diversity is in mid-summer but as the days lengthen, the species count drops. However, in October and even later in milder years, Common Darters, Migrant Hawkers and Southern Hawkers can still catch the eye as a flash of colour in the fading countryside.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: BBC Blogs – Autumnwatch – Delightful damselflies
There are lots of moths (over 2,500 species have been recorded in the UK) and many of them visit flowers to drink nectar. However, because observing insect visits to flowers is much more difficult in the dark, relatively little research has been carried out on the importance of nocturnal moths as pollinators.
Recent reviews of the scientific literature have concluded that moths act as pollinators for a wide range of plants in many different ecosystems, from tropical rainforests to Scottish pinewoods, and that the role of moths as pollinators has, to date, been underestimated and, therefore, undervalued.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: The pollinator night shift: Moths and light pollution — Bee Coalition
Beekeepers have raised concerns over the future of honeybees as an annual survey showed a “steady decline” in the honey crop.
The survey by the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) revealed beekeepers in England produced an average of 11.8kg (26 lb) of honey per hive this year, down 1kg on last year.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: ‘Steady decline’ in honey crop raises concern for honeybees’ future | Environment | The Guardian
Researchers are increasingly investigating the effects that climate change might have on animals and plants. At the British Trust for Ornithology we have investigated how climate change will affect the abundance of over 100 bird species across Great Britain by using annual bird counts undertaken by skilled volunteers in the UK and France.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: BBC Blogs – Autumnwatch – Will climate change bring new bird species to the UK?
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Farmoor Reservoir on 4 October 2017:
Location: Meet: gateway at SP 913 325 immediately E of bridge taking Lt Brickhill to Woburn road over A5 at crest of Greensand Ridge. Slip-roads from both directions on A5.
It’s some time since we visited the Brickhill Woods. This scenic corner has held woodcock, brambling, siskin, crossbill, raven and goshawk.
A short but challenging walk with boggy hillsides and plenty of mud.
Parking very limited—please car share.
Leader: Chris Coppock
Time: 10 am to 1 pm
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
In the first of its kind study on these raptors, researchers from RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Raptor Study Group examined differences between populations of the birds in Edinburgh and in the Ayrshire countryside over four years from 2009 to 2012.
They found that territories in the urban environment (Edinburgh) were occupied far more frequently than those in the rural study area (Ayrshire) and that the city hawks also had significantly higher breeding success than the country hawks.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: City Sparrowhawks more successful than their country cousins, #ornithology news from @Natures_Voice via @RareBirdAlertUK
Insects have triumphed for hundreds of millions of years in every habitat but the ocean. Their success is unparalleled, which makes their disappearance all the more alarming
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: A giant insect ecosystem is collapsing due to humans. It’s a catastrophe | Environment | The Guardian
For each of the 593 species of the millipede order Julida known from Europe, available information on taxonomy, distribution and habitat is summarized, and the distribution in 50 × 50 km UTM squares is shown on a map.
Click on the link for more information: Atlas of European millipedes 2: Order Julida (Class Diplopoda) | Kime | European Journal of Taxonomy
Young amphibians are the first animals thought to use toxins against rivals of their own species.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Toad tadpoles turn homegrown poisons on each other : Nature News & Comment
The abundance of flying insects has plunged by three-quarters over the past 25 years, according to a new study that has shocked scientists.
Insects are an integral part of life on Earth as both pollinators and prey for other wildlife and it was known that some species such as butterflies were declining. But the newly revealed scale of the losses to all insects has prompted warnings that the world is “on course for ecological Armageddon”, with profound impacts on human society.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Warning of ‘ecological Armageddon’ after dramatic plunge in insect numbers | Environment | The Guardian
Discover Wildlife has also covered tis research – click here to read their article.
A colourful, shimmering spectacle detected by weather radar over the US state of Colorado has been identified as swarms of migrating butterflies.
Scientists at the National Weather Service (NWS) first mistook the orange radar blob for birds and had asked the public to help identifying the species.
Source: Butterfly swarm shows up on Denver radar system – BBC News
The reason some birds in Britain have evolved bigger beaks over the past 40 years may be down to the country’s enthusiasm for feeding them in their gardens, researchers have said.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: British birds evolve bigger beaks to use garden feeders | Environment | The Guardian
Bird of prey persecution in the uplands of the Peak District is a “national disgrace”, a wildlife group has said.
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said rare hen harriers had not bred there since 2014 and blamed activities related to the driven grouse shooting industry.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Peak District’s low raptor numbers a ‘national disgrace’ – BBC News
UK withdrawal bill ‘rips the heart out of environmental law’, say campaigners
New bill omits key ‘precautionary’ principle requiring developers and industry to prove actions will not harm wildlife or habitats as well as ‘polluter pays’ protections
The Field Studies Council has compiled a catalogue of over 630 biological identification resources
Click on the link for more information: | Tomorrow’s Biodiversity
A news story on the discovery of a new native British beetle, Pogonocherus caroli, found in ancient Scottish pine forests
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: New native British beetle found in ancient Scottish forests | Natural History Museum
Barn owls keep their acute sense of hearing into old age, scientists have discovered.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Owls hold secret to ageless ears – BBC News
The density of nerve cells in the human cerebral cortex is six times smaller than in the respective brain region in pigeons. Consequently, the average distance between two neurons in pigeons is only approximately half the size compared to that in humans. If nerve cell groups have to exchange information in rapid succession, pigeons are faster, because the transmitted signals travel a much shorter distance.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Pigeons better at multitasking than humans: study
Scientists have identified 2 million species of living things. No one knows how many more are out there, and tens of thousands may be vanishing before we have even had a chance to encounter them.
