By taking part in Earthworm Watch in your garden, allotment or other green space near you, the team hope you’ve had the opportunity to record your observations of surface, soil and deep-living earthworms. You can find out more about these earthworm eco-types (which refers to their feeding habits and where they live within the soil) by visiting the science section of our website.
Click on the link for more information: Making sense of earthworm senses | Earthworm Watch
It’s that time of year again…
Celebrating fire, the magic of autumn and an extra hour in bed, Apocalypse North Bucks set deep in ancient woodland is the ultimate Bonfire Party. Not for the faint-hearted, but for the reckless and brave fireworks lighting up the trees is an unforgettable experience.
Phonebox Magazine describes the event as “Epic fireworks, scary & dangerous”. Those of you who have been before will know what they mean!
Arrangements as per last year –
Open 5pm – 9pm (refreshments available from 5pm)
Tickets not required (donations to help cover costs expected)
Bonfires lit at dusk
Fireworks around 7pm (depending on light & weather)
Free Shuttle Bus from Prospect Place (5pm-6.30pm, return 8pm-9pm)
Limited parking on site (£10 charge & must be pre-booked)
Wrap up warm and bring a torch
More details on www.hollingtonwood.com and https://www.facebook.com/hollingtonwood/Hope you can make it…
Philip & Hilary
Hollington Wood MK46 5JH
Click here for more information.
Red-Tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 11 April 2016
A new research study[1] from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and two Dutch laboratories shows that 45% of Europe’s top soil contains glyphosate residues, demonstrating the over-reliance of the EU agricultural model on this harmful herbicide chemical. In contrast to what its manufactures[2] purport, glyphosate persists in soils affecting not only soil fertility and crop quality, but also human and environmental health. The -soon available online- research study by the Dutch University of Wageningen and Rikilt laboratories, jointly with the JRC, reveals that among 317 EU soil samples of arable land, 42% contained AMPA, the most toxic metabolite of glyphosate, while glyphosate was found in 21% of the soils; 18% of the samples had both. The study was conducted in six crop systems along 11 EU member states comprising soils under different geographical and climatic conditions.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Press Release: New Study: Glyphosate persists! And European top soils are contaminated with it. | PAN Europe
Gatekeeper ©Paul Young, Bucknell Wood 8 July 2017
The curse of the UK summer holiday weather struck big butterfly count 2017. For butterflies and butterfly counters, July and August were dominated by unsettled weather and above average rainfall. Overall it was one of the wettest UK summers for 100 years. And this after six months (January-June) of above average monthly temperatures, which encouraged butterflies to emerge earlier than usual.
Click here to read the rest of the article: big butterfly count
A sound installation including wildlife sounds, called ‘City of Things’, has been installed in the arcades of The Shopping Building in Central Milton Keynes (thecentre:mk).
Local sound artist Caroline Devine has completed a commission to celebrate MK’s 50th year by recording sounds across Milton Keynes. These include recordings she made with a MK Natural History Society member: they listened and recorded the dawn chorus in Linford Wood from 4.15am on a May morning. She also recorded Swift calls at their Heelands colony and bat sounds at Woughton-on-the-Green. Caroline also took part in a course on bird song led by MKNHS member Martin Kincaid and Peter Garner who is chair of Bucks Bird Club.
The sound installation includes local choirs, Bletchley Park, poetry, grid-roads and other Milton Keynes sounds, as well as wildlife. All of these are part of ‘City of Things’ which you can hear until 5th November in Midsummer Arcade alongside John Lewis. You can find out more on Caroline’s website: www.cityofthings.co.uk .
Caroline Devine was Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Birmingham and completed another commission, ‘Resonant Spaces’ in Philadelphia earlier in 2017. Her works have been featured on BBC 4 and BBC 3 and at various galleries.
Article written by Mike LeRoy
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
Location: Our special Leighton Buzzard meeting – just 20 minutes down the road from Central Milton Keynes
Venue : Leighton Buzzard Cricket, Hockey and Tennis Club, Bell Close, Lake Street – opposite Morrisons’ petrol station.
Postcode: LU7 1RX (Google map)Namibia surely ranks among the world’s best wildlife destinations, with a fantastic number and variety of easily-photographable mammals, some exciting birds and unique landscapes. Namibia has it all!
Sure to be an entertaining evening from Chris, illustrated by his superb photographs.
Time: Doors open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start, ends at 10pm. Free tea/coffee at the break.
Price: Group members £3, Non-group members £4, Children £1
Read more at http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/northbucks/events/#5HyuulKmmY5YwHYw.99£1
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
No, butterflies don’t marry, but did you know some humans release butterflies at weddings (and funerals) as part of the ceremony?
Butterfly releases like this give Butterfly Conservation, as a wildlife charity, cause for concern.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly weddings | Dorset Butterflies
Now, scientists are gaining an insight into how the plant prized for its beauty colonised almost every habitat on Earth.
A team in China has unpicked the genetic blueprint of an orchid that grows wild in the mountains of southeast China.
Source: Orchid gives up the secrets of its success – BBC News
Try to swat a fly and it will soon become clear that they’re faster than you. Much faster. But how on Earth do these tiny creatures – with their minuscule brains – outwit us so easily?
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why is it so hard to swat a fly? – BBC News
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A Parks Trust Event at LLNR,
Make A Difference Day
Date: 22nd October 2017
Time: 10am – 12pm
Join us on the biggest volunteering day of the year as we tidy up Linford Lakes Nature Reserve.
Come dressed for messy, outdoor working.
Price: Free
Age Range: All Welcome, bring family and friends.
Park at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve Education Centre, Wolverton Road, Great Linford MK14 5AH.
Booking Required: None.
Chaffinch by Peter Hassett, College Lake 18 June 2017
City life is tough for young birds. But if they survive their first year, they are less susceptible to the effects of stress, according to new research.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Young birds suffer in the city — ScienceDaily
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Summer Leys Nature Reserve on 21 October 2017:
This popular wetland is a core part of the EU-designated Upper Nene Valley Special Protection Area
Managed by Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust it provides a variety of habitats – flooded gravel pits, flood meadows, species-rich neutral grassland and mature hedges, attracting waders, waterbirds and lots more too.
Easy paths and hides. All welcome.Leader : Pete How
Time: 10 am to 12.30 pm
Price: Free
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Non-native species and mobile applications experts at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) have collaborated with the UK government to develop a new app to record and monitor sightings of the Asian hornet.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Asian hornet monitoring takes flight with new app developed by CEH scientists | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Berries are appearing on plants and hedgerows early this year because of the unusual weather patterns.
The combination of a warm, dry spring, followed by July and August rains, has led to a plethora of berries, according to horticulturalists.
Next time you lose your keys, think of a squirrel. The tiny animals have an incredible ability to remember exactly where they buried one nut weeks earlier, and new research is shedding light on how they do this.Squirrels bury groups of nuts in particular places, meaning they will know where each one is buried, according to a new study.
Source: The way squirrels organise their nuts will put your wardrobe to shame | Alphr
FoLLNR logo
Wednesday 18th October 2017,
Special Presentation from
Saffron Summerfield.
19:30 hrs doors open @ 19:00hrs.
Seats cost £3.50, no booking required.
Refreshments available.
WHEN BIRDS SING
A digitally illustrated Talk
When Saffron Summerfield – Singer/Musician/Sound Artiste and lifetime Bird Watcher – was Artist in Residence at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve she was intrigued when a Robin sang close to her window when she played the guitar. She recorded the Robin and created a duet with his song and her guitar and so her journey of research and discovery on Bird Songs and Calls began.
Just why does a small bird (Marsh Warbler) ’collect’ up to 250 other bird songs and calls on its migratory path from Africa to Northern Europe thereby creating an astonishing ‘Songline’ of its journey each year?
How many composers have been inspired by listening to bird song?
Bird songs and calls are frequently referenced in Folk Songs from around the World.
Why does the Dawn Chorus have such an emotional and calming effect on some Humans?
The craze for keeping caged Goldfinches for their magical singing voice in the second half of the nineteenth century nearly did for the poor bird.
What is the connection between Pachelbel’s Canon in D and Bird Song…
This fascinating and revealing talk is digitally presented with many of her own field recordings and photos and all levels of interest is catered for.
Wetland Bird Surveying course 21 October 2017
BMERC has been asked by the River Thame Conservation Trust (RTCT) to send round an invite to a local training event on the 21st October for Bird ID and survey work; flyer attached. For those who can’t open PDF the key details are as follows :-
- Its free!
- Its designed to help with the identification of our common winter wetland birds and those who want to improve their ID and survey skills.
- Targeted at both existing and new volunteers of both the RTCT and/or other local organisations.
- 21st October
- Based at the RSPB’s Otmoor Reserve
- 9:30 – 1pm
- You MUST book in advance
- Book via the Project Officer – natalie@riverthame.org
Please note this is not a BMERC event, any bookings or queries will need to go to the RTCT direct.
Regards
Julia Carey
Environmental Records Centre Manager
Historic and Natural Environment Team
Transport, Economy and Environment
Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre
Buckinghamshire County Council, 6th Floor, New County Offices, Walton Street, Aylesbury HP20 1UY
Tel 01296 382431E-mail jcarey@buckscc.gov.uk
Tree Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 24 February 2017
Neonicotinoid pesticides pose severe threats to ecosystems worldwide, according to an update to the world’s most comprehensive scientific review of the ecological impacts of systemic pesticides released by IUCN’s Task Force on Systemic Pesticides (TFSP) this week.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Severe threats to biodiversity from neonicotinoid pesticides revealed in latest scientific review | IUCN
Providing a bright splash of colour late in the summer, this sturdy little perennial is a cheerful and easy-going addition to a border or wildflower meadow.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Betony | Wildflower Garden plant selector | The Wildflower Garden
Provisional maps now available for all UK Auchenorrhyncha species at http://www.ledra.co.uk/maps.html . Use the dropdown menu to select a species
© Alan Woodgate
Here at RSPB Hope Farm we undertake a summer monitoring programme every year to measure how our bird and butterfly populations change in relation to our wildlife friendly farm management. Bird monitoring begins at the end of March and runs until the first week of July, with between 8 and 12 surveys of the whole farm completed. For each survey, I walk every hedgerow and field boundary on the farm and map the locations of all bird activity (singing, alarm calls, nest building) using Common Bird Census (CBC) methods.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Record Highs for Hope Farm Monitoring – Saving Species – Our work – The RSPB Community
Today The Wildlife Trusts publish a new report which examines the effects of volunteering in nature on people’s mental health. The study was carried out by the University of Essex and found:
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: New report links volunteering in nature with better mental health | The Wildlife Trusts
Fungus by Peter Hassett, Bow Brickhill 1 November 2014
Discover the weird and wonderful world of mushrooms and toadstools at this FREE event at Bucks County Museum this Saturday (7th).
Members of the Bucks Fungus Group will be presenting a massive one-day display of locally collected mushrooms and toadstools. Discover which species are best to eat and which ones are best to avoid. Bring your own mystery fungi in for identification and add to the display.
Suitable for all ages – children can make a mushroom badge, Play-doh toadstool or join in our fungus collage
The event is FREE. No need to book – just turn up
Bucks County Museum, Church Street, Aylesbury HP20 2QP
Tel 01296 331441
Saturday 7th October, 11am to 4pm
Mike Palmer
Keeper of Natural History
T: 01296 325223
E: mpalmer@buckscountymuseum.org
www.buckscountymuseum.org
Please note the event is being run by the County Museum in collaboration with the Bucks Fungus Group, any enquiries should go via Mike Palmer, contact information at the base of the page.
Click here for more information.
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Open Sunday
15th October
10:00 – 16:00 hrs
The centre and the reserve are available for you, your family and friends to enjoy, as well as the usual Open Sunday treats;
There are two opportunities to learn about the water birds at LLNR.
Come and join Andy Harding, County Bird Recorder, in his morning duck count, meet in the centre at 10am.
There is another opportunity to learn how to identify some of our
water birds. A practical spotting session for all,
Join us in the Centre for 13:30, bring bins & scopes.
You are invited to the official opening of our new hide.
‘The Warbler Hide’ will be opened by Andy Harding,
County Bird Recorder and Guide.
The event will take place at 12:00 at the new hide.
Red-Tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 11 April 2016
Welcome to the BRITISH BEES ON FLICKR site. This collection covers nearly all 278 species of bee on the British and Irish list (including the Channel Islands) acting as a virtual field experience and virtual museum collection. 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.
Hauke Koch and Phil Stevenson investigate the theories behind the mysterious mass deaths of bees on lime trees, and other effects of pollen and nectar chemicals on pollinators.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Do lime trees kill bees? | Kew
Click here for a laugh: 2016 Finalists :: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards – Conservation through Competition
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
Location: The Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes
Postcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)
“A Northamptonshire Case Study”
The Northamptonshire Barn Owl Project was set up in 1995 to conserve and increase the Barn Owl population in the County. Paddy will talk to us about the success of this project and these beautiful birds.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
FoLLNR logo
Come and Join Our Task Team,
Sunday 1st October 2017,
10:00 – 13:00hrs
Help needed to care for the reserve.
Time for tea and a chat too.
Healthy exercise in the fresh air, all good fun!
Plantlife wants to attract new members and is offering a 50% discount on membership:
Plantlife is a British conservation charity working nationally and internationally to save threatened wild plants and fungi. Our team of dedicated conservation experts work with landowners, businesses, conservation organisations, community groups and governments, pushing boundaries to protect the familiar and save our rarest in the plant and fungi kingdoms. Plantlife was instrumental in the creation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
Our nature reserves are home to 3,439 species from all taxon groups. This includes 795 vascular plants, of particular interest to bees. There are also 327 bryophytes, 386 fungi, 147 lichens, 1,511 insects and much more.
Joan’s Hill Farm nature reserve, Herefordshire
On Joan’s Hill Farm nature reserve in Herefordshire, the number of green-winged orchid flowers (a Red List species) increased from zero in 1999 to over 500 spikes in 2015. We protect dark-red helleborine and lily-of-the-valley at Deep Dale in the Peak District; lesser butterfly-orchid and moonwort at Cae Blaen-dyffryn in Carmarthenshire; Dyer’s greenweed and saw-wort at Ryewater Farm in Dorset; and the internationally-rare marsh saxifrage at Munsary in Caithness.
Plantlife’s most bio-diverse reserve, Ranscombe in Kent, our largest in England, has an astonishing 402 vascular plants. We manage our reserves to protect what is there and create the conditions for populations to increase. Plants in need of conservation at Ranscombe include UK Red Data List species: man orchid, ground-pine, broad-leaved cudweed, lady orchid, stinking chamomile, white helleborine, fly orchid, prickly poppy, common cudweed and meadow clary.
Species like narrow-fruited cornsalad, do not receive a great deal of
publicity but do need help. Our assessment of the population at
Ranscombe last year found an estimated 30,000 plants, which must
surely be one of the biggest UK populations. Our management helps
increase the diversity and resilience of plants. The ancient woodland
species, goldilocks buttercup, and the fern, adder’s-tongue, was
recently noted for the first time, while endangered field gromwell has
been identified in our arable fields. And it helps other taxa too. We have recorded some 295 moth species to date, including specialists such as the liquorice piercer, the larvae of which feed on wild liquorice. Other rare and threatened invertebrates seen regularly at Ranscombe include the hornet robber-fly, the brown-banded carder bee, the bryony mining bee and the five-banded weevil-wasp.
meadow clary at Ranscombe
We also work much more widely across Important Plant Areas (IPAs), landscapes we have identified as being of the highest botanical importance – 166 of them, right across the UK. From familiar landscapes such as The Broads, Snowdon and the Cairngorms, to lesser known places with intriguing flora, such as Mwnt in West Wales, Chudleigh Rocks in Dartmoor or the exceptional Mid Cornwall Moors, Plantlife partners communities and land managers work to protect the wild plants which grow in these special habitats and to promote enjoyment and understanding of these extraordinary landscapes.One of Plantlife’s experts, Tim Pankhurst, works with landowners in the East of England to reverse species declines. The fen orchid occurs on just a few sites and numbers were low enough for this to be on the government list of species most likely to disappear from England forever. Tim has tested different ways of managing fens and helped landowners change to better techniques. This year there were several thousand flower spikes, a huge increase, driven by expertise and hard work. He is now trialling ways to propagate them so they can be reintroduced to sites where they flourished in the past.
We’re on the road to saving the fen orchid but we need to continue this work until the species becomes self sustaining. Tim also has plans for helping many other species in East Anglia, such as fen violet and Spanish catchfly. All this depends on securing funding.
Our expertise has helped landowners plan how to get lowland grassland and heathland back into the favourable condition and provided management advice on rare and declining species, such as basil-thyme, yellow century and purple milk vetch.
fen orchid In 1989, the year Plantlife formed, we made the decision that we wanted to be a membership charity.
That is because members give plant conservation three vital things – a voice, funds and dedication. The more members we have the more decision-makers listen; 23,000 signatures for our road verge campaign have proved this.
Plantlife wants more members. There are only about 7,500 of us. Many county wildlife trusts have four-times as many. The more of us there are, the more conservation we can do. Please will you consider joining us?
We know you love the natural world and want it to be protected for future generations. So we’d like to offer you a 50% discount on your first year of Plantlife membership (usually £36 per year). You will receive our magazine three times a year, invitations to events such as Members’ Day, but most of all you will be contributing to protecting wild plants and fungi and the ecosystems which depend on them.
Joining is easy, just visit our website. When you get to the checkout, just enter ORCHID in the discount code box. If you would like more information to circulate, there are contact details below.
We need as much help as we can get to protect our essential ecosystems and we would love you to be part of Plantlife.
For more information visit www.plantlife.org.uk https://shop.plantlife.org.uk/collections/membership or email alex.christian@plantlife.org.uk
This briefing concentrates on the interaction between bees and a group of insecticides – known as neonicotinoids – which have been in the spotlight after a number of studies yielded evidence (although much of that evidence is contested) of sub-lethal, harmful effects on bees. In July 2015, the UK Government granted an emergency authorisation for the use of restricted neonicotinoids on oil seed rape seeds in four English counties. Similar application for emergency authorisations for 2016 and 2017 were rejected.
Click here for more information: Commons Library analysis: Bees and neonicotinoids – Commons Library briefing – UK Parliament
The order Psocoptera is one of the least recorded insect groups. This lack of recording is not because the species are rarely encountered – on the contrary; almost every tree in Britain is likely to be home to some of these creatures and psocids are far more abundant than some insect orders (e.g. lacewings).
Click on the link for more information: National Barkfly (Outdoor Psocoptera) Recording Scheme
The Buckinghamshire Fungus Group will have an exhibition at Aylesbury County Museum on 7 October 2017 to celebrate National Fungus Day.
Open to the public from 11am till 4pm, there will be not only fresh local fungi on display but also a microscope and sporeprint corner run by Derek, a TV screen showing a wide range of county fungus photos taken by members, a fungus-based activity area for children, banners and posters and much more!
Click on the link for more information.
How to identify aphids to the genus level – characteristics and images
Click on this link for more information: Aphid identification to genera
Hundreds of years after the dodo died out, new facts are emerging about the life history of the bird.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Secret life of the dodo revealed – BBC News
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Farmoor Reservoir on 4 October 2017:
This giant concrete bowl beside the Thames holds waterfowl, waders, wagtails and farmland birds.
Meet in the car park (£2 parking all day)
Toilets on site, easy walking around the reserve.
When we last visited this reserve (October 2015) we saw “Grebes Galore”! (although sadly not the Red-necked Grebe that had been seen there earlier in the week) – but we did see plenty of waterfowl, plus Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail and a Yellow-legged Gull.
Leader : Brian LloydTime: 10 am to 1 pm
Price: Parking £2 (at June 2017)
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Bob Ryan has created an interesting collection of heteroptera photos on Flickr. Use this link to see more of Bob’s photos.
Heteroptera of the British Isles
A significant number of plants rely on birds to act as dispersal agents for their seeds. As an incentive, the plants often offer nutritious fleshy fruits to attract birds to take the seeds, hidden inside, and ingest them. The seeds have tough external coats that protect them from the digestive systems of birds, allowing them to be deposited elsewhere once they have passed through the bird’s gut.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Feeding on fruits and seeds | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Bucks Bird Club will be hosting a field Trip to College Lake on 1 October 2017
An introduction to wild flowers, this practical day will help you identify some of those found in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Following a brief introduction to ways of identifying plants, most of the day will be spent outside. The location, a blend of urban park and wildlife haven, will surprise in its diversity.
Click on the link for more information: Identifying Autumn Wild Flowers – 66158 – FSC
A hungry arctic fox, mating sea angels and playful brown bears are among the creatures captured by photographers for this year’s competition. The exhibition opens on 20 October at the Natural History Museum
Source: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 finalists – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian
Harlequin Ladybird ©Peter Hassett at Preston Montford 4 August 2015
Ladybugs are famous for their spotted wing cases. But researchers in Japan were interested in what was happening under that colorful exterior: How delicate wings were folding origami-like into place.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Scientists Sneak A Peek At How Ladybugs Fold Their Wings : The Two-Way : NPR
At the 2017 British Birdfair at Rutland Water Raptor Persecution UK joined with Chris Packham to launch a new joint project.
Privately funded by a pair of extraordinarily generous and supportive philanthropists, this project has been in development since the New Year. We are grateful not only to our funders, but also to a number of people without whose help the project would have been a non-starter.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: A shedload of golden eagles satellite tagged in new RPUK/Chris Packham project | Raptor Persecution UK
More than 70 organisations from across multiple sectors have joined forces to create a Charter for Trees, Woods and People that will guide policy and practice in the UK. We believe the people of the UK have a right to the many benefits brought by trees and woods. The new Tree Charter, launching on 6 November 2017, will recognise, celebrate and protect this right.
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Floodplain Forest NR on 24 September 2017:
Location: Meet in car park (free) SP 816 421, Haversham Road near railway viaduct.
This Parks Trust reserve, formerly “Manor Farm”, should be good for passage waders at this time of year.
All welcome
Leader: Chris Ward, 01908-669448
Time: 10 am to 12.30 pm
Price: Free
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
If you’ve ever wondered how a diving beetle swims through the water or manages to rest just on the surface, the answer is in part because its foot is infinitely more complicated than your own. As seen above, this microscopic image of a male Acilius sulcatus (diving beetle) by photographer Igor Siwan
Fungus by Peter Hassett, Bow Brickhill 1 November 2014
Did you know that there are over 1,500 species of fungi in London? This beginners course will explore the environment of Bushy Park, showing how and where to find different species of fungi and examining their amazing lifestyles. A combination of walks and talks will help you start to learn the basic identification techniques. This course will not teach you how to forage fungi for food.
Click on the link for more information: Identifying Fungi – 66169 – FSC
Winning and shortlisted images from this year’s competition, from awe-inspiring action shots to charming portraits, featured in a new book celebrating some of the best bird photography of the year
Click here to view the pictures: Bird Photographer of the Year 2017 – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian
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 on the link to read the rest of the article: How flexible can birds be with feather moult? | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Scotland has a new species of butterfly: the elusive and endangered white-letter hairstreak has been discovered in a field in Berwickshire, 100 metres from the English border.
Source: Rare butterfly spotted in Scotland for the first time since 1884 | Environment | The Guardian
A new test can distinguish between Lyme disease and another tick-borne disease with nearly identical symptoms. This could enable doctors to treat the condition much sooner, preventing its debilitating symptoms from setting in.
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:
Location: The Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes
Postcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)
Paul got our 2015/16 season off to a great start with his talk on “Orange Cats & Blue Cows”.
This time he’ll take us to a place with an old Colonial feel, but firmly in the New World. With a mix of rain-forest and stunning beaches, highlights will include dashing hummingbirds, bright Scarlet Ibis and the bizarre nocturnal cave dwelling Oilbird.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
Clean Water for Wildlife is a citizen science survey that aims to raise awareness of the true extent of nutrient pollution in England & Wales.
Click on this link to see how you can become involved in this project: Clean Water for Wildlife – Freshwater Habitats TrustFreshwater Habitats Trust
Hannah Worker, the Freshwater Habitats Trust Project Assistant has provided additional information:
I’m writing to you from the Freshwater Habitats Trust to request your help to find clean unpolluted ponds, streams and ditches where wildlife can thrive.
Through our citizen science survey, Clean Water for Wildlife, we are supplying volunteers with simple kits that rapidly measure the water quality of local ponds, streams and ditches. Through the survey we hope to build a map of water quality across the country and to find amazing clean (unpolluted) freshwater habitats where wildlife can thrive. Would you be able to help publicise the survey to your members? I hope this is something they would be interested in taking part.
Why is the survey important?
Clean unpolluted water supports rich and diverse communities of freshwater plants and animals, including many of our now rarest species. It is often the best indicator of a thriving waterbody. Despite its importance very little is known about the water quality in most freshwater habitats, particularly in our smaller waters. Until recently it was only possible to measure water quality through expensive laboratory tests, now with simple kits it takes just a few minutes. With new technology it is now possible to fill in the gaps in our knowledge and it presents an opportunity to find many more really special clean waters where wildlife can flourish.
The kits
The kits rapidly measure the levels of two widespread nutrients pollutants, nitrate and phosphate, and can be used in all type of freshwater habitats (garden ponds, ditches, streams, fens, rivers and more). With these quick kits people can now actively participant in current scientific research into water quality and help to discover clean water habitats where wildlife can thrive. You can see the kits in action in our short ‘How to Video’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63teHzPeX4M&t=4s)
For more information please visit
http://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/projects/clean-water/
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Hannah
Hannah Worker
Freshwater Habitats Trust Project Assistant(Please note I work on several projects and may be away from my desk for periods of time. This may mean there is a delay in my response)
07741495682
www.freshwaterhabitats.org.ukFreshwater Habitats Trust, 1st Floor, Bury Knowle House, North Place, Headington, Oxford, OX3 9HY
– Summer Leys NR 14 January 2017
The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Rutland Water on 6 September 2017
A full day at England’s premier inland water site, for wader passage and perhaps departing ospreys.
Shop selling some snacks and hot drinks, toilets, but no cafe so you may want to bring lunch.
Always produces a good list of birds (57 species when we visited in September 2016) and, with some late summer sunshine, possibly some butterflies too.
See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information
Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 17 September 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.
The reserve is open to friends and family,
Bring the neighbours too.
Waders and other migrating birds are on the move.
Come and check out what’s dropped in.
Stop off at the centre for a fresh cuppa and a piece of home-made cake.
Buy a unique gift and some bird-seed too.
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Red-necked Grebe by Peter Hassett, Draycote Water 1 March 2017
You may be interested in this free app, available for Apple and Android devices:
Smartphones are becoming an increasingly important part of birding. If you want to be the first person to hear about a rare bird, digiscope a rarity, or submitting your sightings, having a small portable computer at your fingertips is enabling all of this to happen. We also look to our smartphones as identification aids now that field guides are packaged into apps. But what if your app could instantly scan your photo and match it to a species based on an archive of millions of bird images? It can.
The Merlin Bird ID app was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to do just this, taking a photo you snap in the field, and suggesting an identification. Photo ID identifies birds in photos using computer vision technology trained on nearly 3 million images uploaded to Macaulay Library through eBird checklists.
The high accuracy of the Photo ID tool is largely thanks to the extensive collection of images at Macaulay Library, showing birds from many different angles. Annotations on these images (a box drawn around each bird in the photo) also help teach the Photo ID tool to find the birds in the photo–-anyone can help improve Merlin’s accuracy by adding new annotations with Macaulay’s MerlinVision tool.
Click on the link for more information: Blog – Merlin Bird ID app – SWAROVSKI OPTIK
Bucks Bird Club will be hosting a field Trip to Titchfield Haven on 17 September 2017
Deforestation and climate change appear to be amplifying droughts in the Amazon
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Study finds human influence in the Amazon’s third 1-in-100 year drought since 2005 | John Abraham | Environment | The Guardian
The Barrie Jones Award Lecture 2017 Poster
Dear sir/madam,
We have the pleasure of inviting you to attend the Barrie Jones Award Public Lecture at the Open University, regarding the search for life in the universe which we hope will be of interest to you and your students. The lecture will be held in the Berrill Lecture Theatre at the Open University, on Wednesday 13th September 2017 at 6 pm. It is a public lecture and there is no charge for admission. See attached flyer for more information.
We would very much welcome your attendance to this event. I do hope that you will be able to confirm your attendance to this invitation by 8th September, so we can accommodate numbers accordingly.
We look forward to meeting you in the Berrill Lecture Theatre at the Open University.
Yours sincerely
Manish Patel
Senior Lecturer in Planetary Sciences”
Tree Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 24 February 2017
My name is Sarah Miller and I am a Masters student from the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University. As part of my degree course, I am undertaking a research project. The project is about investigating public attitudes towards bee conservation.
Use this link to complete the questionnaire.
The Vegetative Key to the British Flora
The Vegetative Key to the British Flora: A new approach to naming British vascular plants based on vegetative characters is today available free of charge for people who own a kIndle or use the Kindle app.
Click here for more information.
The solar eclipse isn’t exactly an everyday event, and it’s something that brings together photographers, amateur astronomers and the public alike in an attempt to catch a glimpse of its celestial beauty. But if you missed it for one reason or another, then fear not. NASA – being the astronomical experts they are – have captured images almost as rare and stunning as the eclipse itself.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: These are NASA’s Awe-Inspiring Images of the Solar Eclipse 2017 | Nature TTL
Conservationists are celebrating these camera trap images of a pine marten taken on the North York Moors.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why this pine marten is causing excitement in Yorkshire | Discover Wildlife
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Work Sunday at Linford Lakes NR
3 September 2017 10:00-13:00hrs.
Help needed to care for the reserve.
Time for tea and a chat too.
Healthy exercise in the fresh air, all good fun!
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Do you live in or around London? Here’s a great opportunity if you’re new to birding or have a little experience. Spend a day in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park learning how to identify the resident and migrant birds found here – and more widely throughout London. With the River Lea running through the middle of the Park and new wetlands and woodlands created alongside, we’ll be able to see how well birds are colonising the area just a few years after the 2012 Olympic Games. We’ll be watching, listening and using the latest smartphone apps to help you become more confident in your identification, learn more about bird behaviour and increase your enjoyment of birdwatching generally.
Click on the link for more information: Identifying Birds by Sight and Sound – 66148 – FSC
Bucks Bird Club will be hosting a field Trip to Farmoor Reservoir on 3 September 2017
Daubenton’s bat by Chris Damant
During this introductory day and evening course in Bushy Park we will look at bats in general, but with emphasis on the 17 species of British bats. Starting with their biology, evolution and environmental requirements for feeding, living and breeding, etc, we will then cover classification and names of our native species and how we identify them in the hand, with the assistance of some live bats. We will also learn how bat detectors can be used to identify bats in flight, using their echolocation calls, and there will be a practical session in the Park in the evening, using bat detectors to find and identify some of our common bats in flight.
Click on the link for more information: Bats and their Natural History – 66149 – FSC
Brushing past a plant in the undergrowth whilst out walking might sound fairly innocuous. In the case of Giant Hogweed, however, it’s anything but. This plant’s sap can cause burns and blistering a…
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Compound Interest – The chemistry of Giant Hogweed and how it causes skin burns
Until now, insects have been too wriggly to make good subjects for scientists wanting to understand more about insect innards.
But an interdisciplinary team of biologists and imaging specialists from Western University has worked out a novel micro-imaging solution that’s leading to unprecedented new ways of viewing insect development.
Click on the play button to watch the video
Click here to read the rest of the article: New scanning process allows unprecedented look inside live insects
Wetland Plant Walk 9th Sept 2017
Wetland Plant Walk – Cock Marsh (Cookham)
Saturday 9th September, 10:30-12:00
Join us for a guided walk around the Cock Marsh Ponds and discover more about the wetland plants that make this site so special.
Cock Marsh is one of 70 selected flagship sites. Flagship Sites are the best of the best ponds and pond landscapes in England and Wales. Cock Marsh itself supports several of our rarest and most threatened wetland plants. With the help of local volunteers and support from the Heritage Lottery Fund we are working to protect these ponds for the long term.
From 12pm onwards there will be chance to learn how to identify a selection of rare wetland plants before trying your hand at surveying them across the site.
No booking is required to this free event.
For more information or to let us know about any special requirements please email Peter at pcase@freshwaterhabitats.org.uk
Peregrine by Harry Appleyard, Hazeley Wood, 29 May 2016
Roads can be dangerous to wildlife. Animals making the perilous journey against the traffic run the risk of meeting an untimely death. Until recently, it was widely believed, unlike other animals, birds were largely unaffected by the presence of roads and traffic, simply because they could fly.
A new study, published in the open-access journal, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, reveals this is not the case. Birds can find roads challenging too – they are less likely to be found next to roads and are hesitant to cross them.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Birds avoid crossing roads to prevent predation
Turtle Dove, Julie’s garden, Julie Lane, January 2014
Several RSPB members living in Staple, Kent, pooled their money and donations from friends to buy the feeding ground of migratory turtle doves when it came up for sale in summer 2016.
Source: Villagers go extra mile for turtle doves | Discover Wildlife
How to sow a wildflower mini-meadow in your garden in 4 easy steps.
Click here to read the article: How to sow a wildflower mini-meadow | Discover Wildlife
A dinosaur that seemed to be an evolutionary mishmash turns out to have a key place in history.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: ‘Frankenstein dinosaur’ mystery solved – BBC News
Volucella zonaria Hoverfly ©Julie Lane. Johnson’s Field, Olney. 25 July 2017
Our co-chairman Julie Lane recently reported seeing the hoverfly Volucella zonaria in her garden in Olney. Julie describes Volucella zonaria as
Very beautiful and hornet like! It’s larvae lives in wasps nests scavenging on detritus.
This guide will help you identify other Volucella hoverflies
Starling by Harry Appleyard, 20 April 2016
Mercury is an ubiquitous environmental contaminant that affects the health of birds and other wild animals. Two varieties of songbird — zebra finch and European starling — were found to shed mercury accumulation with their feathers in a recent study.
Source: Molting feathers may help birds deal with environmental contaminants — ScienceDaily
Nesting Hedgehog by Susie Lane, Skelton, Cumbria 20 May 2017
Today (15 August 2017) sees the launch of the “hedgehog housing census”. All over the country, thousands of people are going to the trouble and expense of building or buying hedgehog homes. We want to know how important this is to the lives of one of our most loved animals – and how we can improve the way we help hedgehogs in the future.
Click on the link to find out more: There’s a way to save hedgehogs – and all of us can help | Hugh Warwick | Opinion | The Guardian
Volunteers play an essential role within Observatree. They are critical ‘citizen scientists’ who help perform a number of functions.
How anyone can help – Increasing surveillance and reporting
This could be you! We aren’t looking for any huge commitment. All we ask is that you keep an eye out when you’re out and about around trees:
- Look out for unusual pests and diseases or even for symptoms that look worrying
- Report unusual sightings through Tree Alert – find out how to report
Click on the link for more information: Observatree – the official project website
Elephant hawk moth Caterpillar, Deilephilia Elpenor by Julian Lambley, Old Wolverton Mill, 11 September 2016
Caterpillars are not pests. I know the cabbage white will make light work of your tea, the clothes moth will leave your finery in tatters and the tomato moth will munch through your ripening tomatoes, but for every one that is after your crops or clothes, there is another that brings beauty to your garden. And not just in the obvious fluttering way: those fat teenaged blue tits ganging around your garden right now are almost pure caterpillar. They are an essential part of the food chain.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why gardeners should protect caterpillars | Life and style | The Guardian
Silver-washed Fritallary (male) ©Paul Young, Bucknell Wood 8 July 2017
Highlights
•Urban abundance trends were negative for all 28 UK butterfly species considered.
•Trends were more negative in urban versus rural areas for 25/28 species.
•Declines in composite abundance were significantly more negative for urban areas.
•Urban populations generally showed earlier emergence and longer flight periods.
•Indicators are vital for monitoring populations pressurised by urbanisation.
Click here to read the rest of the article Urban indicators for UK butterflies – ScienceDirect
At 8pm every Sunday, we all share pictures of flowers we have found growing wild in Britain and Ireland over the preceding week. Of course, if you’re busy at that time, you can always post something during the week – but 8-9pm is when we have a proper party.
Click on the link for more information: About us – #wildflowerhour
Linford Lakes Nature Reserve visitors enjoying an Open Sunday
Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 20 August 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.
Activities for the family today.
Simon Bunker has two sessions on;-
An Introduction to Grasshoppers & Bush Crickets.
Morning session 10:30- 12:30. Afternoon session 13:30 – 15:30.
No need to book, just turn up.
Crafts, bird seed and refreshments & home-cakes on sale.
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The British Trust for Ornithology has published the 2016 Breeding Bird Survey.
Grass-Carrying Wasp, Isodontia mexicana (de Saussure), is recorded as new to Britain. Morphological characters are given, and illustrated, to establish its identity and a key is provided to distinguish it from other British Sphecidae. Notes are provided on bionomics, the circumstances of its arrival and its status in Britain.
Mary Holland has written a very interesting article about how spiders spin silk.
Click here to read the article: Spider Silk | Naturally Curious with Mary Holland
CONSERVATIONISTS are celebrating a revival in numbers of one of the country’s rarest amphibians at a Bedfordshire reserve, despite difficult breeding conditions.
Last month RSPB wardens and volunteers counted more than 300 of the thumnail-sized natterjack toads emerging from the pools at the RSPB’s nature reserve at The Lodge, in Sandy.
Read more at http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/rare-natterjack-toadlets-causing-a-stir-on-rspb-nature-reserve/story-30473412-detail/story.html#EBObXYwxkBF5jLUJ.99
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Baby boom as rare natterjack toadlets spotted in their hundreds at Sandy RSPB lodge | Bedfordshire News
There are now four species of wild snake native to the UK, not three as scientists first thought.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: New grass snake discovered in the UK – BBC News
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has launched the first online database of the world’s flora.
Plants of the World Online (POWO) contains information on identification, distribution, traits, threat status, molecular phylogenies and uses of all known seed-bearing plants around the world.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Comprehensive plant database can be accessed by everyone | Discover Wildlife
Chaffinch by Tony Wood. Linford Lakes NR. 8 June 2016
Over the last century, land use in the UK has changed drastically. Small mixed-crop farms, traditionally separated by lanes, hedgerows and wild meadows have been replaced with larger, more specialised facilities. At the same time, the density of grazing animals such as sheep and cattle has also risen substantially. This combination of land-use change and agricultural intensification has contributed significantly to habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, and has led to huge, often dire, changes for the wildlife that call these places home.
For the first time in recorded history, a pair of Night Herons has bred in the UK. Two adults and two recently fledged juveniles are now roosting at Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve, having either bred there or nearby on the Avalon Marshes site
Source: Night Herons breed in Somerset – a UK first, #Ornithology news from @SomersetWT via @RareBirdAlertUK
Red Admiral by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 20 December 2016
By any standards, it was a poor day to count butterflies. Denbies Hillside, on the south-facing flank of the North Downs – supposedly a summer haven for lepidopterists – was swept by wind and heavy showers. Butterflies, like humans, take a poor view of such conditions and had made themselves scarce.
Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Red Admiral spotting: desperately seeking a British butterfly revival | Environment | The Guardian
The Wildlife Gardening Forum have a new website http://wlgf.org.
They are looking for photos particularly invertebrates. Click here for more information.
Would anyone be happy to help at the event below? It would be great if someone from the society can give them a hand.
From: Kirstin McIntosh
Email:<kirstin@miaswood.org.uk>
Message:
“Hello there,
I am the co-founder of a children’s environmental charity, Mia’s Wood (registered charity number 1169919), which is located on a small 2 acre newly planted woodland site just outside Little Horwood (the entrance is on the Little Horwood Road towards Great Horwood.)
We hold an annual children’s nature festival, MiaFest, and we are always looking for naturalists and knowledgeable folk who might be willing to speak to children to teach them about different aspects of nature. I have found this quite challenging so far, as many of the big groups provide online resources rather than hands-on experience. This year, MiaFest will be held on Saturday 23rd September 12 noon-late and I’d love it if we could find a way to share your members’ nature knowledge with our little MiaFesters.
http://www.dfmanagement.tv/category/wildlife-presenters
MiaFest is a free children’s nature festival where we have 500 people who come along to enjoy a magical day of fun together. There are all kinds of nature crafts and activities, as well as music, food and experiences. Here’s a link to our website www.miaswood.org.uk and you can find MiaFest here, as well as some of our activities.
Mia’s Wood is a children’s environmental charity which has been set up in the memory of our daughter, who died unexpectedly at the age of 13 months. Even at that age, she loved the outdoors, and we want Mia’s Wood to be a way for children to experience the wonder of nature.
We have two Forest Schools using Mia’s Wood, and we hold regular events at the site to maintain the little woodland and nature activities.
For MiaFest, we have previously had Kate from BBOWT and her team to support us, but otherwise, it has proved very challenging to have an educational element around nature for children. We know the Parks Trust quite well, but they always have an event clash with MiaFest, and otherwise, groups like The Woodland Trust are not able to support us as so much of their material is online learning only.
Ideally, I would love someone who could help us to engage children in observation skills – perhaps something as simple as insect identification and why they are different, or even learning about different types of trees and leaves. I’d be very happy to discuss further if it would help.
MKNHS Indoor Meeting by Peter Hassett
The Society’s programme of events for September to December 2017 can now be viewed on the Programme page of the website.
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Sunday 13th August 2017,
Coach Trip to Lackford Lakes,
All day event.
A few seats available.
Please contact gjgevents@gmail.com if interested.
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Work Sunday at Linford Lakes NR
6 August 2017 10:00-13:00hrs.
Tree Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 24 February 2017
Many insect pollinators are becoming less widespread in Britain and elsewhere and we have limited understanding of the effect of these changes on the pollination services they provide. This is largely due to the lack of long-term, standardised monitoring of their populations.
Source: Establishing a UK Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Scarce Chaser Dragonfly by Martin Kincaid, Linford Lakes NR 27 July 2017
On Thursday 27th July, Martin Kincaid spotted a dragonfly at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve which turned out to be a Scarce Chaser Libellula fulva. This species, once restricted to East Anglia, has undergone a period of range expansion in recent years and has been found across Northants. This however is the first record for this species in Milton Keynes. Similar to the more common Black Tailed Skimmer, this species can be told apart by the blue tinted eyes and slightly thicker abdomen.
Picture and text by Martin Kincaid
Tardigrades are arguably the toughest animals on earth, as Brett Westwood discovered when recording Natural Histories. With the appearance of a hoover bag and powers that put most sci-fi heroes to shame, these micro-animals can withstand being boiled, frozen or blasted into outer space…
Here are 10 tough facts to put you in your place.
Source: BBC Radio 4 – Natural Histories – What Are Tardigrades?
A recovery from near total collapse has led North Sea cod stocks to be labelled as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council for the first time in 20 years
Click here to read the rest of the article: Sustainable British cod on the menu after stocks recover | Environment | The Guardian
