Scientists find live specimens of the giant shipworm, described as “rare and enigmatic”.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Live, long and black giant shipworm found in Philippines – BBC News

New research led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has revealed for the first time that flower-rich habitats are key to enhancing the survival of bumblebee families between years.The results, which come from the largest ever study of its kind on wild bumblebee populations, will help farmers and policy makers manage the countryside more effectively to provide for these vital but declining pollinators.

Source: Flower-rich habitats increase survival of bumblebee families | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Blackbird by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 10 April 2016

Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Mistle Thrushes were all recorded in good numbers during BTO’s Garden BirdWatch in 2016, but some species fared poorly.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: BTO: Thrushes prosper in British gardens

Researchers at the San Diego Natural History Museum, along with experts from Mexico and Brazil, have described a new species of large cave-dwelling spider, the Sierra Cacachilas wandering spider (Califorctenus cacachilensis). Related to the notoriously venomous Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria fera), the Sierra Cacachilas wandering spider was first discovered on a collaborative research expedition in 2013 into a small mountain range outside of La Paz in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Four years later, after careful documentation and peer-review, the species and genus was deemed new to science and the discovery was published in Zootaxa on March 2, 2017.

Source: International Team Discovers Large Cave-Dwelling Spider

UK butterflies suffered their fourth worst year on record in 2016 with the majority of species experiencing a decline in numbers, a study has revealed.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – Butterflies crash in fourth worst year on record

Hello everyone, I hope you wont mind me contacting you but the National Trust, who survey for the Duke on their land at Ivinghoe, would like us to do the same on Pitstone Hill in the coming late spring and early summer.

As you are probably aware the Duke is now extinct in Oxfordshire. Reduced to perhaps a single site in Berkshire (it wasn’t reported at all in 2016) and is hanging on in three sites in Bucks.. By far the largest of the three extant colonies is at Ivinghoe and the National Trust have not only been caring for it there but also managing Pitstone Hill so that it’s condition becomes suitable for the species to spread. This is essential if we are to make a successful job of saving the Duke. It must expand from its relatively small breeding areas into new patches of suitable habitat. The Natioanl Trust’s own volunteers will be surveying the large expanse of the Ivinghoe complex for the species but they feel that they cant adequately survey Pitstone Hill as well.

I plan to hold an initial meeting at Pitstone Hill at 11.00 on Thursday 25th May. (OS ref. SP955148 , Nearest postcode: LU7 9EN

http://www.ukcarparks.info/pitstone-hill-car-park-pitstone#sthash.iJTu5vqr.dpbs  )

We will take a walk to see the areas where the Duke is most likely to set up a new colony and with luck see the butterfly, its eggs and maybe even a larvae. Even if we don’t have any luck I shall show you images of the butterfly, egg, larvae and the type of feeding damage the larvae causes on leaves, which are readily spotted and make surveying for the Duke fairly straightforward. This meeting will last about 2 hours and after that you will be able to go back and survey at times to suit yourself, and we can also agree on two further search dates, to resurvey as a group if you would prefer to search with others.
…
This  is a chance to take part in a very worthwhile exercise. It would be brilliant to discover a new colony of the Duke, the first for decades. Even if we don’t succeed this year, we will establish a group to return each year, because eventually the Duke will make it the 500 m or so from the edge of the Ivinghoe colony to the slopes of Pitstone Hill.

There is also a previous event at NT Bradenham estate (meeting point to be decided, probably the cricket ground), this initial visit will be 17th May.

If you think you might be able to help with this work, even only making a single visit; please email me (Nick Bowles <nick.bowles@ntlworld.com> ) so that I can add your name to my list of those receiving updates. Thank you.

best wishes Nick Bowles
Chair, Upper Thames branch / BC
Butterfly Conservation will never swap, sell or rent your details to anyone. We will always follow the strict code of conduct set out by the Fundraising Standards Board.  You can change how you hear from us or unsubscribe from our mailing lists at any time, just let us know.

Save Our Magnificent Meadows is the UK’s largest partnership project transforming the fortunes of vanishing wildflower meadows, grasslands and wildlife.

They have produced some useful guides:

• Surveying and monitoring grassland habitats
• Surveying and monitoring grassland species

Click on the link to view the guides: Magnificent Meadows

There have been only a handful of occasions in my professional life when I’ve been sent a manuscript to review that has caused my jaw to hit the floor with amazement.  The last time it occurred was July 2016 when I received a request to review a study that claimed to have found a fossil flower in amber, with an associated pollinator.  Not only that, but the flower appeared to belong to a species of asclepiad (Apocynaceae subfamily Asclepiadoideae) – the plant group on which I have focused a good deal of my attention over the years.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: A fossilised flower in amber – with its pollinator! | Jeff Ollerton’s Biodiversity Blog

Red-tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Howe Park Wood 14 March 2017

This handy tool helps you identify bumblebees by filtering photos based on the colour of the bumblebee.

Source: UK bumblebee species guide | Blooms for Bees

Welcome to New Nature- a magazine created to help promote, showcase and aid young people passionate about nature, conservation and ecology.

Click here to read the magazine.

Chaffinch by Tony Wood. Linford Lakes NR. 8 June 2016

Estimates suggest that perhaps a quarter of a billion birds are killed by traffic annually across the world. This is surprising because birds have been shown to learn speed limits.

Birds have also been shown to adapt to the direction of traffic and lane use, and this apparently results in reduced risks of fatal traffic accidents. Such behavioural differences suggest that individual birds that are not killed in traffic should have larger brains for their body size.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Brain size in birds is related to traffic accidents | Open Science

The yellow or greenish-yellow feet of the little egret are characteristic of this small heron, the coloration developing while the young are still in the nest.

Little egrets usually feed in fairly shallow water, moving forward with slow and deliberate steps, interspersed with frequent halts.

Source: Why do little egrets have yellow feet? | Discover Wildlife

One of the Society’s initiatives this year is to encourage more people to report their sightings to create biological records.

To help people we have produced a list of recommended Identification Guides covering:
Birds
Fungi and Lichen
Insects
Mammals
Millipedes and Centipedes
Plants
Reptiles and Amphibians
Slugs and Snails
Spiders and Harvestmen
Woodlice
Miscellaneous

There is also a new page on Recording and our indoor meeting on 25^th April 2017 is entitles “How to Record”

You can find the new pages under the  menu.

We will put our new found knowledge into practice by recording our sightings in our outdoor meetings which you can view here.

The new discoveries suggest Cape York Peninsula could be a hotspot for spider diversity in Australia.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: More than 50 new spider species discovered in northern Queensland – Australian Geographic

It might look like a frozen wasteland, but beneath the inhospitable surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, life could be thriving in warm underground seas, scientists believe.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Nasa announces alien life could be thriving on Saturn’s moon Enceladus

Male Willow Emerald Damselfly by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Valley Park 14 October 2016

Ian Saunders has produced another of his excellent guides for the Wildlife SItes section of the website.

This time he describes Tattenhoe. Click here to visit the page in the Wildlife Sites section of this website.

But that’s not all. Ian’s guide is based on an extensive description of the site with wonderful photos produced by local naturalist Harry Appleyard. Harry has also produced a self-guided walk for this must see park.

View Harry’s extensive description of the site here.

View Harry’s self-guided walk here.

The amount of new woodland created in England last year amounts to under 700 hectares, an area little bigger than London’s Olympic Park.

This falls far short of yearly targets needed to plant 11 million trees by 2020 and raise woodland cover from 10 to 12% by 2060, say MPs.

Source: ‘Step change’ needed to create more woodland – BBC News

A conservation charity wants to reintroduce beavers to the northwest Highlands.
Findhorn-based Trees for Life said it has been working for more than 25 years on a plan to bring back the once native species to parts of Scotland.

Source: Bid to bring beavers to northwest Highlands – BBC News

Download our spotting sheets and take them with you when you go wildlife spotting.

Source: Wildlife Watch – Spotting sheets

Curlew by Peter Hassett, Draycote Water 1 March 2017

Europe’s largest wader is a high conservation priority.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Curlew at risk of global extinction | Discover Wildlife

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve on 23 April 2017:

Location: Map ref TL 195 629, at W edge of Little Paxton, just off the A1 N of St.Neots
Postcode: PE19 6ET (Google map)

75 hectares of lakes, meadow, grassland, scrub and woodland next to the river Great Ouse, near St.Neots. A visit at this time of year to this particular location is all about Nightingales – hence the early start! Leader TBD. The café and toilets open after 10am.

Time: 08.30 am

Price: Free

See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Robin by Peter Hassett, College Lake 29 December 2016

Most of 2016 was warmer than average, but this didn’t mean that life was always easy for birds. Mild temperatures over the 2015/16 winter probably resulted in good over-winter survival of small garden birds, and numbers of Wrens, Coal Tits and Goldcrests were all high in gardens during the early part of the year. However, although birds escaped severe freezes, they were battered by storms and wet weather.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: GBW Annual Results 2016 | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Natural England and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) have launched a new online database and analytical tool called Pantheon, which helps us better understand conservation status and habitat-related traits of invertebrates.

Click on the link for more information: Online analytical tool launched to aid invertebrate conservation – GOV.UK

Red Admiral by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe Park 22nd September 2016

Have you seen a Red Admiral? Please record it!

The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a migratory butterfly colonising Central and Northern Europe every year from the South. In autumn, the offspring of these spring arrivals migrate southwards.

We investigate the migration of the Red Admiral by the help of citizen science. Thanks to the more than 40 citizen science portals across Europe that share their data with us, we are now able to study Red Admiral occurrence in an unprecedented spatio-temporal resolution.

Now we need you to help our project! Please report any records of Red Admirals

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Red Admiral migration | Insect Migration & Ecology Lab

Garden bird enthusiasts might be surprised – shocked even – to discover the goings on in their own back gardens. Between the well-kept flowerbeds and over neatly-trimmed lawns, nesting garden birds flit to and fro, their endeavours to rear their young a shining example of what hard-working, faithful couples can achieve. Or so, until relatively recently, it was presumed.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Who’s the daddy? | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Robin by Peter Hassett, College Lake 29 December 2016

Learn the most familiar of our birdsong from the comfort of your garden and enrich your experience of that morning cuppa. Encourage more birds by planting trees and expand your knowledge of the soundscape.

Source: Bird song identifier: common garden bird songs – Woodland Trust

A list of tree species around the world has been compiled by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) in conjunction with 500 member organisations.

The assessment has created Global Tree Search, the first complete database of tree species and country distributions, published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: We share the planet with 60,000 tree species | Discover Wildlife

The main theme of The State of the UK’s Birds report (SUKB) 2016 is the latest Birds of Conservation Concern 4 list – BoCC4 published in 2015 – and the species whose status has changed. The increase in the Red list by 15 species is due to problems in all habitats including farmland, woodland and coasts but most notably in uplands with five new upland species moving onto the red list. One of these is Curlew.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: State of UK Birds 2016 | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology

Green-winged Orchid in Pilch Fields by Peter Hassett

Ann Biggins ( the Reserve Warden) and Jenny Mercer will be leading a walk at  Pilch Field Nature Reserve  on  Easter Monday 17 April 2017 at 2:30 pm

Buckinghamshire Fungus Group (BFG) are hosting a Fungi walk in Rushbeds Wood 17 April 2017.

Details of the event can be found here.

Please note that, if you are not a member of BFG, you are asked to contact Penny Cullington if you would like to attend any meetings.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Open Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 16 April 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.

Bring friends and family and explore the reserve.
There will be a nature hunt for families to take part in,
With rewards on completion for the younger family members.
Come along and see the herons on their nests.
Refreshments, home-made cakes and facilities available
Crafts, second-hand books and bird seed for sale.
.

Red Kite by Peter Hassett

A Red Kite has been shot dead near Toddington.

Source: Appeal after Red Kite found shot in Bedfordshire wood – Bedford Today

The world’s spiders eat 400-800m tonnes of insects every year – as much meat and fish as humans consume over the same period, a study said Tuesday.

In the first analysis of its kind, researchers used data from 65 previous studies to estimate that a total of 25m metric tonnes of spiders exist on Earth.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: World’s spiders devour 400-800m metric tons of insects yearly – experts | Environment | The Guardian

Butterfly Conservation has today strongly welcomed the sentencing of a collector found guilty of illegally catching and killing the UK’s rarest butterfly.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – Legal history made as butterfly collector sentenced

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

38 Degrees are running a petition to the ban on bee-killing pesticides.

Britain’s bees are in danger. Powerful lobbyists want to spray toxic pesticides that kill bees all over our fields this summer. These pesticides are so deadly that there’s a ban on using them – so the lobbyists must convince the Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom to lift the ban.

Andrea Leadsom is fairly new to the job – and this is the first time she’s had the fate of our bees in her hands. But so far, the only people she’s heard from are lobbyists. Together, we can change that. A huge petition, delivered straight to her, would prove that the public expect her to protect our bees – and keep the ban in place

Please can you sign the petition right now and demand that the ban on bee-killing pesticides stays in place? It takes less than a minute to add your name:
http://bit.ly/2n18De6

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are hosting a talk:

Location: Cruck Barn, City Discovery Centre, Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes
Postcode: MK13 9AP (Google map)
Andy, the Bucks Bird Recorder for the last 28 years, also leads overseas natural history tours. He’ll draw on all of his experience to take us on a virtual tour of this spectacular landscape where traditional farming and herding practices allow biodiversity to thrive. Birds, flowers, butterflies and moths … and maybe a bear!

Time: Doors open 7.15 pm for a prompt 7.45 pm start
Price: Group members £2.50, Non-Group members £3.50, Children £1

See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Why aren’t there more green butterflies?

Click here for the answer: Why aren’t there more green butterflies? | Discover Wildlife

On a moonless night, light levels can by more than 100m times dimmer than in bright daylight. Yet while we are nearly blind and quite helpless in the dark, cats are out stalking prey, and moths are flying agilely between flowers on our balconies.

While we sleep, millions of other animals rely on their visual systems to survive. The same is true of animals who inhabit the eternal darkness of the deep sea. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the world’s animals are primarily active in dim light. How is their formidable visual performance possible, especially in insects, with tiny eyes and brains less than the size of a grain of rice? What optical and neural strategies have they evolved to allow them to see so well in dim light?

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: How do animals see in the dark?

Butterfly Conservation’s Upper Thames Branch, which covers Berks, Bucks and Oxon, is holding its annual Members’ Day on

Saturday 28^th October 2017, 10.00 – 17.00,  

Amersham Community Centre, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham, Bucks.

We are opening the event to members of other wildlife and conservation organisations. It is an all-day event with illustrated talks, displays, a members’ photo competition and a stall selling butterfly books. An excellent buffet lunch is served. We have some good speakers coming this year. It is a great opportunity for you to find out about the butterflies and moths in our area and to chat to people who are involved in their conservation. The programme, directions and map will be on the events page of our web-site

www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk

The event is free, although a donation of £5 to cover the cost of the lunch would be appreciated. Numbers are limited so, if you would like to join us for all or part of the day, please book with

Brenda Mobbs at bc.upperthames@gmail.com or 01494 712486 before 11^th October.

If you are already a Butterfly Conservation member you do not need to book.

The Buckinghamshire Recorders Seminar will be on

Saturday 29^th April at The Coach House, at Green Park, Aston Clinton, HP22 5NE.

In attachment you will find the programme. If you would like to attend (and also if you’d like to have a display on the day) and you haven’t already informed us, please send a completed booking form (also in attachment) or an email to:

Environmental Records Centre erc@buckscc.gov.uk or

Bernardini, Claudia cbernardini@buckscc.gov.uk

Any problems or queries please do not hesitate to contact us

Kind regards

Claudia

Dr Claudia Bernardini
Environmental Records Officer
Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre
Transport Economy Environment
Tel: 01296 382431
Email: cbernardini@buckscc.gov.uk;
Buckinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury. Bucks. HP20 1UY

Stephen Falk has produced a Flickr collection of British Snail-killing Flies. Hope you find it useful

A family of small to medium-sized acalypterate flies (British species 2-11 mm long) with 72 British species (2016). Many species have patterned wings and the antennae are often elongate, porrect and arising from a projecting frons (notably members of the tribe Tetanocerini) which creates a distinctive ‘alert’ appearance. Sciomyzids often walk in a slow and deliberate fashion which can make them stand out from other acalypterate flies when checking the contents of a net. They are particularly numerous and diverse in lush wetlands.

Click on the link to for more information

Observatree are looking for your help with a citizen science project to combat tree disease.

Nineteen tree pests and diseases are now officially in the UK with more on the horizon. The good news is that there is plenty that you can do to help, since our Observatree team is keen to enlist a new tier of public support to track three high-priority problems: ash dieback, oriental chestnut gall wasp and cedar shoot blight.

Bee-flies are probably the most familiar of all the species covered by the recording scheme. One species in particular, the Dark-edged Bee-fly Bombylius major, is a familar sign of spring as it hovers over flowers and uses its long proboscis (‘tongue’) to feed from them.

But there are a number of other bee-fly species to look out for as well, and this page collects together some information about the group. If you see a bee-fly, please send in the record!

Source: Bee-flies | Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme

Some of the UK’s most threatened species will be brought back from the brink of extinction, as part of an ambitious £4.6 million project funded by the National Lottery.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – Partnership helps species come back from the brink

MKNHS members mothing at Linford Lakes NR by Julie Lane 9 July2016

Moths (Lepidoptera) are the major nocturnal pollinators of flowers. However, their importance and contribution to the provision of pollination ecosystem services may have been under-appreciated. Evidence was identified that moths are important pollinators of a diverse range of plant species in diverse ecosystems across the world.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Pollination by nocturnal Lepidoptera, and the effects of light pollution: a review – MACGREGOR – 2014 – Ecological Entomology – Wiley Online Library

Work Sunday at Linford Lakes NR on 2 April 2017 10:00-13:00hrs.

Helpers needed for some possible work on the bund.
Clearing sluices and putting up nest boxes.
Refreshments available.

I’ve been collecting Lacewing specimens for the past year or so, after hearing a rumour that they were a reasonably easy group (aka my colleague Dave Slade told me so). After my struggles with Craneflies, a group with no definitive key and over 300 species, it was a relief to try a group with an excellent key in the form of a Field Studies Council AIDGAP guide (A key to the adults of British lacewings and their allies by Colin Plant) and a mere 40 or so British species.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Lacewing Love In

Youtube videos of flying animals, turned into colorful flight patterns.

Source: Flight videos deconstructed

Buckinghamshire Bird Club will be hosting an Indoor Meeting Swifts, Their Lives and their Conservation on 6 April 2017 – 19:30 to 22:00 at Wendover Memorial Hall, Wendover (Lat/Long 51.7662 and -0.739901)

The presenter is Edward Mayer

Swifts, highlighting the challenges they face, including their spectacular migrations to Africa and back, plus providing information on ideas for action to help end their sad decline.

Click on this link for more information:

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Meadow Brown by Peter Hassett, Grendon and Doddershall Woods. 12 July2013

Butterflies are often considered as opportunistic nectar consumers that visit a range of flower species. The degree of specialisation in foraging behaviour and flower choice may, however, vary considerably at the inter-specific level, from highly specialised to generalist species. In generalist nectar use, there can be intra-specific variation in the availability and use of floral resources (diversity and abundance) among different populations. Knowing the preferences of nectar-feeding butterflies can increase the understanding of ecological relationships and resource use and help in developing better strategies for butterfly conservation.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Flower use of the butterfly Maniola jurtina in nectar-rich and nectar-poor grasslands: a nectar generalist with a strong preference? – Lebeau – 2017 – Insect Conservation and Diversity – Wiley Online Library

It was around 1.6 billion years ago that a community of small, bright red, plantlike life-forms, flitting around in a shallow pool of prehistoric water, were etched into stone until the end of time. Or at least until a team of Swedish researchers chipped their fossilized remnants out of a sedimentary rock formation in central India.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Complex Life Could Be Vastly Older Than Thought – Scientific American

Kermit the Frog’s distant real-life cousin has just been discovered in the jungles of Costa Rica. The new species, Diane’s Bare-hearted Glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium dianae), is most remarkable for its translucent underbelly (hence the name “glassfrog”) and its bulging white eyes, which look just like Kermit’s!

Source: Scientists Discover Real-Life Kermit The Frog In Costa Rica | Bored Panda

Much has been learned in recent years about the amazing migration of the Painted Lady. Sightings from 67 countries, including many from Butterfly Conservation members, have enabled scientists to plot the annual, multi-generational migratory cycle from North Africa in early spring, northwards across Europe during spring and summer, and then followed by southerly migration back, ultimately, to Africa.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – Desert crossing for high flying butterfly

By the four chimneys of Battersea power station, between tower cranes and builders’ cabins, is an unobtrusive metal mast. At the top, a watchful figure looks down upon the 3,000 workers bustling around this vast £9bn construction site.

“Female,” says David Morrison, with a deft glance through his binoculars. “She’s protecting her nest site. There was an intruding female about half an hour ago.”

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Flying high: why peregrine falcons are kings of the urban jungle | Environment | The Guardian

Insects can solve problems creatively, less robotic than previously believed

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Bumble bees are surprisingly innovative | Science | AAAS

House Spider by Peter Hassett, Preston Montford 25 September 2016

It’s true that some spiders respond positively to the changes that we make to the environment. Warming temperatures in particular are likely to benefit the growth and development of spiders. We may also see larger spiders in areas like cities where there is lots of food for them, just like you see fat pigeons living off food waste.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Is there anything good about that spider in the corner of my room? | Lizzy Lowe | Opinion | The Guardian

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to Harrold Odell Country Park on 2 April 2017:

Location: SP 956 566. In the village of Harrold, Beds.
Postcode: MK43 7DS (Google map)

A return visit to this delightful venue in Bedfordshire. Many of the paths are paved but the picturesque river meadow walk is not. There is an excellent café. Leader Chris Coppock.

Time: 10.00 am

Price: Small car park fee.

See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Tom August, Charles George, Paul Scholefield and France Gerard explain how new drone technology – like that used in the film industry – is elevating CEH’s remote sensing capabilities…Remote sensing is a core part of CEH’s activities. Traditionally this has included the use of kilometre to metre scale spatial data collected from sensors on board satellites or manned aircraft and the use of detailed field-based point or transect measurements from handheld sensors.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Science takes to the skies with ‘Hollywood-style’ remote sensing drone technology | Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Tree Bumblebee at Howe Park Wood by Harry Appleyard 3Feb16

Honey bees are highly valued for their pollination services in agricultural settings, and recent declines in managed populations have caused concern.

Colony losses following a major pollination event in the United States, almond pollination, have been characterized by brood mortality with specific symptoms, followed by eventual colony loss weeks later.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: An Inert Pesticide Adjuvant Synergizes Viral Pathogenicity and Mortality in Honey Bee Larvae : Scientific Reports

Photographer Sam Hobson will make you see city birds as you’ve never seen them before.

Source: Check Out These Fantastic Photos of Birds in Urban Spaces | Audubon

Some moths use fruit of trees they pollinate as food for their larvae, but one East Asian moth matures within the fruit right until adulthood

Source: Plant keeps moths captive inside its fruits for almost a year | New Scientist

The National Trust is to go back to its roots after admitting it had lost sight of one of its core founding principles – to protect wildlife – in its quest to maintain country houses and estates

Source: National Trust returns to roots to reverse decline of threatened wildlife

Herald moth by Martin Kincaid, Manor Farm cellar

One major, yet poorly studied, change in the environment is nocturnal light pollution, which strongly alters habitats of nocturnally active species.

Artificial night lighting is often considered as driving force behind rapid moth population declines in severely illuminated countries.

To understand these declines, the question remains whether artificial light causes only increased mortality or also sublethal effects.

We show that moths subjected to artificial night lighting spend less time feeding than moths in darkness, with the shortest time under light conditions rich in short wavelength radiation. These findings provide evidence for sublethal effects contributing to moth population declines.

Because effects are strong under various types of light compared with dark conditions, the potential of spectral alterations as a conservation tool may be overestimated.

Therefore, restoration and maintenance of darkness in illuminated areas is essential for reversing declines of moth populations.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Artificial night lighting inhibits feeding in moths | Biology Letters

The proposal for the development at Linford Lakes of up to 250 houses will go before the Development Control Committee at the next Milton Keynes Council meeting on Thursday 30th March, 19:00 hrs at MK Council Offices.

Members of the general public are welcome to attend.

The Planning Officers have proposed that the application is rejected. Their 29 page summary is attached. The committee may choose to approve the plan, even though the Planning Officers recommend rejecting it.

There were objections from 48 residents, the Countryside Officer, the local Parish Councils and BBOWT & RSPB. Hopefully the work of these people and organisations will not be in vain and the planning committee will also reject the plans. If this is the case it may not be the last we hear from Templeview Developments but it may provide a breathing space to enable some protection to be placed on the site.

It would be a demonstration of the concern felt by MK residents, who know and love this site, if a good number of us could attend the meeting.

If you wish to speak at the meeting, in objection to the application, a request should be made to the Committee Manager, Dino Imbimbo, Committee Manager, on Tel: 01908 252458 or E-mail: dc-speaking-requests@milton-keynes.gov.uk in Democratic Services to arrive by 12 noon two clear working days before the meeting. Once the committee start the discussion of the plan no further public comments will be possible.

—
Jane Grisdale
FoLLNR Events Co-ordinator.

While most arachnophiles will likely find tiny spider dancers who can “swagger like Jagger” entertaining, it’s more than the dance that captures the fascination of one NSF-funded University of Cincinnati researcher.

It’s their ability to see color and the bright and bold color patterns on the male body parts that has Nate Morehouse, UC biologist, looking inside the many eyes of two groups of vividly coloured jumping spiders.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: When jumping spiders show their true colors, biologists look through the lens for the reasons

White patches on male collared flycatchers’ heads have been shrinking, as climate change mysteriously makes those with big patches less likely to survive

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Bird is evolving to be less flashy in response to global warming | New Scientist

Air pollution is having a devastating effect on Britain’s wild flowers by helping nettles, hogweed and other “thuggish” species turn the countryside into “monotonous green badlands”, major environmental groups have warned.

This topic has been covered by a number of Sources:

Independent
Telegraph
Times

Pesticide is a threat to the environment and human health. Whether reducing pesticide would necessarily undermine crop productivity remains elusive. Analyses of data from 946 farms in France show that reducing pesticide rarely decreases productivity.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Reducing pesticide use while preserving crop productivity and profitability on arable farms : Nature Plants

Butterfly Conservation has today welcomed the prosecution of a collector found guilty of illegally catching and killing the UK’s rarest butterfly.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Butterfly Conservation – Collector convicted for illegally catching and killing the UK’s rarest butterfly

Picture of the first egg laid in 2017

You can find out more about the Aylesbury Peregrine Project and watch all the activity on the nest by using this link to their Web Cams.

1. 

   Nymph of Roesel’s Bush Cricket by Paul Lund, Linford Lakes NR 16 June 2015

   Monitoring biodiversity over large spatial and temporal scales is crucial for assessing the impact of global changes and environmental mitigation measures. However, large-scale monitoring of invertebrates remains poorly developed despite the importance of these organisms in ecosystem functioning. Exciting possibilities applicable to professional and citizen science are offered by new recording techniques and methods of semi-automated species recognition based on sound detection.

2. Static broad-spectrum detectors deployed to record throughout whole nights have been recommended for standardised acoustic monitoring of bats, but they have the potential to also collect acoustic data for other species groups. Large-scale deployment of such systems is only viable when combined with robust automated species identification algorithms. Here we examine the potential of such a system for detecting, identifying and monitoring bush-crickets (Orthoptera of the family Tettigoniidae). We use incidental sound recordings generated by an extensive citizen science bat survey and recordings from intensive site surveys to test a semi-automated step-wise method with a classifier for assigning species identities. We assess species’ diel activity patterns to make recommendations for survey timing and interpretation of existing nocturnal data sets and consider the feasibility of determining site occupancy.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Potential for coupling the monitoring of bush-crickets with established large-scale acoustic monitoring of bats – Newson – 2017 – Methods in Ecology and Evolution – Wiley Online Library

Ten finalists capture the theme of ‘through young eyes’ in this young photographers’ competition that aims to engage youth around the world in wildlife conservation

Source: World Wildlife Day photography competition finalists | Environment | The Guardian

Exactly how tall is Mount Everest? That’s what scientists in India are trying to figure out.

This week, India’s surveyor general announced that the government is going to remeasure Mount Everest, in a bid to determine whether the world’s tallest peak shrank (or grew) following a devastating earthquake in 2015. The expedition is the first Indian survey of the mountain in more than 60 years, but experts say obtaining an accurate measurement will be a tall order, and determining the earthquake’s effect on it may be even tougher.

Click this link to read the rest of the article: This expedition is trying to find out if the tallest mountain in the world shrank – The Verge

Research finds that though nestboxes can be useful, they offer a different environment to natural tree cavities.

Source: Nestboxes are no substitute | Discover Wildlife

At current rates of deforestation, rainforests will vanish altogether in a century. Stopping climate change will remain an elusive goal unless poor nations are helped to preserve them

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: We are destroying rainforests so quickly they may be gone in 100 years | John Vidal | Global Development Professionals Network | The Guardian

House Spider by Peter Hassett, Preston Montford 25 September 2016

Australia has an incredible diversity of native spiders, including the potentially lethal funnel-web, the ubiquitous huntsman, and the charming peacock spider. Only two can be deadly for humans – the funnel-web and redback spiders – and we have antivenom for both.

Found all across the country, spiders play an important role in the environment as generalist predators. Increasingly, their venom is being used to develop novel human therapeutics and to create new, selective, sustainable insecticides.

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Source: Spiders are a treasure trove of scientific wonder

A review of the global threats to the world’s Numeniini (curlews, godwits & Upland Sandpiper) has just been published. It does not make for good reading. It is estimated that hundreds of thousa…

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Why are we losing our large waders? | wadertales

Rock and Fossil Day – Bucks County Museum 25 March 2017

Rock and Fossil day at the County Museum,  on Saturday 25^th March. It’s a free event, 11am – 3pm and  fabulous opportunity to meet group members, bring in your mystery finds to see if we know what they are (no promises on that!) and to find out a bit more about Buckinghamshire’s deep and mysterious past.  Suitable for adults and children alike, and a good family activity in the main museum itself which is always worth a wider visit.

Linford Lakes Nature Reserve is presenting a talk:

Prof. Jeff Ollerton will be talking at LLNR Wed 5th April on
‘Darwin’s Unrequited Isle: a personal natural history of Tenerife’
£2.50, doors 7.15pm for 7.30pm. Refreshments, raffle.

Today, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs announced that in 2016 1,054 rhinos were reported killed in the country. This is a decline from 1,215 in 2014 and 1,175 in 2015.

Enhanced enforcement efforts in the Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s biggest wildlife reserves and home to the world’s largest population of white rhino, also resulted in a decline in the number of rhinos killed. The number fell from 826 in 2015 to 662 in 2016 (a 20 per cent reduction) despite an increase in the number of reported incursions in the 19 500km2 park.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Latest official poaching figures show that South Africa is still losing three rhinos a day | WWF

When working with Icelandic farmers to conserve internationally important wader populations, a shared understanding of beneficial practises may be more important than financial incentives. Species …

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Do Iceland’s farmers care about wader conservation? | wadertales

LED street lighting can be tailored to reduce its impacts on the environment, according to new research by the University of Exeter.
The UK-based study found predatory spiders and beetles were drawn to grassland patches lit by LED lighting at night, but the number of species affected was markedly reduced when the lights were dimmed by 50% and switched off between midnight and 4am.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Featured news – LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife – University of Exeter

South Beds. Wildlife Trust Local Group are hosting a talk entitled ‘Talking Trees’ on Wednesday, 22 March 2017 at Dunstable Community Fire Station Lecture Theatre at 7.30pm. Please note: doors open 7.15pm.

Click on this link for more information

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Most birds sense when their clutch is complete via tactile stimulation of their brood patch, the featherless area on their bellies that warms the eggs. But there is evidence that some species count their eggs by sight.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Do birds count the eggs in their nests? | Discover Wildlife

Buckinghamshire Fungus Group (BFG) are hosting a Fungi walk in Finemere Wood 19 March 2017.

Details of the event can be found here.

Please note that, if you are not a member of BFG, you are asked to contact Penny Cullington if you would like to attend any meetings.

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

OPen Sunday at Linford Lakes NR 19 March 2017 10:00-16:00hrs.

Bring friends and family and explore the reserve.
Come and see returning birds.
Refreshments, home-made cakes and facilities available
Crafts, second-hand books and bird seed for sale.
Viewing gallery open, also display of wildlife.

France has passed a new law to ensure all plastic cups, cutlery and plates can be composted and are made of biologically-sourced materials. The law, which comes into effect in 2020, is part of the Energy Transition for Green Growth – an ambitious plan that aims to allow France to make a more effective contribution to tackling climate change.  Although some ecologists’ organisations are in favour of the ban, others argue that it has violated European Union rules on free movement of goods.

Source: France bans plastic cups, plates and cutlery | The Independent

The RSPB North Bucks Local Group are leading a field trip to RSPBNBLG Walk – Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve on Wolverton 18 March 2017:

Location: Map ref SP 816 421. Not our usual car park, which always seems too small for the numbers attending, but the one off the Haversham Road at the eastern end of the reserve.

Another visit to this excellent reserve on the northern edge of Milton Keynes, formerly called Manor Farm and much improved by the MK Parks Trust with new paths and 3 hides. Leader Brian Pratt.

Time: 10.00 am

Price: Free

See the RSPB North Bucks Local Group website for more information

MKNHS is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites. You should check details of any events listed on external sites with the organisers.

Cowslip by Peter Hassett, Newton Bromswold 17 April 2016

We are doing Saturday mornings from 10 – 1 ish…..  Tools provided … and lots of levels of strenuous-ness catered for …

 Heat exhaustion not predicted !  unlike our event of last summer….

My mobile no is 0777 243 7930

Who will spot the first cowslip of 2017?

Jenny Mercer

Butterfly Conservation have produced a collection of species factsheets and habitat downloads can be used to provide an overview on species ecology, assist with species identification and advise on best practice management for specific species and habitats.

Click on the link for more information: Butterfly Conservation – Butterfly Factsheets

The song and behaviour of the UK’s favourite bird is being affected by light and noise pollution, a study reveals.

Source: Light pollution dampens urban robins’ song – BBC News

Rooks mobbing Short-eared Owl by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 19 October 2016

Dive bombing a much larger bird isn’t just a courageous act by often smaller bird species to keep predators at bay. It also gives male birds the chance to show off their physical qualities in order to impress females. This is according to a study in Springer’s journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology on predator mobbing behavior of birds where potential prey approach and harass would-be predators such as owls. The study was led by Filipe Cunha of the University of Zurich in Switzerland and the Federal University of Ouro Preto in Brazil.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Birds of a feather mob together

BMERC has been asked by the Bucks Geology Group to circulate information about an event which is happening this week at The Museum Resource Centre,  Halton. NB this is part of Bucks County Museum but for those wishing to come it is not the main public galleries in Aylesbury; it is in fact near Wendover, in Halton Village, about 5 miles further south.

The speaker rarely gets into Bucks so the group are extremely please to have managed to secure a talk from him on a section of the south coast which many of us may be familiar with. See attached poster for details.  For those who can’t open the poster the key details are:-

• The event is from 7:15 – approximately 8:30 in the evening.
• Thursday 9^th March
• Bucks County Museum Resource Centre, Rowborough Road, off Tring Road, Halton. HP22 5PL.
• Free event but spaces strictly limited.

Please note booking is essential – and should be done by contacting Mike Palmer either by telephone on 01296 325223 or by email mpalmer@buckscountymuseum.org

Julia Carey
Environmental Records Centre Manager
Historic and Natural Environment Team
Transport, Economy and Environment

Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina) by Peter Hassett, Old Warden Tunnel NR, 21 September 2016

The British Heteroptera checklist has been revised.

View the checklist here: Checklist of UK Heteroptera

Ravens over Whaddon (23rd July)

The British Trust for Ornithology has released a video to help you tell the difference between Crows, Choughs, Jackdaws, Rooks and Ravens

Click on this link to watch the video.

A growing body of evidence suggests neonics threaten the health of honey bees. But some argue there’s not enough evidence to justify an outright ban

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Is America’s most common pesticide responsible for killing our bees? | Guardian Sustainable Business | The Guardian

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

The British Trust for Ornithology have produced a report on their recent research

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is the UK’s leading independent research organisation studying birds and their habitats, with considerable expertise in the design and implementation of monitoring and research projects, from intensive studies to extensive surveys. The BTO also collects, analyses and shares information on other taxa, both through its core monitoring schemes and through the other projects with which it is involved, often working in partnership.

One of the great strengths of the BTO is its volunteer networks, and the organisation’s expertise in working with and supporting volunteers delivers valuable monitoring outputs across a broad range of taxa, from deer and butterflies through to bats and bush-crickets. Many of those interested in birds and birdwatching are also interested in other wildlife, and the BTO recognises the contribution that its volunteers can make to our knowledge of habitats and wildlife.

Click on this link to read the rest of the report

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker numbers have declined considerably here in recent years, and this bird is now on the UK red list. The reasons for this decline are not fully understood, but RSPB research has suggested that the birds have not been breeding successfully but it is not clear whether this is a widespread problem.

In the last few years since the completion of the RSPB project very few lesser spotted woodpecker nests have been reported and monitored. However, two conservationists, Ken and Linda Smith, are now aiming to help bird watchers rectify this. With over 30 years experience of monitoring woodpecker nests they are hoping to build up a clearer picture of where the birds are and how well they are breeding. They began their research in 2015, and so far have been able to follow 10 nests each year, finding out whether the woodpeckers are successfully raising their young. In 2017 they hope to be able to study more.

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Birders asked to help find Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests, #ornithology news via @RareBirdAlertUK

An international team of scientists uncovered the first molecular evidence indicating that dung beetles evolved in association with dinosaurs. The findings place the origin of dung beetles (Scaraba…

Click on the link to read the rest of the article: Dung Beetles Evolved in Association with Dinosaurs, New Research Suggests – Entomology Today