Puffins are being hunted 100 at a time by trophy collectors who are allowed to bring the carcasses back to the UK, despite the government’s efforts to save the species.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Puffins being hunted and brought back to the UK despite Government efforts to save the species
You may remember the Heritage Lottery Funded Box Woodland Project (2013 – 2015) led by Sarah Wright which introduced many of us to the rich cultural history of the Chilterns Box Woodland. The largest native Box Woodland in the UK can be found near Great Kimble and remnants of other Box Woods, sometimes existing as an understorey to other woodlands, can be found scattered across the Chilterns. The slow growing dense wood has been used for centuries for engraving, medieval woodwind musical instruments, early printing blocks and lace-makers bobbins, used locally to produce the famous Bucks Point Lace. Click here to learn more about Chilterns Box Woodlands.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: The Chilterns AONB – News
England’s House Sparrow population fell by 70% between 1977 and 2016, and this once ubiquitous species is now absent from many urban areas. New research involving the BTO has found evidence that malarial parasites may be linked to this species’ decline.
Click here for more information.:
Discover Wildlife
BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Click here to view the Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust newsletter.
Butterfly numbers have dropped by one-third in the past two decades in the US, echoing declines seen in Europe. These figures raise alarm bells for the health of other insect populations, because butterflies face similar environmental changes and are used as a proxy for studying insects in general.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Butterfly numbers fell by one-third in the US over past two decades | New Scientist
There are some plants we all know at first glance, the bright red poppy, or the tiny daisy, but could you tell the difference between upright hedge parsley and burnet saxifrage? If you came across a beautiful wildflower, on a walk in a woodland or amongst unmown grass in your local park, how would you go about finding out what it is?
What steps can you take to make identifying a wildflower that little bit easier?
We’ve created a Wildflower ID template to help you, and your friends and family, look at wildflowers more closely and to help you begin to build a botanical vocabulary. It is not intended to be exhaustive, but we hope it will help you pay closer attention to wildflowers and develop the eyes, and noses, of a botanist!
Click here for more information.: What’s that Wildflower? | Grow Wild
Small Copper butterfly at Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve, Shropshire by Peter Hassett 06Aug15
This page lists the larval foodplants used by British butterflies. The name of each foodplant links to a Google search. An indication of whether the foodplant is a primary or secondary food source is also given.
Click here for more information.: UK Butterflies – Larval Foodplants
Svartisen Glacier (Norway) ©Peter Hassett 18 February 2013
A Nasa-funded study found instability in the Thwaites glacier meant there would probably come a point when it was impossible to stop it flowing into the sea and triggering a 50cm sea level rise. Other Antarctic glaciers were likely to be similarly unstable.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Glacial melting in Antarctica may become irreversible | World news | The Guardian
The Parks Trust is holding open days at Linford Lakes Nature Reserve every Thursday in August (in addition to the usual Open Sunday).
Come and explore the wildlife of Linford Lakes, the best kept secret in Milton Keynes. Activities will range, but may include: bug hunting, pond dipping, bird watching, and our Wildlife Detective Trail and Challenges. All activities are completely free and suitable for all ages. This event is being run by the Parks Trust and the Friends of Linford Lakes Nature Reserve.
Open every Thursday during the Summer Holiday between 10.30 and 3.00.
Please note, as this is a nature reserve, no dogs are allowed. Visiting is usually by permit only, so if you would like to visit the site outside of these days, please sign up for a permit or come to one of the Friends of Linford Lakes open Sundays (see our website for further details).
Chris Packham meets with a group of experts to unravel the horrific story of one male hen harrier caught in an illegally set trap in an area managed for grouse shooting, and discovers more about the long history of raptor persecution in this area.
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Marauding caterpillars with toxic hairs have brought parts of Germany to a standstill, leading to closures of swimming pools, restaurants, public parks and sections of the motorway.
Oak processionary moth caterpillars, named after the nose-to-tail processions they form to travel between the oak trees they devour, have fine, long hairs with an irritating toxin that can cause blistering rashes, feverish dizzy spells and asthma attacks.
Source: Toxic caterpillars spark health scare across Germany | World news | The Guardian
In July 2018 there was a call for people to express their opinions on the issue of hunting Black-tailed Godwits and Curlews in France. This blog aimed to bring together some background to inform the discussion. The government decided to maintain the current situation until 30 July 2019: to shoot Curlew in some circumstances but to maintain a ban on shooting Black-tailed Godwits. A new Curlew decree has been published and a final decision is expected shortly as to what will happen when the shooting season reopens in August (2019). There is a link to the proposals at the end of this blog.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Black-tailed Godwit and Curlew in France | wadertales
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Climate crisis disasters are happening at the rate of one a week, though most draw little international attention and work is urgently needed to prepare developing countries for the profound impacts, the UN has warned.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: One climate crisis disaster happening every week, UN warns | Environment | The Guardian
A third of the UK’s wild bee and hoverfly species are declining. Olivia Norfolk explores how roadside wildflowers are saving wildlife across the nation
Click here to read the rest of the article.: The road to change: How roadside flowers are saving the bees | The Independent
Captive Wolf ©Peter Hassett 13 March 2011
For the first time in more than 1,000 years native bears and wolves are coming snout to muzzle with each other among towering oaks and ashes in a slice of British woodland.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Bears and wolves to coexist in UK woods for first time in 1,000 years | UK news | The Guardian
Researchers studying reptile evolution have reconstructed the skull of a possible common ancestor.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: New findings reveal the origins of modern day snakes – Discover Wildlife
A study carried out by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found that about 70 per cent of hard coral populations were decimated after extreme periods of high temperatures over two years.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Two-thirds of coral killed from severe heatwaves – Discover Wildlife
The pups were stolen from one pack, and then raised with the young from a rival pack in this rare display of abduction behaviour.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: ‘Dog-napping’ between African wild dog packs in Botswana – Discover Wildlife
Wildflower-rich meadows are very rare and important habitats. Some of these grasslands support an amazing number of wildflower species as well as providing habitats for many species of birds, invertebrates, amphibians and mammals. In particular they provide very important supplies of pollen and nectar for bumblebees and other insect pollinators.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Wildflower-rich meadows – Farm Wildlife
Verge planted with non-native flowers
The Guardian newspaper has published a series of letters from readers about wildflower verges. ‘The impact is tremendous’: readers on wildflower verges | Environment | The Guardian
However, Dr Richard Bate has tweeted “This picture isn’t a wildflower meadow it’s a monster mix of non natives. It portrays the wrong image of what wildflowers are. This may seem a pedantic and trivial point to some but these flowerbeds are largely ornamental and nowhere near as beneficial to our native invertebrates”
Can small isolated patches of habitat really offset the damage we are doing to our environment? Professor of biodiversity and conservation Kevin Gaston provides the answer.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Truth or fiction: gardens can save our wildlife – Discover Wildlife
The UK public has been asked to take part in the world’s largest butterfly count, to see if the nation is experiencing a once-in-a-decade phenomenon.
Butterfly Conservation said unusually high numbers of the painted lady butterfly had been spotted flying from Europe to the UK. They usually fly to Britain in the summer, but every 10 years millions arrive in a mass migration.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Big Butterfly Count: Which common UK species to look for – BBC News
Painted Lady, Tattenhoe Park (9th August)
The UK could be experiencing a once-in-a-decade wildlife phenomenon this year with a mass influx of painted lady butterflies, experts have said.
TV naturalist Chris Packham is urging people to take part in the world’s largest insect citizen science survey, the annual Big Butterfly Count, to see if the painted ladies are arriving in their millions to the UK’s shores this year.
The butterfly is a common immigrant from the Continent to the UK each summer where its caterpillars feed on thistles, but around once every 10 years there is a painted lady “summer” when millions arrive en masse.
Click here for more information:
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Winner. Hoverflies by Mark Strutton. 3 July 2016
These insects are thought to transport billions of pollen grains between Britain and Europe each year and contribute to successful ecosystem function.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Migrating hoverflies are providing essential pollination and pest control in the UK – Discover Wildlife
The vast expanse of sea ice around Antarctica has suffered a “precipitous” fall since 2014, satellite data shows, and fell at a faster rate than seen in the Arctic.
Source: ‘Precipitous’ fall in Antarctic sea ice since 2014 revealed | World news | The Guardian
Planting billions of trees across the world is by far the biggest and cheapest way to tackle the climate crisis, according to scientists, who have made the first calculation of how many more trees could be planted without encroaching on crop land or urban areas.
Source: Tree planting ‘has mind-blowing potential’ to tackle climate crisis | Environment | The Guardian
Red-Tailed Bumblebee by Harry Appleyard, Tattenhoe 11 April 2016
Seasonal gaps in the supply of nectar from wildflowers could be leaving bees hungry at times when food is needed most
Click here for more information.:
Pheasant ©Soumen Nayak, Linford Lakes NR 10 December 2018
Wild Justice is challenging the unregulated annual release of 50+ million non-native gamebirds into the countryside.
Click here for more information.: 50 million non-native gamebirds – damaging UK wildlife
Covering less than 1% of UK land, these remaining isolated fragments are home to an unprecedented richness of species; hundreds of different wild flowers and fungi have co-evolved over millennia with farmers managing the land as hay meadows and pasture. This unparalleled plant diversity provides the life support for our invertebrates, birds, mammals.
Click here for more information.: Plantlife :: Saving meadows
A conservation partnership is underway to create a Mother Oyster Sanctuary in Essex which will help restore the native British oyster.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Restoration of Thames Estuary begins to conserve native oysters – Discover Wildlife
Every year, 40-50 million non-native gamebirds (ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchius and red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa) are released in the UK, equivalent to around 46000 tonnes of biomass. Fewer than half these birds are shot, with the remaining birds predated, scavenged or surviving to breed or to be predated in subsequent years. This means there is potentially a large food resource available to predators and scavengers; a resource that has increased year-on-year as the numbers released have grown.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Anyone’s game: do gamebird releases lead to increases in generalist predators? – The Applied Ecologist’s Blog
The Big Butterfly Count starts on 19 July 2019. This article in JNCC’s Nature News describes interesting feature on work & history of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Schem
An adult male hen harrier has suffered appalling injuries after being caught in a spring trap that had been illegally-set next to its nest on a Scottish grouse moor.
His lower leg was almost severed by the jaws of the trap and despite valiant attempts by a specialist veterinary surgeon to save him, his injuries were too severe and he was later euthanised.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Click here to read this month’s edition of the RSPB
Much of Britain has been basking in glorious sunshine recently. But how do frogs, toads and newtsreact to an exceptional run of hot weather and no rain? It can be a mixed blessing. On the positive side, warmer temperatures in summer can help in a number of ways. Of course, as amphibians rely on external sources of heat; hot weather means they can be active more of the time. It may also mean that their prey are more active and possibly more numerous. Temperature has a crucial influence on the development of amphibian tadpoles (technically known as larvae). Essentially, warmer ponds means faster development for tadpoles. In some years when temperatures are high early in the year we’ve noticed froglets and toadlets emerging earlier from ponds at many sites. We suspect that the emergence of efts (the term for land-based young newts after they transform from larvae) will be earlier in many ponds in those years – this typically happens a couple of months later than frogs and toads.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: What does the heat wave mean for amphibians? | The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust
Last month was the hottest June ever recorded, the EU‘s satellite agency has announced.
Data provided by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the EU, showed that the global average temperature for June 2019 was the highest on record for the month.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: June was hottest ever recorded on Earth, European satellite agency announces | The Independent
2015 Hen Harrier Day ©Sue Hetherington, Goyt Valley Derbyshire, 9 August 2015
Wild Justice is organising a public event to celebrate the threatened bird the Hen Harrier at Carsington Water, Derbyshire on Sunday 11 August. We’d like to thank Severn Trent Water for their enthusiastic support. This will be a family-friendly event with lots of speakers to inspire you. The Hen Harrier is a threatened bird of prey that is illegally killed on grouse moors. All three Wild Justice directors have a long association with campaigning for proper protection of this bird. Here are the details of the event, so far, but we’ll keep you updated on the lists of speakers and events as we get closer to the 11 August.
You can find more information on Mark Avery’s blog
Geolocators* have provided fantastic information about the movements of migratory birds – making links between countries, revealing previously unknown stop-over sites and indicating just how quickly birds traverse our planet. A small number of Icelandic Whimbrel have carried geolocators for up to six annual cycles, providing Camilo Carneiro with an opportunity to investigate the annual consistency of egg-laying, autumn departure, arrival in West Africa, departure in the spring, stopover in Western Europe and arrival back in Iceland.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Whimbrel: time to leave | wadertales
The first Blooms for Bees journal paper ‘Evaluating the ability of citizen scientists to identify bumblebee (Bombus) species’ has been published in PLOS One this week. You can read the full paper on the PLOS One website.
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An arctic fox has walked more than 3,500km (2,000 miles) from Norway to Canada in just 76 days, astonishing researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Fantastic arctic fox: animal walks 3,500km from Norway to Canada | Animals | The Guardian
Red Grouse ©Julian Lambley, Wharfedale 10 February 2019
Some 500,000 birds will have been shot by the end of another inglorious season as a select few continue to trample on the interests of the rest of us
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Grouse shooting: half a million reasons why time’s up for this appalling Victorian ‘sport’ | Mark Avery | Opinion | The Guardian
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Earlier this year, the government produced its first comprehensive clean air strategy, the result of years of campaigning, public outcry and finally a series of court actions ending in victory for activist lawyers over resistant ministers.
For the first time, that strategy promised action on the key role that ammonia plays in the cycle of air pollution – previous pronouncements on air pollution concentrated on transport and industrial emissions.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Dealing with ammonia is an urgent health problem – yet levels are still rising | Environment | The Guardian
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We still know so little about the wonderful world at the bottom of the oceans. Sending in giant bulldozers is a terrible idea
Click here to read the rest of the article.: In too deep: why the seabed should be off-limits to mining companies | Chris Packham | Opinion | The Guardian
Most people are familiar with honey bees and bumblebees, but look closely and there are smaller furry bees moving from flower to flower. There are around 20,000 described bee species worldwide. Most of these bees are known as solitary bees with only 250 bumblebee species, 9 honey bee species and a number of social stingless bees worldwide. In Britain we have around 270 species of bee, just under 250 of which are solitary bees. These bees can be amazingly effective pollinators and as the name suggests tend not to live in colonies like bumblebees and honey bees.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Guide to Solitary Bees in Britain | The Wildlife Trusts
Around 16,500 species have been recorded on RSPB reserves, of which more than 3,000 are of conservation concern.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Wildlife on reserves 2018
Be sure to watch this video about the spread of disease and the impact it could have on our Common Frogs.
Please think twice before moving spawn, tadpoles or frogs between different water bodies. The video is narrated by Stephen Fry. Click here to read an interview with Stephen.
Pheasant ©Soumen Nayak, Linford Lakes NR 10 December 2018
Call for ecological impact assessment of huge numbers of non-native gamebirds released in UK by shooting industry
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Rise in population of crows and avian predators linked to pheasant shoots | Environment | The Guardian
An RSPB blog:
Regular readers will know that I’m on something of a mission: for the past 20 years, I’ve been beavering away trying to make my garden as wildlife-friendly as possible, and sharing my experiences in regular blogs and articles and books.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: What wildlife success have you had in your garden? – Gardening for wildlife – Homes for Wildlife – The RSPB Community
After 50 years of looking at British nature, I conclude that the most entrancing of its parts is a flower-rich meadow. Once England had 4m acres of them; now 1% remains, like these at the southern edge of the Peak District national park.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Country diary: the exquisite joy of a meadow full of flowers | Environment | The Guardian
Japan is about to resume catching whales for profit, in defiance of international criticism.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Japan whaling: Commercial hunts to resume despite outcry – BBC News
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Tree-planting in England fell well short of targets in the past year new figures show, despite government promises to restore and plant new woodland across the country to combat the climate change crisis.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Tree-planting in England falls 71% short of government target | Environment | The Guardian
While many birds enjoy feasting on the treats hidden in garden bird feeders, what do they eat in the wild?
From garden birds to waterfowl and summer migrants, find out what birds eat in the wild and how their diet can change with the seasons.
Click here for more information.
Today the charity I work for, People Need Nature, publishes its latest report, investigating the tax system and how it affects farmland. “Where there’s muck there’s brass: revealing the billions hidden in farmland tax shelters” lays out the many, varied, and some frankly bizarre tax breaks available to farmers and landowners. And we argue that these are providing no benefit to society, and in some cases are operating against things society might want.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Farmland Tax Breaks revealed | a new nature blog
Emperor dragonfly ©Janice Robertson Caldecotte Business Park ponds 30 June 2019
There are three stages in the life-cycle of all dragonflies: egg, larva (also known as a nymph) and adult.
Click here for more information.: Life Cycle and Biology – British Dragonfly Society
Hover Fly, Helophilus pendulus ©Ian Saunders. garden pond, Stoke Goldington 10 june 2018
Click here for more information.: Mass Seasonal Migrations of Hoverflies Provide Extensive Pollination and Crop Protection Services: Current Biology
A Kent council has suspended all hedge trimming and launched an investigation after metres of hedgerow were decimated, with residents claiming bird nests were disturbed and animals killed.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Council suspends all hedge trimming as villagers protest work has killed or disturbed hundreds of animals
The translocation of five black eastern rhinos Diceros bicornis michaeli from Europe to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park has been hailed as a success.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Successful translocation of rhinos from Europe to Rwanda – Discover Wildlife
A farmer is calling for wild boar to be culled after spotting them in woods on the Longleat estate in Wiltshire.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Herds of wild boar at Longleat woods need culling says farmer – BBC News
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Government action can cut air pollution, a long-term study has shown, with early deaths linked to dirty air in the UK falling by half between 1970 and 2010.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Action on air pollution works but far more is needed, study shows | Environment | The Guardian
Throughout Europe, birds associated with agricultural habitats comprise the highest proportion (23%) of threatened species, with breeding waders among the most vulnerable. Despite these conservation concerns, only Ruff and the Baltic population of Dunlin feature on the EU Birds Directive list of threatened species, while all except Dunlin can be hunted in many EU member states under certain restrictions.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Evaluating the effectiveness of conservation measures for European grassland‐breeding waders | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Olea hensoni was discovered by a museum curator when walking along a sandflat on Cedar Keys waterfront in Florida, and has been named after the The Muppets creator Jim Henson.
Click here for more information.: Sea slug species named after The Muppets creator – Discover Wildlife
Marine biologists for the first time have recorded singing by one of the rarest whales on the planet, the north Pacific right whale.
Click here for more information.: Song of one of rarest whales on planet recorded for first time | Environment | The Guardian
A long-running campaign encouraging councils to let neatly-mown grass verges become mini meadows where wildflowers and wildlife can flourish appears to be building up a head of steam.
Experts give their views on the new invasive species that have the best chance of establishing themselves in our region.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Invasive species heading for East Anglia | Suffolk and Essex Business News – East Anglian Daily Times
Curlew, with their characteristic downward-curved bill and call evoking the wild British countryside, is a unique and much loved species. But these calls may not be echoing across our skies forever, and the problem is in no way confined to our shores. Seven out of the 13 wader species in the Numeniini (curlew and godwit) tribe are Near Threatened, Globally Threatened or Critically Endangered. This tribe’s ground-nesting habits (making them susceptible to predation), and long, perilous migrations across the globe leave them especially vulnerable. Numeniini also tend to favour specialist habitats, making them likely to decline further as these habitats disappear. Collaborative research led by the BTO identifies the main reasons for these declines and suggests conservation measures that could be implemented to halt them.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: A global threats overview for Numeniini populations: synthesising expert knowledge for a group of declining migratory birds | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Rapidly melting sea ice in Greenland has presented an unusual hazard for research teams retrieving their oceanographic moorings and weather station equipment.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Photograph lays bare reality of melting Greenland sea ice | World news | The Guardian
The home of an elusive UK butterfly is at risk of being destroyed by road, rail and housing developments, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation (BC) can reveal.
The Black Hairstreak lives and breeds on one unique stretch of butterfly habitat between Oxford and Peterborough – an area earmarked for projects like the high-speed HS2 railway and proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway.
Click here for more information.: Help save Hairstreaks last home
© Alan Woodgate
A major survey of farmers’ attitudes to changes in the Government’s agricultural policy [1], shows that English farmers recognise the need for the environment and animal welfare to be prioritised in future Government policy, and acknowledge the key link between a thriving natural world and successful farming. The in-depth research showed 80% of farmers believe the health of the natural environment is important or very important for their farm business.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Saving the environment is more important to farmers than subsidising food productivity
A Russian company that runs a so-called “whale jail” in the east of the country has been fined 28.1 million rubles ($433,000; £430,000).
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Russia fines ‘whale jail’ company White Whale – BBC News
Click here for more information.: Stricken polar bear turns up in Siberian city, hundreds of miles from home | World news | The Guardian
Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies engage in one of nature’s great spectacles, migrating from sites across North America to refuges in either central Mexico or coastal California, where winter temperatures are more tolerable. They fly south for thousands of miles, propelled by some innate sense of direction to places that neither they nor their parents have ever visited. But not all of them make the journey. Not all of them know the way.
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73 million sharks killed every year for shark fin soup, sharks are thrown back to the sea where they will die after having their fins brutally cut from their bodies.
Loopholes are allowing people to continue smuggling fins in to the U.K despite a ban put in place in over 27 countries in 2013.
Click here for more information.: UK Government to ban the import of shark fins into the UK. – Petitions
Thousands of you helped make our single of pure bird song, Let Nature Sing, a chart success! To thank you, we’ve created Birdsong Radio
Click here for more information.: Birdsong Radio
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Permafrost at outposts in the Canadian Arctic is thawing 70 years earlier than predicted, an expedition has discovered, in the latest sign that the global climate crisis is accelerating even faster than scientists had feared.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Scientists shocked by Arctic permafrost thawing 70 years sooner than predicted | Environment | The Guardian
A YouGov poll for wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation revealed that 64 per cent of people surveyed associated moths with eating clothes and 33 per cent with being pests.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Moths have a bad reputation despite ecological importance – Discover Wildlife
That old adage about waiting for buses comes to mind… we have been waiting for years for good news about UK marine protected areas (MPAs), and so far, in just ten days, June has seen three big announcements come our way.
We welcomed the good news from Secretary of State Michael Gove, on June 3rd, that 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) will be designated in seas around England and Northern Ireland. MCZs are a ‘light-touch’ type of MPA, they allow multiple uses of the marine environment so long as those activities do not threaten the ‘features’, meaning those listed species and habitats the MCZ is set up to protect.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: BBC Blogs – Springwatch – Wave after wave of UK ocean conservation news
Curlews have various requirements in terms of the ‘patchwork’ of habitats they choose to call home.
First up is some good-quality feeding habitat… to replenish after migration and fatten up for energy-sapping exploits that lie ahead – advertising a territory, attracting a mate, laying eggs, fending off predators…
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Habitat management for curlew – cutting, carbon and coos – Scottish Nature Notes – Our work – The RSPB Community
Animal abusers could now face up to five years in prison under the new Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), today.
Click here for more information.: New bill announced to increase sentences for animal cruelty | League Against Cruel Sports
Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to turn farmland into a haven for breeding waders. The only tools you have at your disposal are tractors and cows and we will give you permission to pump water out of nearby rivers when conditions allow. That’s how it started. These days the diggers look big enough to use on a motorway construction site!
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Managing water for waders | wadertales
The British Trust for Ornithology have produced a number of bird identification videos.
Click here for more information.: Bird identification videos | BTO – British Trust for Ornithology
Thousands of species could go extinct over the next decade according to a 2019 UN report.
Biodiversity is decreasing at a faster rate than ever, BBC Reality Check investigates why.
Click here to watch the video (3:10): Climate Change: Why are thousands of species facing extinction? – BBC News
Can be seen feeding at flowers, such as Bugle, louseworts and Marsh Thistle. Can be confused with the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (H. fuciformis), although that species has broader bands on the outer edges of the wings, in particular on the hindwing.
Click here for more information.: Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth
Habitat loss and climate change are the two culprits most regularly blamed for the decline of butterflies and moths, but now a third suspect, nitrogen deposition, is increasingly coming under the spotlight as a key driver of decline.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Butterflies and moths suffering from damaging effects of nitrogen deposition
Greenhouse gas emissions in the UK will be cut to almost zero by 2050, under the terms of a new government plan to tackle climate change.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Climate change: UK government to commit to 2050 target – BBC News
The woodland landscape in Britain has changed enormously over the last century, most notably through the planting of large areas of North American conifers (Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine) and larches from Europe and Japan. Prior to these plantations, the native Scots pine was the only conifer available to common crossbills when irrupting crossbills arrived from the European continent.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Which non-native conifer is most profitable for common crossbills to feed on in Britain? – Saving Species – Our work – The RSPB Community
The UK Wild Otter Trust has just received hugely exciting news: we have the chance to turn a site near Winkleigh, Devon, into one of the UK’s largest rehabilitation centre for otter cubs!
We’ve been offered 2 acres of ancient woodland to turn into a full rehab centre. We’ve produced a basic estimate of what we think it will cost to transform the site – all of our labour will be done by dedicated volunteers and helpers for free, so all of your funds will go directly towards purchasing the necessary building materials and equipment needed to make the site cub-safe. Once it’s built, we hope that we’ll be able to rehabilitate up to 10 cubs at a time, which would make us one of the leading rehabilitation units in the country!
Thank you so much for your help, support, and donations. Everything you give helps us to help our cubs. We’ve taken on a growing number of orphaned cubs in the past year or two, and this will allow us to make even more of a difference to otters in the UK.
Click here for more information.: Fundraiser by Nicky Jenner : Help fund UKWOT’s new otter cub rehab centre!
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Click here to read this months Nature Notes from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trusts
Hummingbird Hawkmoth by Paul Lund, Bancroft 28 September 2015
Similar to Bee hawk moths in flight but the Humming-bird Hawk-moth has orange-brown hindwings which is evident in flight. It has forewings that are greyish-brown and a black and white chequered body.
Click here for more information.: Humming-bird Hawk-moth
The RSPB and dozens of environmental groups have resigned from the government’s pesticides forum after two decades claiming the use of dangerous chemicals is now far worse than when they joined.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: RSPB resigns from government’s pesticides forum after chemical use soars
Turtle Dove, Julie’s garden, Julie Lane, January 2014
Plants that produce suitable seeds for turtle doves can be encouraged using a variety of measures, for more information on land management click on the tab: Create Turtle Dove Habitat. However, practical ways of delivering suitable seed to turtle doves in the early breeding season (Mid April to June) is particularly challenging. For this reason, and due to the steep and worrying decline in numbers of this bird in the UK, we are now recommending supplementary feeding as an important additional conservation measure that could be helpful in all areas where Turtle Doves still breed.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Supplementary feeding for turtle doves – Operation Turtle Dove
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The average person eats at least 50,000 particles of microplastic a year and breathes in a similar quantity, according to the first study to estimate human ingestion of plastic pollution.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: People eat at least 50,000 plastic particles a year, study finds | Environment | The Guardian
Six parliamentary committees have announced plans for a citizens’ assembly to discuss how the UK should tackle climate change.
It comes after the government committed earlier this month to cut greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2050.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Climate change: MPs announce citizens’ assembly – BBC News
Unfortunately, 2019 has seen more problems with the illegal use of rail traps posing a risk to birds and other non-target animals. The RSPB is increasingly concerned about the lack of consistent enforcement action in relation to these reports.
Source: The weight of the law? – Investigations – Our work – The RSPB Community
Hummingbird Hawkmoth by Paul Lund, Bancroft 28 September 2015
Butterfly magazine editor Liam Creedon reveals how George Orwell, cannibalism, mad kings, theft and cigarettes make Hawk-moths the rock stars of UK mothing.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Hand it to the Hawks
Red squirrels are Scotland’s native squirrel species, instantly recognisable by their distinctive ear tufts, rust coloured fur and bushy tails. The tail is particularly important as it’s used for balance, communication and as a cosy blanket.
Click here for more information.: Five facts you should know about red squirrels – Scottish Nature Notes – Our work – The RSPB Community
The naked mole-rat is perhaps one of the most bizarre beasts on the planet. At first glance, it looks like little more than a cocktail sausage with legs and teeth. But beneath its wrinkly pink skin, this creature’s strange and beautiful biology has me fascinated – so much so that I set up a whole research group devoted to studying them. Largely immune to cancer, impervious to some forms of pain, and seemingly blessed with the elixir of life, you may well owe your life to them one day.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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New figures show 1,420 hectares were planted in year to March 2019 against target of 5,000
Click here to read the rest of the article.: Tree-planting in England falls 71% short of government target | Environment | The Guardian
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The world’s fattest parrot is facing an existential threat in the form of a dangerous fungal infection which has already endangered a fifth of its species.
Click here to read the rest of the article.: World’s fattest parrot, the endangered kākāpō, could be wiped out by fungal infection | World news | The Guardian
