All posts by Heather

News

Decline in curlew birds as farming ‘destroys habitat’ 

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BBC NEWS reports the number of curlews in Wales has dropped by 80% since 1990 with farming practices partly to blame, a charity has said. RSPB Cymru has called for farmers to be rewarded for creating suitable habitats for the bird when a new payments scheme comes into force after Brexit. 

It is estimated only 400 breeding curlew pairs are left in Wales. The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) said nature should not be prioritised at the expense of the rural economy. 

RSPB Cymru claims the bird’s decline was due, in part, to farming practices. “[It is linked to] how hay is harvested as silage earlier on in the year, but there’s also been a decline in invertebrates, which is food for the curlew.”

Curlew photo by Sue under creative commons 

News

Evidence of rabbits in UK in Roman times, say academics

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The BBC report rabbits have been hopping around the UK since the Roman period, experts have been able to scientifically prove for the first time.

Tests on a rabbit bone, found at Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex, have shown the animal was alive in 1AD. The 1.6in (4cm) piece of a tibia bone was found in 1964 but it remained in a box until 2017, when a zooarchaeologist realised that it came from a rabbit. Academics believe the animal could have been kept as an exotic pet.

Photo by Steve Marlow under creative commons 

News

Beavers reintroduced to Yorkshire in 5 year experiment to tackle flooding

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The Telegraph reports that beavers have been reintroduced into a Yorkshire forest to tackle flooding as part of five year experiment.

On Wednesday Forestry England released a pair of Eurasian beavers from Scotland to Cropton Forest to determine whether the creatures can slow floodwater by building dams, the first trial of its kind ever undertaken. It follows a project in nearby Pickering which showed that building artificial dams can have a major impact on rising water levels.

Photo by Pat Gaines under creative commons 

News

Netflix series “Our Planet”: awe-inspiring and thought provoking

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On 5 April, Netflix released their ground-breaking eight-part documentary series, Our Planet. We strongly advise watching the show, though be prepared for some highly emotional, but must-see scenes. If you don’t have Netflix you can try it for free for a month.

Showcasing the world’s rarest wildlife and most precious habitats, Our Planet will take you across the globe, giving you a glimpse into some of the most far-reaching places on Earth and the threats they face.

It includes all the elements of the perfect nature show: incredible shots, unique wildlife, and even the voice of WWF Ambassador, Sir David Attenborough – but Our Planet is like no nature show you’ve seen before. Find out more from WWF here.

News

Rare UK butterflies enjoy best year since monitoring began

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The Guardian reports hot summer of 2018 boosted large blue, and black hairstreak, but small tortoiseshell declined. The golden summer of 2018 saw two of the UK’s rarest butterflies, the large blue and the black hairstreak, enjoy their best years since scientific monitoring began.

More than two-thirds of British butterfly species were seen in higher numbers last year than in 2017, but despite the ideal butterfly weather, it was still only an average season – the 18th best in 43 years of recording.

Photo of female Large Blue ovipositing, by Paul Ritchie under creative commons 

News, Planning

Developer fined for destroying bat home in London

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The BBC report property developers who deliberately demolished a house containing protected bats have been fined £18,000.

Jenna Kara, 29, and Tina Kara, 34, directors of Landrose Developments Ltd, started tearing down the bungalow in Stanmore, north-west London, in 2016.

The company pleaded guilty at Willesden Magistrates’ Court to damaging or destroying the breeding site.

The court heard the developers had pressed ahead with the demolition despite an expert reporting the site was home to soprano pipistrelle bats – a protected species in the UK and Europe.

Photo by Michelle Stiller under creative commons 

Helping wildlife, News

Patrols are on hand to help toads hop to safety

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The Times reports they are the grassroots environmentalists. Volunteers are collecting thousands of toads and frogs in buckets and placing them near rivers in a bid to save them from cars and trucks thundering along Scotland’s roads.

Dozens of new “toad patrols” are being set up to help amphibians avoid being squashed flat as numbers decline. It is estimated 20 tonnes of toads a year are crushed by cars and lorries as they attempt to reach their breeding sites around the UK. Experts say the patrols’ efforts are saving about 80,000 toads annually.

News, Planning

Property developers row back on netting used to stop birds nesting 

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The Guardian reports some developers are reviewing their policies after protests from environmentalists. A grassroots uprising is forcing builders and councils to remove netting over trees and hedgerows installed to prevent birds nesting and hindering their developments.

Environmentalists have condemned the practice and say it has exploded in scale this spring. The use of netting to prevent birds nesting in hedgerows and trees allows developers to get around the law that prevents the removal and damage of birds nests, and avoid delays to development caused by the nesting season.

News, Spotting wildlife

Big Garden Birdwatch: Smallest birds ‘hit by Beast from East’

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The BBC report fewer of the UK’s smallest birds have been spotted this year by volunteers in the Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual survey run by the RSPB.

Long-tailed tits were down by 27% and wrens by 17% after being seen in large numbers in 2018. Last year’s very cold spell brought by the Beast from the East is thought to be a factor, as smaller birds would have been hardest hit by the blast.

House sparrows, meanwhile, are making a comeback after years in decline.