Rare squacco heron flies in to WWT Welney July 2012. Birders have been gathering at WWT Welney in Norfolk this week to see an extremely rare squacco heron. The reason why it has turned up in the UK is unknown as these birds normally spend the summer in Southern Europe. This record is the second […]
Author: Nic Slocum
Nic Slocum is an experienced naturalist and wildlife guide and is best known for his escorted tours taking enthusiasts out, both in Ireland and overseas, to view and photograph whales and dolphins. Nic maintains a lifelong passion for using the written word to promote the conservation of our wildlife and wild places and has appeared as an expert commentator on both radio and TV. A zoologist by training, Nic has published articles on conservation related issues in regional and national newspapers. Nic is a director of Whale Watch West Cork.com and Whales World Wide.com
Unusual tern settled in Llanelli, Wales
Squally weather blows rare gull-billed tern off course to WWT Llanelli June 2012. Birders are flocking (Why do birders always flock? Why don’t they migrate, slime or even ponce?) to WWT NationalWetland Centre Wales at Llanelli to see an extremely rare gull-billed tern who has taken up residence. It is thought the recent squally weather […]
Lonesome George finally dies…
A lumbering giant Galapagos tortoise known as Lonesome George lifts his head up during a walk in his protected home in the island chain in Puerto Ayora this February. Lonesome George was the last remaining tortoise of his kind and a conservation icon Photo: (c) Stringer/Files Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind […]
New Species of Bird Identified in Colombia
World’s most bird bio diverse country increases its lead! June 2012. With more than 1880 species, Colombia has the highest number of recorded bird species of any country, and this week Colombian ornithologists have unveiled the discovery of a brand new endemic species of bird, the Antioquia Wren. The new species of Wren (Thryophilus Sernai) […]
Climate Change May Kill Off 900 Bird Species By 2100
You might think birds, of all animals, could just pick up and move if their environment changes in a way not to their liking, but global warming poses a very real threat to the avian world. Scientists say climate change is likely to drive up to 900 bird species into extinction by the end of […]
California condors numbers pass the 400 mark for the first time for 100 years
226 free flying condors May 2012. California condor numbers have crept above 400 for the first time since they teetered on the verge of extinction. There are currently 226 wild flying condors, 125 in California, 80 in Arizona and a small population of 21 in Baja Mexico. Of these birds, 29 fledged in the wild, […]
I never lost the faith of a dedicated birder
Ever since those dreamy childhood days when I would lie on my back on a straw rick listening to the chattering and murmuring of a flight swallows as they wheeled and swooped in the yard outside the barns on my fathers farm I have been a birder at heart. Saddened as I am by the […]
Bird-Friendly Wind Power
Bird collisions have been one of the primary negatives of the recent growth in wind power across the United States and beyond. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) estimates that almost a half million birds are killed each year in the U.S. by wind turbines. “Birds can die in collisions with the turbine blades, […]