Britain may have a spectacular new butterfly: dozens of continental swallowtails have been spotted along the south coast after being filmed emerging from pupae in gardens and allotments for the first time. Unprecedented footage, which will be broadcast on Springwatch tonight, shows the first British generation of this charismatic, colourful butterfly hatching out in an […]
Category: Wildlife
Results of the Best Photo of the Week Ended 14 Jun 2014
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest “Best Photo of the Week” Competition. First Prize is awarded toJonathan Serrano for his outstanding photo “Red-eyed Leaf Frog”. Raghavendra Pattar wins Second Prize with “Barred Owl” and Third Prize goes toNitin Jain for “Time For Reflection” (click on images for full scale view). See […]
Barn owl bumper brood in Cambridgeshire celebrated
Conservationists are celebrating after barn owls nesting at a Cambridgeshire farm hatched twice as many chicks as this time last spring. Three pairs of birds at Lark Rise farm have produced 17 chicks in total and may have a second brood this summer. The UK barn owl population was hit badly last year after a […]
Badger cull pilot risks spreading bovine TB further, study says
A pilot scheme to selectively cull badgers testing positive for tuberculosis risks spreading the disease further, scientists have warned. The new bovine TB control strategy to be piloted in Northern Ireland will carry out live tests on badgers with the aim of vaccinating healthy animals and culling infected ones, as part of efforts to reduce […]
Great tits’ ‘black ties’ smaller in the city
Urban great tits have smaller black breast stripes than their rural neighbours, a study has found. Scientists discovered significant differences between birds living in Barcelona, Spain and a nearby forest. Smaller “black ties” appeared to improve male great tits’ survival rates in the city, while in the countryside birds with larger ties fared best. “The […]
Näktergal, Thrush Nightingale
Näktergal, häftigt att stå i mörkret och det är totalt tyst runtomkring förutom en näktergal som är i toppform och sjunger ut för fullt. näktergal-Landsjön-140610
Tree-huggers: koalas cuddle up to keep cool
Animals that live in hot climates have various behavioral adaptations to help keep them cool. Kangaroos lick their wrists; rats lick their testicles. New-world vultures urinate on themselves. Humans and horses sweat. These behaviors all take advantage of the ability of evaporation to lower temperature by transferring heat energy from an animal’s body to the […]
Plants hitch a lift on migrating birds
Birds migrating between the Arctic and South America could be responsible for distributing plants across the tropics, according to new research. Scientists screened wild shorebirds’ feathers before migration and found plant parts embedded. Birds are known to disperse seeds and small animals across local, regional and continental ranges. It is the first evidence of plant […]