Restless Muse on Migrating Birds
Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher and observer of nature. He pioneered the study of zoology, but he was utterly clueless about bird migration. The seasonal appearance and disappearance of the birds in his native Greece perplexed him. Similar appearing species must be “transmuted” into each other across seasons, he reasoned, to explain the disappearance of […]
American Kestrel (Southeastern Subspecies)
American Kestrels are pretty common in the U.S., and here in Florida, we get to enjoy them in significant numbers throughout the winter months, but beginning in March or April, most of our Kestrels leave us. But there are some that stay with us all year round. The southeastern subspecies of American Kestrel mostly found […]
Urgent action needed to protect seabirds, say RSPB Scotland
Scotland’s seabird populations are in need of “urgent action” to halt significant, long-term declines, according to a report. A study from RSPB Scotland proposes creating seven sites to be designated as Special Protection Areas (SPA) to protect key feeding areas. It claims that the Scottish government is in danger of breaking conservation legislation if no […]
Sharpe’s Grysbok
I thought it apt to share a cute little antelope found in Southern Africa called the Sharpe’s Grysbok (Raphicerus sharpei). The name “Grysbok” translates directly from Afrikaans as “grey buck”, and though they’re not primarily grey of colour you can see the grey stubble coming through in its coat, as if it’s sporting the beard […]
European polecat
Mustela putorius putorius – Rare pictures of this forest creature with wet hair from all the rain we had these last weeks. Mustelidae close to the weasel, mink, otter and hermine. Its domestic counterpart is the ferret (Mustela putorius furo). Short-legged, this animal measures from 35 to 37 cms long without the tail and weighs […]
Crane chicks born in Gloucestershire
Two crane chicks have hatched in Gloucestershire which, if they survive, will become the first wild-born cranes in the west country in four centuries. One chick was born at the Slimbridge wetland centre last May but died just days later due, experts believe, to the cold and wet weather in the early summer. Cranes reestablished […]
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
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