There are few birds in Africa that evoke more in us than the African Fish Eagle. It has been my favourite raptor for years, and their haunting calls along Africa’s waterways are an amazing reminder of the privilege we have to be on safari. One of the best places to see and photograph them is […]
Swans beat storm to find sanctuary at WWT
Seven Bewick’s swans made it through the major storm sweeping Britain and completed their migration from the arctic to WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire just as the worst of the violent weather hit. Migrating birds are facing 80mph southeasterly winds in their faces as they make the 2,500 mile journey in a south east […]
Mystery hum keeping people awake may be love-making fish
A mysterious humming noise which is keeping people awake at night could be down to fish making love, scientists claim.The noise, which residents say ‘pulsates’ through their homes, starts at about 10pm and carries on all night, forcing some people to move away from the area because they find it impossible to sleep. Scientists believe […]
Reprieve for whales at risk from oil platform
In a victory for conservationists, an oil platform planned near the habitat of a critically endangered whale population has been postponed for at least five years. A decision about development plans for the offshore Sakhalin-II drilling platform has been deferred by the Sakhalin Energy consortium, according to the western gray whale expert panel report. Concerns […]
Pectoral Sandpipers in Shasta County?
Well it’s not unheard of but pretty rare to see Pectoral Sandpipers in Shasta County. You see the Pectoral Sandpiper is a medium-sized sandpiper that breeds on wet tundra in both the North American and Siberian Arctic and winters mostly in southern South America1. I know range maps basically show the “average” or “normal” range […]
Cheetahs’ Iranian revival cheers conservationists
Asiatic cheetahs, a subspecies of the fastest animal on earth, are extinct everywhere except in Iran, where they are considered to be critically endangered. But marking a rare success, conservationists at the Persian wildlife heritage foundation (PWHF) have spotted a group of five Asiatic cheetahs (also known as Iranian cheetahs) – a mother with four […]
Killer Whales: Beneath the Surface – review
“For thousands of years it was feared as a single-minded, ruthless hunter,” says the narrator of Killer Whales: Beneath the Surface – Natural World (BBC2). Well, it’s hardly surprising. Look at this one. Here’s this poor sea lion, lolling (old meaning) about at the surface of the sea, happily unaware that it’s got half a […]
POLL: Should the ban on fox hunting be relaxed in the UK?
David Cameron is backing calls to relax the ban on fox-hunting in England and Wales, it emerged today. The Prime Minister has ‘sympathy’ with calls to scrap a law banning farmers from using more than two dogs to flush out foxes, Downing Street said. It would mark a first step towards the coalition fulfilling its […]