The piercing “crex crex” call of the male corncrake once kept country people awake at night. But its last breeding strongholds are falling silent as this elusive migratory bird teeters on the brink of extinction in Britain. Despite a successful rescue effort that led to its numbers rallying on the islands of north-west Scotland, rising […]
Tag: Patrick Barkham
Scottish forests could save red squirrel from extinction
Twenty forest strongholds in Scotland would save the red squirrel from extinction even if grey squirrels were to colonise the whole of Britain, according to research. Since their introduction from North America by Victorian enthusiasts, grey squirrels have pushed red squirrels out of much of the country, with reds outcompeted by the bigger greys and […]
Continental swallowtail breeding in UK for first time
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 […]
Butterflywatch: Dawn of the early risers
The Lulworth skipper is the only British butterfly with a geographically accurate name – it is found flying around Lulworth cove in Dorset and along a small section of the south coast. It is one of our rarest butterflies, and my 1980s field guide says it emerges in July. Last year it was first seen […]
Exotic migrant moths invade Britain under cover of darkness
An army of exotic migrant moths has invaded Britain under the cover of darkness, encouraged north by the gentle southerly breezes and balmy evenings of an Indian summer. The unprecedented autumn influx of rare insects includes the rosy underwing, the crimson speckled and the sinister death’s head hawkmoth, with another rare migrant moth, the Clifden […]
Look, a badger – kill it!
A dozen strong men to dig. A dozen good dogs wearing collars and bells to work underground. A large spade. Broad and narrow picks. Wood and iron shovels. A stout pair of long-handled tongs. Hessian sacks. Half a dozen rugs to lie on. Indian game fowls, hams and beef tongue to eat. Flagons of booze. […]
Puffin numbers show encouraging recovery
Puffin numbers in one of Britain’s best-known habitats have risen after the population fell under difficult conditions in previous years. A team of 11 National Trust rangers has carried out a full census of the puffins on the Farne Islands, something that happens only once every five years. There are now just under 40,000 pairs […]
Butterfly obsessives go on the trail of the elusive purple emperor
“It’s like a living stained-glass window,” enthused the broadcaster Nick Baker, as a group of naturalists bowed down before a purple emperor swooping through the oak trees. Two teams of butterfly obsessives on Friday took to battered Land Rovers in a hair-raising race to woods, meadows, chalk downland and an industrial park to find as […]