El Annie
Phew..............
Plea to help save orphaned otters
A wildlife expert has appealed to motorists to tell someone if they run over and kill an otter. Ecologist Jill Jackson has warned that if an adult otter is killed, it could leave cubs struggling to survive nearby. And she appealed to drivers to contact an animal welfare agency, which would search the area for cubs and rear any surviving animals until they were old enough to be released into the wild. Ms Jackson has been appointed to look after the flora and flora on the verges of trunk roads. Her appeal comes as increasing numbers of dead otters are being found on the roadside throughout Gwynedd, Flintshire and Denbighshire.
More information - icNorthWales
Millions of species lost in Wales since 1970s
It is estimated that millions of common farmland and woodland species have been lost in Wales since the 1970s. A new book points out how irresponsible modern intensive farming and forestry policies have been the root cause of this catastrophe, resulting in the disappearance of species both common and rare before our very eyes. Welsh Wildlife also recounts the success stories, too: some species - such as the Red Kite - have been saved: the national bird of Wales has miraculously pulled back from the very edge of extinction. With improved protection, numbers have risen from fewer than a dozen pairs to over 200 pairs.
More information - News Wales
Wildlife wakes the world
Against the silence of the night the solo sound of a song thrush rings out before the beautiful song of the blackbird forms a duet. The powerful wrens, cheerful chaffinches, delicate sparrows and whistling starlings then weave in melodies, sweet enough to rouse the sun. The Wildlife Trusts’ International Dawn Chorus Day, Sunday 4 May, is an annual celebration of the world’s oldest wake-up call – the dawn chorus. International Dawn Chorus Day was originally conceived by The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and Black Country, one of the 47 Trusts in The Wildlife Trusts' partnership.
More information - WildNEWS
Osprey dalliance caught on security CCTV
Ospreys at SWT’s Loch of Lowes reserve have been proving that dalliance is just as much an avian as a human weakness. In an update to the early arrival of the first osprey on 19 March 2003, the Scottish Wildlife Trust announced today that the original female had returned and been joined by her partner after an affair with another interloper. Events have moved swiftly on the nest site. The first bird to arrive, on 19 March, was unringed and was soon displaced by the original female from last year’s breeding pair.
More information - Scottish Wildlife Trust
Birds flock to bright, healthy beaks
Bright beaks bring birds more mates because they are a sign of a healthy immune system, according to two studies published today. The research is the first direct evidence to support a popular theory of evolutionary biology: in species where males have red or orange beaks, birds with the most vivid colours attract more females because brightness is a sign of health. Jonathan Blount and colleagues at Glasgow University changed the beak colour of zebra finches by altering their food intake of carotenoids, the natural pigments responsible for the coloration.
More information -
FT.com
Telegraph
BBC
Bird guard bid to crack egg thieves
A pair of rare wild birds are under 24-hour guard to protect them from egg thieves. The chough - the emblem of Cornwall - had not bred in the county for 50 years until last summer when three chicks were born. Cornwall’s only pair of wild breeding choughs are now under round-the-clock watch to prevent "eggers" raiding their nesting site. The chough, a member of the crow family, has distinctive red legs and a red bill. The birds returned to the Lizard area of Cornwall in the summer of 2001 and successfully raised three young last year.
More information - Edinburgh Evening News
A wildlife expert has appealed to motorists to tell someone if they run over and kill an otter. Ecologist Jill Jackson has warned that if an adult otter is killed, it could leave cubs struggling to survive nearby. And she appealed to drivers to contact an animal welfare agency, which would search the area for cubs and rear any surviving animals until they were old enough to be released into the wild. Ms Jackson has been appointed to look after the flora and flora on the verges of trunk roads. Her appeal comes as increasing numbers of dead otters are being found on the roadside throughout Gwynedd, Flintshire and Denbighshire.
More information - icNorthWales
Millions of species lost in Wales since 1970s
It is estimated that millions of common farmland and woodland species have been lost in Wales since the 1970s. A new book points out how irresponsible modern intensive farming and forestry policies have been the root cause of this catastrophe, resulting in the disappearance of species both common and rare before our very eyes. Welsh Wildlife also recounts the success stories, too: some species - such as the Red Kite - have been saved: the national bird of Wales has miraculously pulled back from the very edge of extinction. With improved protection, numbers have risen from fewer than a dozen pairs to over 200 pairs.
More information - News Wales
Wildlife wakes the world
Against the silence of the night the solo sound of a song thrush rings out before the beautiful song of the blackbird forms a duet. The powerful wrens, cheerful chaffinches, delicate sparrows and whistling starlings then weave in melodies, sweet enough to rouse the sun. The Wildlife Trusts’ International Dawn Chorus Day, Sunday 4 May, is an annual celebration of the world’s oldest wake-up call – the dawn chorus. International Dawn Chorus Day was originally conceived by The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and Black Country, one of the 47 Trusts in The Wildlife Trusts' partnership.
More information - WildNEWS
Osprey dalliance caught on security CCTV
Ospreys at SWT’s Loch of Lowes reserve have been proving that dalliance is just as much an avian as a human weakness. In an update to the early arrival of the first osprey on 19 March 2003, the Scottish Wildlife Trust announced today that the original female had returned and been joined by her partner after an affair with another interloper. Events have moved swiftly on the nest site. The first bird to arrive, on 19 March, was unringed and was soon displaced by the original female from last year’s breeding pair.
More information - Scottish Wildlife Trust
Birds flock to bright, healthy beaks
Bright beaks bring birds more mates because they are a sign of a healthy immune system, according to two studies published today. The research is the first direct evidence to support a popular theory of evolutionary biology: in species where males have red or orange beaks, birds with the most vivid colours attract more females because brightness is a sign of health. Jonathan Blount and colleagues at Glasgow University changed the beak colour of zebra finches by altering their food intake of carotenoids, the natural pigments responsible for the coloration.
More information -
FT.com
Telegraph
BBC
Bird guard bid to crack egg thieves
A pair of rare wild birds are under 24-hour guard to protect them from egg thieves. The chough - the emblem of Cornwall - had not bred in the county for 50 years until last summer when three chicks were born. Cornwall’s only pair of wild breeding choughs are now under round-the-clock watch to prevent "eggers" raiding their nesting site. The chough, a member of the crow family, has distinctive red legs and a red bill. The birds returned to the Lizard area of Cornwall in the summer of 2001 and successfully raised three young last year.
More information - Edinburgh Evening News
