I’m grateful to Dr Nathan Williams for sending me a link to this study he carried out as part of his doctoral research on the diets of Red Foxes in central southern England. Once I got past the phrase “Anthropogenic resource subsidies” which are non-natural sources of food made available deliberately or unintentionally by people…
BLOG POSTS
RSPB – UK could be set to lose its first bird species due to climate change
UK could be set to lose its first bird species due to climate change The UK’s breeding Dotterel population has declined by 89% since 1988 The rate of decline has increased since the last national survey in 2011 Declines are similar inside and outside of Special Protection Areas, suggesting climate change could be one of the main causes Results from…
RSPB reconnects precious Welsh landscape to protect rare Celtic rainforest and Pied Flycatchers
The RSPB reconnects precious Welsh landscape to protect rare Celtic rainforest and Pied Flycatchers RSPB Cymru announces the purchase of Gallt-y-bere, an area boasting a diverse range of habitats in mid Wales Landmark acquisition creates a connected landscape for wildlife at RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas nature reserve for the first time in 60 years The acquisition will…
Oldest Avocet
Oldest bird of its kind discovered on RSPB nature reserve A record-breaking Avocet, found at RSPB Middleton Lakes, has been confirmed as the oldest of its kind at 36 years old – more than five times the average lifespan for the species. The individual has set a new national record after fledging in 1990, an…
Sunday book review – Forest of the Sea by David Helvarg
This is a fascinating account of the wonders of the Pacific kelp forests that run from Baja California to Alaska (and in the southern hemisphere off Chile). Like many of the world’s other great habitats, this one is under threat but we hear of a motley, diverse group of individuals who are doing their best…
Sunday book review – A Photographic Guide to Flies of Britain and Ireland by Stephen Falk, Gail Ashton, Rory Dimond and Peter Creed
I wish this book had been available through 2025 when I was carrying out a year-long bioblitz of my garden. The Diptera is a very species-rich taxon, perhaps even richer than Coleoptera in world terms, and there are over 7000 UK species. I found them difficult to catch, difficult to photograph and then difficult to…
Bass Rock and Grassholm Gannet colonies may not recover from bird flu until 2041
Two of the world’s largest Gannet colonies may not recover from the impact of bird flu until 2041, study finds Northern Gannet colonies on the islands of Bass Rock in Scotland and Grassholm in Wales may take almost two decades to recover from the impact of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird…
Guest blog – Boundary Mill and A59/A56 magic roundabouts of CEP (240 MW) by Nick MacKinnon
Nick MacKinnon is a freelance teacher of Maths, English and Medieval History, and lives above Haworth, in the last inhabited house before Top Withens = Wuthering Heights. In 1992 he founded the successful Campaign to Save Radio 4 Long Wave while in plaster following a rock-climbing accident on Skye. His poem ‘The metric system’ won…
Sunday book review – Wolf Land by Elizabeth Marshall
I guess I read and review a new book about wolves every year which is quite interesting in itself since there aren’t any wolves in the UK. But we are fascinated by wolves as a species and we tend to love them or hate them. Some hanker after restoring the Grey Wolf to the…
Sunday book review – A Galloway Year by Ian Carter and Karen Menarry
One of the best things about Galloway is that it is off the beaten track and that few people go there – they all head further north or further south – but this is such a welcoming book, with gorgeous illustrations of landscapes and inviting tales of interesting walks with wildlife, beaches, good scenery and…