H a b i t a t - Daily wildlife and environment news from the British Isles


Animals
Resources
Mammal Society Mammals Trust UK The Deer Commission for Scotland Scottish Big Cat Trust Scottish Badgers International Otter Survival Fund Bat Conservation Trust National Federation of Badger Groups Froglife Herpetological Groups of Britain & Ireland Butterfly Conservation Butterflies of Ireland Spiders of NW-Europe British Dragonfly Society Buglife

Moonlight holds no romance for brock

Sexed-up badgers do not like making love "with the light on" according to new research.

this is Gloucestershire
Telegraph

TB tests on dead badgers shock

About one in seven badgers killed on the roads was suffering from TB, according to a new survey.

icBirmingham

Perfect for polecats - but tough times for dormouse

Rats, rabbits and the much persecuted polecat will be the big winners of any climate change in the West, wildlife experts claimed yesterday.

this is Gloucestershire

Lost? Ask a painted lady

Have you ever watched butterflies dance around a field, or a buddleia bush? They never seem to get lost, do they?

this is southwales

Rare colony of crayfish wiped out

A colony of endangered crayfish living in a Midlands river has been wiped out, the Environment Agency says.

BBC

Bee hive inspector cuts sting MP

A North Yorkshire MP has branded government plans to cut the number of bee hive inspectors as "risky".

BBC

August alert on cub hunting ban

Sir - As August begins, there is great joy and hope in the countryside that the barbaric "sport" of fox-cub hunting (given the euphemistic name of autumn hunting) will not be taking place.

this is Gloucestershire

The harlequin ladybird is the most invasive ladybird on Earth.
Now it's in Britain.
Help monitor its spread here


Birds
Resources
British Trust for Ornithology Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Birds Directive BirdGuides Bird News JNCC - Birds Natura 2000 Birds by Species Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside Black Grouse UK Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust BirdLife International Fat Birder

Bird's visit a first for Ulster

Birdwatchers were today flocking to Co Down to catch a glimpse of a sea bird making its first ever appearance in Northern Ireland.

Belfast Telegraph

Search for cause of heron deaths

Reports of dead and deformed heron chicks at a north Notts nature reserve are being investigated by an Environment Agency-funded study.

BBC
this is Nottingham

Birdsong stops for feathers to grow

With the breeding season coming to an end, birds fall silent and begin their summer moult.

this is Gloucestershire

Nature notes

The woods are very quiet just now. A family of greenfinches goes chattering over the treetops.

Times Online


Plants
Resources
The British Lichen Society The Woodland Trust Botanical Society of the British Isles Plantlife Flora locale Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Heritage Trees of Scotland The Postcode Plants Database Forestry Commission

Rare bloom makes a quarry comeback

One of Britain's rarest wild flowers is blooming again in the Cotswolds. Thlaspi perfoliatum, or Cotswold pennycress, bloomed for generations on the slopes of limestone quarries.

this is Gloucestershire

Plans for giant treetop walkway

An ambitious £1m scheme is being planned to create a walkway above the treetops of Thetford Forest.

BBC
EDP24

Children to plant Trafalgar wood

Hundreds of schoolchildren across North Norfolk are being recruited to help plant a wood that commemorates the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

EDP24

Anger over wild flower graveyard

Visitors to a Lincolnshire cemetery have complained it is being spoilt by attempts to preserve a rare flower.

BBC

Nature notes

A dangerous flower that can grow twice as tall as a man is now lurking in the countryside.

Times Online


Marine
Resources
British Marine Life Study Society JNCC Fisheries Marine Conservation Society Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland Shark Trust The European Register of Marine Species The UK Coastal Zone

Plans for Scotland's first coastal park

Scotland's leading conservation group is taking forward plans to develop the nation's first coastal and marine national park.

Scotsman.com

A whale of a time counting dolphins

Wildlife enthusiasts are being recruited to take part in one of the biggest ever operations to count whales and dolphins off the North Wales coast.

icNorthWales

Ocean's wildlife is in need of protection

St Ives Town Council is to call on its Penwith counterpart to help protect marine life in local waters. Shirley Beck tabled a two part motion at last week's council meeting.

this is Cornwall

Fantastic wildlife off our coast

The clear blue waters washing around the Cornish coastline are teeming with life - possibly including a mako shark, one of nature's most fearsome predators.

this is Cornwall

Sea for yourselves!

Looking for somewhere to take the children this week? Why not celebrate sea life in this year's Irish Sea Marine Week from August 6-14.

icLiverpool

Hurricane Ivan generated monster waves - study

Hurricane Ivan, which caused a swathe of destruction across the Caribbean last September before crashing into the U.S. Gulf coast, generated ocean waves more than 90 feet high, researchers said on Thursday.

Reuters


National/Europe
Resources
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Natural Environment Research Council Minerals and Nature Conservation Forum The Wildlife Trusts Wildlife and Countryside Link British Naturalists' Association EnvironmentJobs

Defending the green belt

Green belt campaigner Tim Harrold stands on the edge of a field in his home county of Surrey and makes a grand sweeping gesture towards the horizon. "Isn't it lovely?" he says.

BBC
this is Gloucestershire

Naturenet
Countryside management and nature conservation
- here


England
Resources
English Nature Countryside Agency Environment Agency Campaign for the Protection of Rural England

Going wild

A waste disposal site in Teesside is being transformed into a £2.5m wildlife haven for all to enjoy.

icTeesside

Vantage point for wetland reserve

The latest stage in the development of a £1.5m wetland habitat being created in South Yorkshire has been unveiled.

BBC

Green light for dredging programme

Dredging to improve the navigation channel in Christchurch Harbour and in the River Stour near Tuckton is expected to begin this winter.

this is Dorset

Go organic to get the wildlife

Birds, bats, butterflies and other of wildlife are thriving on organic farms compared to those using chemical pesticides and fertilisers.

this is Worcestershire

Contractor narrowly avoids crown court in pollution prosecution

A construction company narrowly avoided crown court this morning after an incident caused raw sewage to severely affect wildlife in three kilometres of a Leeds stream.

Environment Agency


Wales
Resources
Welsh Assembly Countryside Council for Wales Wales Biodiversity Partnership Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales Environment Agency (Wales)

River pollution kills 20,000 fish

A third unexplained pollution incident on a south Wales river has killed more than 20,000 fish.

BBC

Public `ignored' over wind farm

The views of the electorate have been ignored by Ammanford Town Council -- anti-wind turbine protesters said this week.

this is Ammanford

Levels design job won by firm

A firm of South Wales architects has fought off competition from 40 European practices to design an environmental education centre for the Newport Wetlands Nature Reserve.

this is Gwent

Riders show support for forest campaign

Horse riders showed their solidarity with the campaign to restore Wales' most ancient woodland with a mass ride through its trees.

this is Gwent

Welsh in the woodlands

A New Welsh-English dictionary has been launched especially for people who can't see the wood for the trees.

this is southwales


Ireland
Resources
Environment & Heritage Service (Northern Ireland) Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group National Parks and Wildlife Service Ireland's Environment All-Ireland review of introduced species

Ulster goes bats for creatures of night

Members of the public are being enlisted as detectives to track down the creatures of the night haunting the banks of the River Lagan.

Belfast Telegraph

RSPB celebrates bird protection

Birds in Northern Ireland are now better protected thanks to groundbreaking laws now marking their 25th anniversary, the RSPB has said.

BBC

Farmers give thumbs up to bio-fuels relief

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has welcomed the Government decision to grant excise relief of €3m a year on bio-fuels.

Irish Independent


Scotland
Resources
Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Environment Protection Agency Scottish Biodiversity Group Scotland's National Nature Reserves John Muir Trust Scottish Environment News Scottish Wildlife Trust Red Squirrels In South Scotland

Osprey in sight for enthusiasts

Bird protection agency the RSPB is inviting North-east people to see one of the country's rarest birds tonight.

this is north scotland

Views sought on new marine park

Scottish Natural Heritage has launched a public consultation on the possible location of the country's first coastal and marine national park.

BBC


Climate
Resources
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research Southampton Oceanography Centre Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Natural Environment Research Council UK Climate Impacts Programme Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife ENN Special Reports: Climate Change Global Warming: Early warning signs

Greenhouse effect could melt nearly all world's glaciers, says UN-backed report

Dramatic scenarios from man-made global warming can no longer be excluded, including the complete disappearance of glaciers from entire mountain ranges, leading to processes "without precedent in the history of the earth," according to the latest update of a five-yearly United Nations-supported report.

UN News Centre

Drought, fires affect global CO2 levels

Some scientists are warning this summer's drought across Europe will release large amounts of carbon dioxide, giving further impetus to global warming.

Irish Sun

Help produce a forecast of the climate in the 21st century, using your computer -
here


Global
Resources
IUCN - World Conservation Union Convention on Biological Diversity WWF - The global environment network World Land Trust

Crew to track Monarch butterflies

The annual arrival of millions of Monarch butterflies from the forests of eastern Canada to the central Mexican mountains for the winter is an aesthetic and scientific wonder. And this year, they won't be flying alone.

Environmental News Network

Official says pelican exodus not alarming

A top federal wildlife official says the pelican mystery at the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge may be a natural correction.

Environmental News Network

The World Land Trust is a conservation charity that has helped purchase and protect over 300,000 acres of rainforest and other threatened wildlife habitats worldwide. You can help us save even more - here

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Daily wildlife and environment news from the British Isles