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


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

Don’t duck offshore windfarm checks, urges RSPB

The Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation (CEBC) has published a comprehensive review of scientific literature on the impact of windfarms on bird populations around the world.

Birdlife International

Twitchers' joy as rare breed lays third egg

A pair of lovebird ospreys were guarding their North Wales nest last night after the female laid a surprise third egg.

icNorthWales

Wing worry for rare bird of prey

A rare bird of prey which was nursed back to health after being hit by a car is struggling to cope in the wild.

BBC

Nature notes

The eggs have hatched in the nests of the Canada geese, and the little goslings are out with their parents.

Times Online

Birdbrains!

Work on a Halifax landmark was needlessly stopped by Calderdale Council, costing taxpayers thousands of pounds. Wildlife experts said today it had been unneccessary to halt renovations on the Square Church spire due to a pair of common kestrels.

Halifax Today


Animals
Resources
Mammal Society Mammals Trust UK The Deer Commission for Scotland Scottish Big Cat Trust 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

Waggle dance leads bees to nectar

Radar has helped resolve a long-standing controversy about the purpose of a strange dance performed by bees, Nature magazine reports.

BBC

Is hunt ban to blame for orphan cubs rise?

A significant rise in the number of orphaned fox cubs has been attributed to an increase in night-time hunting expeditions.

this is cornwall

Help urged to protect rare beetle

Scientists want help in unravelling the mysterious life of a rare beetle.

BBC

New plans to reintroduce beavers

Plans to bring beavers back to Scotland are to come under the spotlight when Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) meets in Edinburgh to discuss the trial reintroduction of the mammals in Argyll and Bute.

icDumfries

Study claims shooting foxes is also cruel

A study into the shooting of foxes dismisses claims that it is a humane alternative to hunting.

icWales

Nature notes

Holly blue butterflies are on the wing. They are the first of the blue butterflies to appear, and are often seen in gardens, even in the middle of cities.

Times Online

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


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

Hunting minke with the Norwegians

Few environmental issues arouse more passion than the killing of whales, and this month sees the start of the biggest commercial hunt anywhere in the world. It takes place off the coast of Norway.

BBC

Box jellyfish show a keen eye

Box jellyfish are best known as near-invisible marine killers and a scourge of tropical holidaymakers, but it seems they should also be known for their oddball eyes.

news @ nature.com

EU moves up dirty beach campaign

European Union states must clean up their polluted beaches four years earlier than planned, the parliament said on Tuesday.

CNN.com

Your ocean needs you!
Show your support for the marine bill campaign by signing The Wildlife Trusts’ marine petition online by clicking here.


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

Wildflower species dying out

Wildlife experts in Bristol have joined warnings that rare plants in the area face extinction. A new report suggests one in five species of wildflower in the country are at risk of dying out.

this is bristol

Bluebell SOS

Help is needed to save the bluebell plant. Durham Wildlife Trust are asking local people in South Tyneside to fill in a survey form if they have seen any bluebells this year.

icNewcastle

Flower power

For a brief, two-week period at the end of May each year, locals in the Gloucestershire village of South Woodchester can be seen in the hedgerows picking elderflowers by the handful.

this is Cirencester

The vanishing flowers of Britain: one in five species faces extinction

One in five of Britain's wild flower species is threatened with extinction, according to the most detailed analysis to date of the British flora.

Independent
Times Online
The Guardian
Telegraph
English Nature
Community Newswire
BBC
The Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain


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

Trust pushes on with plan to flood valley

Proposals to flood nearly 50 acres of land in the Tamar Valley have been resubmitted by the National Trust.

this is cornwall

Britain's wildflowers facing extinction

One in five of Britain's wildflower species faces extinction, according to a report published yesterday.

this is cornwall

The fight to keep our coastline

Many miles of the Cornish coastline - including beautiful areas of The Lizard, the north coast and St Michael's Mount - are under threat if sea levels rise due to climate change.

this is cornwall

Grants to promote ‘green’ Broads

Another £200,000 in government grants is available to promote sustainable develop-ment in the Broads.

EDP24

Appeal for volunteers to help with river clean-up

Volunteers are being sought to take part in a canoe adventure later this week to collect litter from the banks of the River Dart.

this is cornwall

Volunteers needed by wildlife trust to help on projects

This year has been designated year of the volunteer to encourage people to use their skills in a voluntary capacity.

this is the Lake District

Wildlife group is the best in South West

A group of young wildlife enthusiasts from Dimmer near Castle Cary have been named the best in the South West for the second year running.

the Westgaz

Nature lovers in a flap at plan

Plans to dredge the lake at Queen's Park have ruffled feathers among nature lovers worried about waterfowl.

icCheshireOnline


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

Donegal golden eagles make history

A pair of golden eagles have nested in Donegal and laid an egg for the first time in Ireland since 1912.

Belfast Telegraph
BBC

Locals oppose fish farm on 'golden mile'

Leitrim residents have launched a campaign to save a stretch of coastline following planning approval for a fish farm development.

The Papers Today

Dale Farm is fined again for pollution

Northern Ireland's leading dairy company has been fined £7,500 after the latest in a string of river pollution offences at its Co Tyrone milk processing factory.

Belfast Telegraph

Important Wicklow walking rights case begins

Wicklow Circuit Court yesterday began hearing an important test case in which a local landowner is seeking to prevent walkers crossing his land. Mr Neil Collen, of Old Boley, is seeking a permanent injunction preventing walkers entering his lands between Enniskerry and Glencree.

The Papers Today

Batt O'Keeffe Presents 2004/2005 All Ireland Esso Wildlife Challenge Awards

Mr Batt O'Keeffe T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government today (Wednesday 11th May) presented the 2004/2005 All Ireland Esso Wildlife Challenge Awards at a ceremony in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Dublin.

Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Newbuildings P.S. Go Wild For Award

Newbuildings Primary School have a triple celebration this week.

Derry Journal


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

Farmers blamed for picking off flowers

Wales' wildflowers are under threat from intensive farming, botanists warned yesterday in the wake of a major study.

icWales
icWales

Help wild flora to spread again

Conservationists last night called for action to stop wild flowers being wiped out in the Welsh countryside.

icNorthWales

Search on for fish death polluter

The Environment Agency is asking the public for help in finding the source of a pollutant which killed more than 5,000 fish in a south Wales river.

BBC


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

Bill Bryson backs bid to save Scotland's wildlife habitats

Best-selling writer Bill Bryson has lent his backing to a campaign to protect some of Scotland oldest and rarest wildlife habitats from destruction.

Scotsman.com

Pig slurry leak contaminates burn

A leak from a tank containing thousands of litres of pig slurry has contaminated a stream in Aberdeenshire.

BBC

The corncrake crying

The Hebridean spring on the Island of Mull was always memorable. Looking back across the decades I'll never forget the corncrakes crying from the boggy little fields between Laggan Sands and the oak woods.

this is southdevon


National
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

Action on unauthorised GM imports

A method for detecting residues from genetically modified Bt10 maize has been developed and agreed by the European Commission.

Food Standards Agency

DEFRA sees minimal reshuffle

Margaret Beckett remains at the helm of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where Jim Knight and Lord Back of Lutterworth join the ministerial team as Parliamentary Secretaries.

Country Life

Naturenet
Countryside management and nature conservation
- here


Energy
Resources
DTI Renewable Energy British Wind Energy Association Greenpeace - Renewable Energies Irish Wind Energy Association Yes2Wind Country Guardian Impact of Wind Turbines on Birds Wind-Farm.org Windfarm News

Park authority says 'no' to turbines

Plans for a controversial windfarm on the edge of Dartmoor have suffered a severe blow as the park's authority unanimously voted to oppose the application.

this is cornwall

Fears raft of wind turbines will be built in district

Fears have been raised that a district could be the focus for a raft of wind-farm developments.

this is the North-east

Countryside Agency told to back turbines

A leading environmental pressure group last night called on the Countryside Agency to withdraw its opposition to the controversial Whinash windfarm scheme.

News & Star

Wind farm protest

The opposing factions of the wind farm debate came head to head in Ammanford this week.

this is Ammanford

Storm over wind farm

Villagers are fighting plans for a massive wind farm on their doorsteps.

icCheshire

Giant turbines only belong offshore

A sad aspect of the General Election campaign we have all just endured is the absence of serious comment on environmental issues.

this is cornwall

Windfarm campaigners take fight to Europe

Opponents of a controversial windfarm have taken their fight to Europe after residents living near the site claimed their human rights had been infringed.

this is cornwall

Environmental view is so changeable

The environmental campaign group Greenpeace, is opposing a windfarm planned for the Western Isles. The group is concerned that birds could be displaced or killed by the development.

this is cornwall

UK public still wants nuclear power dependence to be reduced

The UK public remains unconvinced about nuclear energy being the answer to the UK’s future power supply needs, according to a survey out today.

KPMG

Rapid return to nuclear power ruled out

The government's main scientific adviser on energy policy yesterday ruled out an immediate return to nuclear power.

The Guardian


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

New data 'proves' global warming

Evidence that temperatures could fall sharply over the next few years has been discovered, scientists reveal.

BBC

Changes in Gulf Stream could chill Europe

One outcome of global warming could be a dramatic cooling of Britain and northern Europe.

CNN.com

Scottish MPs must urgently tackle climate change

The fight against climate change must start now - say environment groupsScotland's newly elected MPs must immediately help drive forward action to tackle the threat of climate change, environment groups said today.

everyonecan.org

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

Not in my Nama

In a conference room on the shores of Lake Geneva, trade negotiators are drawing up plans that could eventually have a devastating impact on the global environment.

The Guardian

Humans bad for ecosystems

One can fret about global warming, nuclear proliferation, asteroid impacts or tsunamis, but for an ecosystem the worst thing that can happen is to have human beings move to the neighborhood.

United Press International

Biotech labelling report outlines global differences

The US department of agriculture (USDA) has issued two reports on the evolving global requirements for the traceability and labelling of agricultural biotechnology products.

foodproductiondaily.com

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