Observations Of Nature Through The Seasons.

[knocker]

Kea Parrot Is The First Non-Mammal To Show Contagious Laughter

Laughing is contagious. Until now, only mammals like humans, chimps, and rats showed the “emotionally contagious” vocalization. Now scientists have found that the kea parrots in New Zealand can also make other parrots laugh. It makes them the first known non-mammal to have the ability to put others in their community in a good mood through their vocalization.

http://www.valuewalk.com/2017/03/kea-parrot-non-mammal-laughter/

[knocker]

Who will rid me of those turbulent rooks?

[knocker]

Morning photo

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/davis/this-week-at-davis/2017/this-week-at-davis-24-march-2017

[4wd]

Wild daffs are out a week or so early.
Frosty this morning again and more of that to come - won't hurt them but they don't like wind, rain and most of all snow cover.
GoPro recording late yesterday.

 

[knocker]

The glare.

I notice the Black Swans at Dawlish have cygnets already.

Edited March 26, 2017 by knocker

[Polar Maritime]

Well heard a load of flapping in the shed and look what I find! Got him out safe and sound but I doubt she'll be back in a rush..

Edited March 26, 2017 by Polar Maritime

[knocker]

A couple around today and as the name implies, quite partial to a nut

[knocker]

Oy!!

[knocker]

I like to cheat a bit and keep my feet firmly on the deck!

[ciel]

Stopped off at SWT Balgavies this afternoon but stayed for longer than expected 

The three folk in the hide had drifted away around 4pm, but while I was watching the antics of this little fella:

 

I was delighted and surprised around 4.40  to catch the return of, probably, one of the regular Osprey breeding pair here.

 

[knocker]

Great photos ciel.

[Weather-history]

 

[knocker]

These are stunning time-lapse images of flying birds:

http://timewheel.net/amazing-chronophotographs-capture-patterns-birds-flight/

[knocker]

They have weird feet, unfortunately didn't get a chance to see them

 

Edited April 6, 2017 by knocker

[Smoked (not fags)]

Awful lot of queen wasps about. Does not bode well for the summer. 

Keep an eye out for wasps taking on water from a bird bath and similar. You can then get a fair idea where the nest is by the track of those wasps after getting water. 

[Cheshire Freeze]

3 hours ago, Smoked (not fags) said:

Awful lot of queen wasps about. Does not bode well for the summer. 

Keep an eye out for wasps taking on water from a bird bath and similar. You can then get a fair idea where the nest is by the track of those wasps after getting water. 

I always do my best to get rid of queen wasps when I see them. 

Squished pretty much straight away. To be honest, I can't believe there are people that let them go about their business, they are a pest nothing more nothing less. 

Edited April 7, 2017 by CreweCold

[ciel]

13 hours ago, Smoked (not fags) said:

Awful lot of queen wasps about. Does not bode well for the summer. 

Keep an eye out for wasps taking on water from a bird bath and similar. You can then get a fair idea where the nest is by the track of those wasps after getting water. 

 

10 hours ago, CreweCold said:

I always do my best to get rid of queen wasps when I see them. 

Squished pretty much straight away. To be honest, I can't believe there are people that let them go about their business, they are a pest nothing more nothing less. 

A wasp's nest in one's living quarters may be intolerable, but:-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/286461-what-use-a

and

Tony Juniper, in his excellent book What Nature Does for Britain, calculates that the services of pollinating insects are worth £400 million a year. It’s really high time we started loving the bloody things. Few people even study them. Their stings mean wasps are among the most under-researched of insects.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/07/why-all-civilised-people-should-love-wasps/

 

[Smoked (not fags)]

They are not much fun if you are the target of their good works have an allergic reaction to their sting. They are aggressive nasty little things particularly later in the season. 

[knocker]

Fairly quiet down at the lake today but Sidney did pop down for a nut

[knocker]

Fight to save prized pearl mussels

A species whose gems helped to shape history is facing extinction from river pollution

Quote

They can live in our rivers for centuries, spawn millions of offspring a year and were once so abundant in Britain that they helped to trigger the Roman invasion.

Yet freshwater pearl mussels, prized for their gems, are facing extinction in parts of England because pollution has stopped them reproducing for more than 60 years.

Almost double the size of their common ocean cousins — the ones you might find in your moules marinière — freshwater mussels are much slower growing and far more susceptible to changes in water quality.

Their extraordinary life cycle also involves clinging to the gills of salmon or trout for the first year of their lives, so their fortunes are tied to Britain’s dwindling fish stocks.

“Most populations stopped breeding in the 1950s,” said Izzy Moser, head of the freshwater mussel project at the Devon Wildlife Trust, which is raising money for a captive breeding programme to reintroduce young mussels for the first time in decades.

There are only nine rivers in the north of England where the freshwater mussel survives, and two in the south of England, both in Devon. “The whole southern populations have nearly been wiped out,” Ms Moser said. “It’s amazing there are still any here.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fight-to-save-prized-pearl-mussels-2tdp7wn5m

[knocker]

A quarter of UK birds under threat as curlew joins red list

More than a quarter of the UK’s birds are struggling to survive, with species including curlews and puffins joining the at-risk list in recent years, a report highlights.

Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/environment/a-quarter-of-uk-birds-under-threat-as-curlew-joins-red-list-1-8486100

[knocker]

Report

State of Nature 2016 - England

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/stateofnature2016_england_1_sept_pages.pdf

[ciel]

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham commented: "Bad weather and a poor start to the year made 2016 a tough 12 months for Scotland's butterfly population. These difficulties can be clearly seen across the UK with some species reporting a decline to their lowest levels."

She said butterfly numbers were indicators of a healthy environment - and land managers could apply for funding to support butterflies through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS)

( unable to copy link, for some reason, but the article can  be found on BBC Scotland website) 

EDIT:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39569824

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by ciel

[knocker]

 

[knocker]

Down at the lake it will soon be the breeding season

And of course, " I see no ships",