Observations Of Nature Through The Seasons.

[knocker]

Clinging to the underside of the coffee table this morning. It's about 6in from tip to toe. Appreciate it if someone can tell me what it is

 

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Stick insect

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Little Egret at Copperhouse Creek, Hayle, this morning

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Much excitement in these parts amongst the bird watching fraternity as a Brown Booby has be seen flying and feeding along the north coast/ the last two or three days. Also a flock of White Storks

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A cracking photo of the Brown Booby

https://www.cbwps.org.uk/cbwpsword/sightings/

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Churchyards often contain many different habitats within a small area, providing a place for all sorts of wildlife to thrive wildflowers, ancient trees, insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, as well as lichens, mosses and fungi.

They can be managed to encourage wildlife to live in them, without detracting from their primary role for the congregation and visitors. The Living Churchyards Project is a joint initiative between Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the Diocese of Truro. The project provides support and advice to those interested in managing their local churchyard for wildlife.

Kenwyn churchyard in early August

[ciel]

This opportunistic Heron decided to hunt around the bird-feeders in front of the visitor centre at SWT Montrose.

Stalking   Success   

 

 

  Gone 

 

 

 

 

 

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A very tricky little fella. Close but no cigar

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A Little Grebe down at the lake this morning

[ciel]

Nice to see these native Grey Partridges this morning. These two were among a group of around ten youngsters.

 

 

[ciel]

It's quite nice to have an unkempt imperfect neat garden when these little beauties turn up in front of the kitchen window;

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

Beautiful snow leopards 

 

[Beverley Lass]

Nice to see some late Sept. butterflies in my garden between downpours.
Such a wet last week of that month after weeks of it being so dry.

[ciel]

I was lucky enought to watch this lift-off at Montrose Basin not long after sunrise yesterday morning. The cacophony was ear-splitting.There are around 50,000 Pink-feet there at present and numbers will build over the next couple of weeks or so before the majority disperse to overwinter at The Wash and Morecambe Bay.

 

 

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

Spotted in nearby St Andrews 

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/rare-exotic-bird-spotted-in-fife-garden-1-5015797

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Populations of UK’s most important wildlife have plummeted since 1970

Quarter of mammals and nearly half of birds assessed are at risk of extinction, says State of Nature report

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Populations of the UK’s most important wildlife have plummeted by an average of 60% since 1970, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date.

The State of Nature report also found that the area inhabited by officially designated “priority species” has shrunk by 27%. The species are those deemed most important and threatened, and include hedgehogs, hares and bats, many birds such as the willow tit and the turtle dove, and insects such as the high brown fritillary butterfly.

The report finds the losses to all animals, plants and marine life show no sign of letting up, despite some successes in protecting individual species. It found that 41% of species have decreased in abundance, while just 26% have increased.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/03/populations-of-uks-most-important-wildlife-have-plummeted-since-1970

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Socotra Archipelago

Socotra Archipelago, in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden, is 250 km long and comprises four islands and two rocky islets which appear as a prolongation of the Horn of Africa. The site is of universal importance because of its biodiversity with rich and distinct flora and fauna: 37% of Socotra’s 825 plant species, 90% of its reptile species and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world. The site also supports globally significant populations of land and sea birds (192 bird species, 44 of which breed on the islands while 85 are regular migrants), including a number of threatened species. The marine life of Socotra is also very diverse, with 253 species of reef-building corals, 730 species of coastal fish and 300 species of crab, lobster and shrimp.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1263/

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

 

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Alaska’s Big Whale Mystery: Where Are the Bowheads?

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The fingerprints of climate change have been everywhere in Alaska. July was the state's all-time hottest month; sea surface temperatures have been breaking records around Alaska's coastline; and reports of salmon die-offs came in from across the state as river temperatures hit 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

At a time when the Arctic's sea ice pack normally would be nearing the Alaska coastline, the ice pack is still 400 miles north of Utqiagvik. What little snow there is in Utqiagvik has been melting, with temperatures above freezing and five October days breaking or tying heat records.

And now—the whales.

"We just haven't been seeing bowhead whales in October," said Megan Ferguson, a research biologist with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "It's the big mystery: where are the bowheads?"

Since 1979, the federal government has flown planes over the area to track the bowheads' migration and ensure that their population is bouncing back after it dwindled to around 3,000 at the end of commercial whaling in the early 1900s. Ferguson, the co-lead of that project, has been a part of the work since 2008.

"I don't think we've seen a single bowhead whale in the Chukchi Sea this year, and that's a total anomaly," she said.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31102019/climate-change-alaska-missing-bowhead-whale-migration-krill-canada-arctic-sea-ice

[ciel]

Two satellite-tagged eagles disappear 

Two satellite-tagged sea eagles 'disappear'

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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One of the birds of prey was last recorded near Inverness and the other in Aberdeenshire, says RSPB Scotland.

Darned grouse moors!

[Crepuscular Ray]

Near gaming estates by any chance?

[ciel]

1 hour ago, Crepuscular Ray said:

Near gaming estates by any chance?

The RSPB Scotland said transmissions from both tags ended on 22 July in areas managed as grouse shooting moors.

Of course it's possible that the transmitters could have failed and in addition neither bird has been recovered from said areas.

Edited November 5, 2019 by ciel

[Crepuscular Ray]

3 hours ago, ciel said:

The RSPB Scotland said transmissions from both tags ended on 22 July in areas managed as grouse shooting moors.

Of course it's possible that the transmitters could have failed and in addition neither bird has been recovered from said areas.

Well, they wouldn't be, would they? The transmitters will have been destroyed.