Observations Of Nature Through The Seasons.

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An Autumn window this morning

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New York City Has Genetically Distinct ‘Uptown’ and ‘Downtown’ Rats

A graduate student sequenced rats all over Manhattan, and discovered how the city affects their genetic diversity.https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/rats-of-new-york/546959/

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The World’s Deepest-Living Fish Is Surprisingly Cute

Meet the Mariana snailfish, the top dog at the bottom of the world.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mariana-trench-deepest-snailfish-discovery

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Caught this fella stretching during a 30 second hail shower. He's been in the wars, I think.

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Follow me......

another sucker has arrived......I'll keep an eye on him

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Wintry sunshine

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Necks

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Deadly stare: Australia’s iconic tawny frogmouths

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2017/11/the-tawny-frogmouth

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A Tufted down at the lake this morning

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And the Heron popped in again this morning

Those blasted Herring's are always leaving their litter

Edited December 3, 2017 by knocker

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Just hanging around

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A couple of pics from today:-

Fallow deer, Loch Buie, Mull.

This diving duck is a first spot for me and I did not recognize the species. After some raking around on the net, I think it is a male Smew – an uncommon winter migrant in these parts. ( big crop!)

Male Smew, Loch Spelve. 

A few weeks ago there was, unusually, the female of the species, a “red-headed” Smew over in the east at Balgavies Loch

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Spent 30mins or so today watching Sea Eagles soaring over Loch Sunart. 

  

 

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https://www.theweathernetwork.com/amp/news/mistle-thrush-spotted-in-miramichi-new-brunswick/90739/?__twitter_impression=true

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A bleak December morning

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One day I'm going to have that blasted squirrel

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Stunning photos

 

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First English dolphins found living off the coast of Cornwall

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The first English dolphins have been discovered off the coast of Cornwall, with scientists confirming that a small pod is entirely native to southern shores.

Cornwall is famed for its dolphin populations which can often be seen riding the waves alongside surfers, and leaping from the sea to greet tourist boats as they pass.

But it was always thought the mammals migrated, roaming from the southern Irish Sea to the Bay of Biscay throughout the year.

Now an 11-year monitoring project by the University of Plymouth and Cornwall Wildlife Trust has shown that a social group of 28 bottlenose dolphins stays-put permanently off the English coast.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/12/20/first-english-dolphins-found-living-coast-cornwall/

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Greenfinch destined for UK Red List?

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The 20th annual BirdTrends report from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has been published, notably highlighting the rapid and alarming decline of Greenfinch.

Though still a familiar garden bird, Greenfinch has declined by 59 per cent in the UK in just 10 years, prompting concerns for its status. The species was not classified as of conservation concern when the UK's list was last updated in 2015 but, should the current rate of decline continue, it could be moved straight to the Red List in the next update. The decline is caused by a widespread and severe outbreak of a disease called trichomonosis, which was first noted affecting bird populations in 2006.

https://www.birdguides.com/news/greenfinch-destined-for-uk-red-list/

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Xmas raindrops

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Can These Seabirds Adapt Fast Enough to Survive a Melting Arctic?

On a remote Alaskan sandbar, under the watchful eye of a devoted scientist for more than four decades, climate change is forcing a colony of seabirds into a real-time race: evolve or go extinct.

http://www.audubon.org/magazine/winter-2017/can-these-seabirds-adapt-fast-enough-survive?amp#click=https://t.co/sX86Xy5Moj

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Spring is on its way — four months early

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Despite snow having fallen across much of the UK this month, nature is already showing signs of spring, according to the Woodland Trust.

Five hazel catkin sightings have been submitted to the trust as part of its Nature’s Calender, a scheme that asks the public to track the signs of the changing seasons. The first report of a hazel catkin was made on October 27 in Southampton, the earliest recording since 2000, and four months before the average date for hazel flowering, on March 2.

There has also been a recording of elder budburst — when new leaves begin to reappear on trees after they shed them in autumn — on December 16 in Cardiff, again four months before its average date of March 19.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/spring-is-on-its-way-four-months-early-72pzx8gnt

Edited December 23, 2017 by knocker

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What a great picture. I must admit I'm not familiar with his pictures