Landscape Juice

Rare Bird Network warns of careless social media use

You can just imagine the delight of a birdwatcher as they stumble across a bird nesting site. Maybe young chicks are in the nest or eggs are being incubated by a parent bird? It is so easy for a bird enthusiast to pull out a smartphone and snap away and immediately in the excitement share their find with friends or the wider bird watching community. By tweeting or adding a photo of a nesting site to Facebook a birdwatcher immediately puts a nest with eggs or un-hatched birds at risk. Because of social media's ubiquitous nature, recording findings and sharing... Read more →

New breeding site for Norfolk Hawker dragonfly confirmed

The British Dragonfly Society says that a new breeding population of rare Norfolk Hawker dragonflies has been found at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire. It is the first breeding site to be discovered outside of its Norfolk and Suffolk stronghold since Norfolk Hawkers were lost from the Cambridgeshire fens 120 years ago. The first of recent sightings of Norfolk Hawker in Cambridgeshire came two years ago when a male was seen holding territory over water soldier plants in Hayling Lake at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Last year a female Norfolk Hawker was observed on the neighbouring Rudd Lake.... Read more →

Eurasian Lynx may soon roam the Scottish wilds once more

The Eurasian lynx, an original native of the British Isles once roamed much of Western Europe. Sadly habitat destruction and persecution by man saw the last of the British lynx disappear around 500 AD. The Lynx UK Trust charity is planning to reintroducing the lynx back by releasing them into Scotland. The lynx is a solitary and secretive animal posing no threat to humans. It eats deer and smaller mammals such as rabbit and hare, although they are capable of killing sheep and other livestock. Some say their presence in the countryside will return a vital natural function to our... Read more →

Mobile phone app to help monitor UK’s native ladybirds

For many insects 2012 was a challenging year and ladybirds were no exception. Harlequin ladybirds, and most native species were reported to the UK Ladybird Survey in lower numbers than previous years except for the mildew-feeding orange ladybird for which the number of records remained stable. The aim is to help monitor the impact of the invasive Harlequin ladybird on the UK’s native ladybird species. Tens of thousands of people have already contributed to an on-line UK ladybird survey, which hopes to discover whether the UK’s native Ladybird species will bounce back in 2013, as well as gaining further insights... Read more →

Britain's disappearing Fritillaries

When it comes to wildlife and wild flowers I have to say I am absolutely spoiled here around the Landscape Juice HQ. Only yesterday evening I heard my very first Golden Oriole of the year, the sporadic call of the Cuckoo has echoed - although I think they are becoming much more scarce, even here - in the woodland for the last four weeks. There must be at least eight Nightingales singing their heads off in the hedgerows around my home, the Hoopoe is a regular visitor: a very friendly bird often letting one walk right up to them. Although... Read more →

Nurturing Nature: Policy to protect and improve biodiversity

The world’s and England’s natural environment is under tremendous pressure. Human development is threatening the resources and services which nature, through its habitats and its wildlife, provides. This has considerable economic, as well as environmental costs. However, it is possible for policy makers and communities to reverse this decline, harnessing economic growth to avoid environmental degradation. This report examines natural environment policy in England, and the UK’s international contribution to protecting important habitats and biodiversity. It recommends policy measures to not just halt the decline in the state of the natural environment, but to restore and improve it. It examines... Read more →

Great Crane Project hopeful of nesting this season

In the last couple of days there has been a great deal of excitement at World Wildlife WWT Slimbridge's Great Crane Project. Two out of four birds which have been visiting the WWT reserve regularly in the last few months have started to show signs of nest building. Initially all four birds - three females and one male - were helping to gather nesting material, but as the nest took on a greater form, the a male and female pair chased away the other two females before returning and continuing with the nest building. The potentially breeding pair have been... Read more →

British bird population continues to decline says RSPB

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have reported that many species of birds in the United Kingdom continue to decline at an alarming rate. The once ubiquitous house sparrow saw a drop in numbers of over 17% on last year; it's now an endangered species. Similarly the Green Finch took a pounding with recorded numbers down by 21% last year. Results were collated after almost 590,000 people across the UK, including 75,000 pupils and teachers at schools, took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch in January. Martin Harper, RSPB Conservation Director, said; ”We know from the many... Read more →

Butterflies in danger after disastrous 2012

2012 was one of the worst years for UK butterflies with 52 out of the 56 species monitored suffering declines. Some of our rarest species such as the fritillaries bore the brunt of the second wettest year on record and now face the real threat of extinction in some parts of the UK. Last year’s relentless rain and cold created disastrous conditions for summer-species in particular as they struggled to find food, shelter and mating opportunities. According to the Butterfly Conservation, butterfly numbers plummeted to a record low as a result and 13 species suffered their worst year on record.... Read more →

Man controls the destiny of the world's 100 most endangered species say scientists

A new report has identified a list of 100 of the world's most threatened species which scientists believe may be allowed to die out because there is no obvious value to mankind. The list, which includes the tarzan’s chameleon, spoon-billed sandpiper and the pygmy three-toed sloth was released today by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 8,000 scientists from the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) have come together to identify 100 of the most threatened animals, plants and fungi on the planet. But conservationists fear they’ll be allowed to die... Read more →