Springwatch Feed

Discover toads and how you can help them

2022-06-05T10:58:30+00:00

Written by Cathy Robinson, nature and travel writer, for Naturehood at Earthwatch Europe

Have you been lucky enough to spot a pair of copper-coloured eyes peeping out from a hidey hole this spring?

If you have toads on your patch, they’ll have lain low during the colder months, snug in your compost heap, hiding in a pile of dead wood or burrowed into mud, only coming out to forage during mild spells.

When you do see one, it will most likely be the common toad (bufo bufo) - meaning ‘toad toad’. Two species of toad are native to Britain, the other being the very rare natterjack toad bufo calamita, found on sandy heaths and dunes in a few areas of the UK.

The common toad is fairly widespread throughout Britain, although absent from Ireland. But its numbers are declining. Estimates suggest we’ve lost two-thirds of our common toads over a 30 year period.

Is it a frog or a toad?

A toad’s skin appears much dryer than a frog’s and it is knobbly or warty. The warts contain a vile-tasting substance designed to deter predators. Toads also puff themselves up when threatened.

When they want to move from one place to another toads walk or crawl, whereas a frog will hop or leap, often some distance.

Toads vary in colour from dark brown to green and even grey. There’s some evidence they can develop their skin pigmentation to match the predominant background colour of their habitat – a handy technique to prevent them standing out to predators’ beady eyes.

Although nowadays toads are welcomed into the garden, it hasn’t always been so because even as recently as the 18th century, toads were thought to be witches’ familiars and a sign of bad luck.

Toads on the move

Toads, along with frogs and newts, are amphibians. They live the first part of their life in water when they develop from tadpoles, then they return to water to breed, and spend the rest of their time on dry land.

Toads are well-known for travelling long distances to spawn in a particular pond – many like to return to the pond they started their life in. They have a superb homing instinct and will cross all manner of obstacles to reach their preferred pond, often being squashed by cars on their way. Some estimates suggest as many as 20 tonnes of toads are killed on UK roads each year during migration, usually during February and March.

To try and help toads on the move, UK wildlife charity Froglife run a ‘Toads on Roads’ project, monitoring pedestrian toads and installing warning signs for drivers. They help co-ordinate local Toad Patrollers who look out for any toads marching across roads and transporting them to their pond, away from danger.

Once they’ve made it safely to the pond, the male will hop onto the female’s back and grasp her with special nuptial pads, areas of thickened skin on his front feet. Often other males will join in the fun, resulting in a mass of squirming bodies known as a mating ball.

If you’re lucky enough to have toadspawn in your pond, you’ll notice rather than clumping together in a floating mass like frogspawn, it appears as long strings, wrapped around submerged pond plants. Each strand contains a double row of black eggs.

Toad tadpoles emerge after around 10 days. Darker in colour than frog tadpoles, they sport a shorter tail and bigger head. Tiny toadlets usually start leaving the pond around May, typically after a spell of rain.

How to be toad friendly

Like many species of wildlife in the UK, habitat loss is a major issue for the common toad, alongside disruption to their migratory routes.

If you’d like to attract toads to your patch, remember they seek out shady places where they can keep cool and moist. You can provide them with some habitat by leaving undisturbed heaps of damp leaf litter and piles of logs, which they love to hide in. Take great care if you turn your compost heap to make sure there are no toads sheltering inside.

Unlike frogs, toads don’t tend to live in ponds, despite spawning in them, and although they like humid conditions they can tolerate dry areas far better than do frogs. However, installing a wildlife pond will give them somewhere to breed without undertaking a potentially perilous journey. Wood and stone piles, along with vegetation cover near your pond will provide a toad with a safe haven.

If you can leave an area of your garden to go wild you’ll be supplying some much-needed toad habitat and safety from predators.

Don’t use slug pellets, because toads love feasting on slugs, making them a great ally to the gardener.

Toads need to be able to get into your garden in the first place, so talk to your neighbours about leaving small gaps in fencing, creating wildlife corridors.

Above all, enjoy your toad encounters!

Jellyfish in UK waters

2022-01-28T14:00:00+00:00

What do barrel, moon and mauve stinger have in common? They’re all types of jellyfish that you could spot in UK waters

Did you know that you can find jellyfish in the UK’s seas? It's most likely to be in the summer months, as jellyfish ‘blooms’ arrive as the water warms.

At the Marine Conservation Society, we’re interested in what jellyfish are found in UK waters. We started our jellyfish survey in 2003, with the intention of understanding more about the distribution of jellyfish in our waters and how this affects leatherback turtles.

Leatherbacks migrate to UK waters to feed on jellyfish through the summer. However, with limited data on where these blooms happened, we wanted to gather data to identify potential feeding hotspots for leatherback turtles.

But what jellies can you expect to spot at the seaside?

Here’s 8 to keep an eye out for, and be sure to report them to us at the Marine Conservation Society via our wildlife sightings page.

How to identify different jellyfish:

Lion's mane (Cyanea capillata)

This jellyfish stings. Large, usually 50cm but can reach 2m in diameter. Large, reddish brown, umbrella-shaped bell with a mass of long, thin hair-like tentacles as well as short, thick, frilled and folded arms.

Lion's mane jellyfish by Kirsty Andrews, MCS

Blue (Cyanea lamarckii)

Up to 30cm, similar shape to the Lion's mane jellyfish but smaller with a blue bell through which radial lines can be seen. A yellow colour variant also occurs in UK waters. Mild sting.

Blue jellyfish by Peter Bardsley, MCS

Compass (Chrysaora hysoscella)

Typically up to 30cm. Colour variable, but usually has pale umbrella-shaped bell with brownish V-shaped markings, 32 marginal lobes and 24 long, thin tentacles, four long, thick, frilled arms hang from the manubrium.

Compass jellyfish by Peter Bardsley, MCS

Moon (Aurelia aurita)

Up to 40cm in diameter. Transparent, umbrella-shaped bell edged with short hairlike tentacles. Recognised by the four distinct pale purple rings in the bell. Manubrium (mouth and arms, underside and centre of bell) bears four short, frilled arms. Mild sting.

Moon jellyfish by Mark Kirkland, MCS

Mauve stinger (Pelagica noctiluca)

This jellyfish stings. Up to 10cm. Has a deep bell with pink or mauve warts, 16 marginal lobes and eight marginal, hair-like tentacles. Manubrium bears four longer frilled arms with tiny pink spots.

Mauve stinger by Peter Bardsley, MCS

By-the-wind-sailor (Velella velella)

Not a jellyfish but a floating, solitary hydranth. Up to 10cm long and blue-purple in colour. Upright sail and chitinous float with a mass of small tentacles surrounding the mouth on the underside. Found in vast swarms.

By the Wind Sailor by Jonathan Smith

Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis)

This animal stings. Not a jellyfish, but a floating colony of hydrozoans. The oval-shaped, transparent float with crest is characteristic. Blue-purple in colour, with many hanging ‘fishing polyps’ below that may be tens of metres long. Extremely dangerous to humans due to their powerful sting. Rare in the UK but if many are found be sure to report to the local authorities.

Portuguese Man o War by Joanna Clegg, MCS

As a result of these wildlife sighting reports, with partners from the University of Exeter we published the first paper from the survey data, confirming key information about UK jellyfish and including the first distribution maps of the surveyed species.

The paper confirmed that adult barrel jellyfish have a largely western distribution in UK seas and can survive UK winters (so you might see one on your winter walks!). The paper also identified south-west England and Wales as a jellyfish hotspot, where other work has shown a relatively high probability of leatherback turtle sightings for the UK.

In black and white

2022-01-28T10:00:00+00:00

By Lorna Bointon, Sea Watch Foundation Regional Coordinator

Found in every ocean, orcas, or killer whales, are apex predators at the top of the food chain and, along with other cetacean species, provide a visible indication of ocean health.

A pod of orca / killer whales off the Caithness coast. Photo credit: Colin Bird/SWF

The sea may reflect the UK’s changeable weather, ranging from stormy grey to dazzling azure blue, but from a cetacean’s point of view, it’s all black and white, or at least grey. Studies indicate that orcas, along with other cetacean species, do not have the necessary optical cells / cones to see colour in the blue spectrum and rely instead upon rods that are used for discriminating contrast.

Of course, orcas are easily recognised by their black and white body colours. The monochrome patterning helps to act as camouflage, breaking up appearance, much as warships used ‘dazzle’ camouflage paint on their vessels to affect perception of appearance, speed and direction. They also boast the tallest dorsal fin of all cetacean species with the fins of adult males reaching up to 1.8 metres. The grey saddle patch behind the dorsal fin tends to vary between animals acting as a means to recognise different individuals. The name ‘orca’ translates as ‘barrel shaped’, a reference to their body shape.

Hunter Killers

The towering dark dorsal fin may be the first thing that an unfortunate prey animal may see of this formidable predator as it slices through the water. Efficient hunting techniques and collaborative behaviour make them redoubtable and intimidating predators. They are intelligent and capable of communicating particular hunting strategies within groups, known as pods, in a bid to herd prey. They also may collaborate and share food with other group members. As with other dolphin species, there is a strong social bond which may last through their lifetime.

Despite a body weight of up to 6 tonnes, orcas are built for speed with males reaching record breaking speeds of 55.5 km/h, making them the fastest of any marine mammal.

As well as differences in body size and weight, sexual dimorphism is apparent in the dorsal fin shape and size with male dorsal fins being taller and more triangular, whilst the dorsal fins of females are shorter and recurved.

Male orca from the West Coast Community, in the Hebrides . Photo Credit: Peter Evans/SWF

An adult female orca with calf in North Scotland. Photo Credit: Colin Bird/SWF

As with other cetacean species, orcas live in complex hierarchical structures with strong bonds existing between pod members. Mature females are usually dominant within the pod with males often forming separate associations with other males, although they will also regularly link up with females.

Orca calves may remain within family pods throughout their lifetime. Photo Cedit: Ryan Nisbet

Ecotypes

With orcas, it’s not all black and white, with some pods exhibiting distinct genetically different characteristics depending on their global distribution, with differences in diet, vocalisations, family group size and hunting techniques. Even the white eye patch can differ depending on their ecotype.

Prey items for our Atlantic Type 1 Orcas are mainly fish, such as herring and mackerel, but they may also hunt and kill seals and porpoises for food.

Orca investigating a seal colony in Shetland. Photo Credit: Peter Evans/SWF

Orca killing a harbour porpoise in North-east Scotland, June 2021. Photo Credit: Steve Truluck

In other parts of the world, orcas are also known to attack great white sharks and even to hunt down the largest whale on Earth, the blue whale, chasing it until it is too exhausted and weak to continue.

What’s in a name?

Although commonly referred to as whales, orcas are actually dolphins within the family Delphinidae.

The common name ‘killer whale’ is thought to be derived from ‘whale killer,’ a name coined after sailors witnessed orcas hunting and killing other dolphin and whale species.

Chain reactions

Being an apex predator taking other marine mammals such as harbour porpoise and seals means that pollutants, that have accumulated and cycled through the food chain, end up being ingested by these majestic animals. Sadly, this makes the orca one of the most contaminated animals which can affect their ability to reproduce. One female orca in the Scottish Hebrides, locally named Lulu, became entangled in fishing ropes and sadly died. On analysis, its levels of PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls, a by-product of the plastics industry) was amongst the highest ever recorded.

Orcas face many threats from human sources. Photo Credit: Peter Evans/SWF

Along with pollution, other threats on a global scale include loss of habitat, overfishing leading to prey shortages, entanglement in fishing gear, hunting and live capture for aquaria.

Orca Watch 2021

Started ten years ago in May 2011 by Sea Watch Regional Coordinator Colin Bird and now managed for the charity by Hannah Parkinson, Orca Watch is an annual national recording event held over ten days at John O’Groats, with watches being held around Caithness, North Sunderland, Orkney and Shetland. Volunteers who wish to be involved in this worthwhile and exciting citizen science project are warmly welcomed.

It’s not all about orcas, during the watches you’ll also get the opportunity to spot other marine mammal species. In 2021 Orca Watch was held online but this didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of our volunteers and, along with orcas, we recorded 5 different cetacean species:

Bottlenose dolphin
Harbour porpoise
Minke whale
Risso’s dolphin
Common dolphin

In addition to this, we also recorded both UK species of seal – the grey seal and harbour seal - and basking sharks!

Last year’s efforts were the result of 54 hours of observation across 71 land watch sites with 154 sightings reported, comprising 747 individual animals.

Ready for that ‘killer’ shot. Photo Credit: Peter Evans/SWF

How your efforts help conservation

Sightings are important because they give us information about where and when species occur, from which we can identify important areas and habitats, as well as determine changes in their status and distribution. Such knowledge helps provide better informed conservation measures.

Eyes on the prize. Photo Credit: Chiara Giulia Bertulli

The collation of information on abundance and distribution of whales, dolphins and porpoises is valuable in many ways. Besides increasing our general knowledge of the cetacean fauna that inhabits the seas around the British Isles, it can inform us of important areas and times of year for particular species, enabling better decision making on the risk of harm to local populations from certain human activities. It may also indicate where dedicated research should be directed or draw attention to possible status changes both regionally and on a wider basis.

Taking environmental data, such as water depth, sea surface temperature, salinity, and measures of primary productivity, alongside recording species, helps to build up a profile of habitat requirements to help inform better protection measures, such as establishing Special Areas of Conservation.

Observations supplemented by photographs help us to track individuals and determine their ranging movements. One distinctive animal, nicknamed “John Coe” has been followed around the west coast for four decades. Although mainly seen in the Hebrides, in 2021, he was photographed also in SW Cornwall, the Strait of Dover and SE Scotland.

“John Coe” is a distinctive member of the West Coast Community. Photo Credit: Peter Evans/SWF

The Wanderings of “John Coe”, 1980-2021. Sources: SWF, HWDT & IWDG

A ‘pod’ of citizen scientists recording effort related data. Photo Credit: Peter Evans/SWF

Orca Watch 2022 – Calling all citizen scientists!

Every year, Orca Watch relies on a pool of volunteers – both locals and visitors – to take part in timed watches collecting data for us using Sea Watch protocols.

We are inviting both experienced watchers and novices to register to become Orca Watch Volunteer Observers, responsible for conducting land watches around Caithness and North Sutherland and/or watches from the John O’Groats ferry. The data collected will be added to Sea Watch’s national database, recognised as the largest and longest running scientific data resource of its kind in Europe, to help monitor the abundance of whales and dolphins in the area. This information is used to help shape conservation measures at government level.

This year Orca Watch is running from May 28th to June 5th. Our base for the event is at John O’Groats, but watches take place all around the Orca Watch area, both from land and from the John O’Groats passenger ferry. Everyone is welcome to take part in the event (subject to any Covid-19 or related restrictions in place) to help us collect data or simply to look out for whales, dolphins and porpoises.

We also hope to hold our popular evening of Orca-related themed talks, as well as smaller events throughout the week.

Orca Watch is very much a citizen science project, and we welcome volunteers who wish to help by collecting effort-related data during the event, as part of our team of Orca Watch Volunteer Observers.

Head to our website to find out how more about Orca Watch 2022, and how you can get involved. https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/orca-watch-2022/

On the hunt for a harvest mouse nest

2022-01-27T11:00:00+00:00

Our blog comes from mammal expert Derek Crawley.

Derek is a valued and active member of the Mammal Society and has also previously sat on the Society’s Council. He is currently Chair of the Staffordshire Mammal Group and a Regional Coordinator for the National Harvest Mouse Survey.

The harvest mouse is one of our smallest mammals and is the only mammal in the UK that has a prehensile tail. It wraps its tail around the stems of grasses so that it can lean out with its front paws to grab a leaf from an adjacent stem. Holding the leaf and using its teeth it splits the living leaf into two or three strips which it can then use to weave along with other leaves into a tight ball, (see below). This nest made up of living material blends in with the surrounding vegetation making it hard to find, which adds to the difficulty of establishing this mammal’s population. Currently the Mammal Society is running a national survey in order to find out their population and needs your help. To volunteer today please visit their website.

Split leaves and nest

Harvest mice like tall or tussock grass-like vegetation where they can reach between stems and build their summer breeding nest, which are a bit smaller than a tennis ball. These types of vegetation can be found in unmanaged grasslands, along hedgerows and fences or in wetland habitats where they use rushes and reeds. The nest will be located where the leaf zone is, so for cocksfoot grasses it's in the middle of the tussock (see below) or for reed canary grasses, it's about 2/3 up the stem. The nests are attached to the surrounding stems so can still be found quite easily until the end of March.

For cocksfoot grasses the nest is in the middle of the tussock

Once you have found a suitable area to survey, you need to comb through the strand of stems, parting the stems away from each other so that a nest appears. The nests of birds that breed in these areas are not weaved around grass stems and so quickly fall to the ground during winter storms, which makes them easily distinguishable from harvest mice nests. Additionally, although field vole nests are often found in between clasped stems of tall grasses and may be in a ball, they are made up of short cut sections which will fall apart if picked up, (see below). In the south of the country there can be confusion with dormice nests which also create woven spherical nests using shredded material (see below), but these are not connected to grass stems and are more likely to be found in hedgerow and bramble habitats with some tall grasses close by.

Field vole nest

Dormouse nest

It's not unheard of for one person to search an area and not find a nest, and then a different person to search the same field and find one. Remember it will be the same colour as the surrounding vegetation and so hard to spot until you get your eye in. I personally like doing surveys in a group so there is a bit of healthy competition to see who can spot the most nests. Sometimes as you are looking closely at the stems you will see where the mice may have started, but not finished, a nest. You will be able to see that the leaves have been shredded and have splits along their veins, although this shows potential presence you should err on the side of caution and find a nest to be sure. We often aim to look for tennis ball sized nests but smaller ones are also found, these are typically used by males and non breeding females. Breeding females can have 3-4 litters a year and make a new nest each litter, therefore the number of nests found does not help work out the population of harvest mice in a field!

Whilst finding a nest is worthwhile, surveying for harvest mice nests should all follow the Mammal Society’s guidelines so they can create an accurate map of the species distribution, for example the Mammal Society recommends you to look at a 200 metre square area rather than a 200 metre long fence line. Furthermore recording the type of vegetation and height of any nests found is almost as valuable as recording the nest itself, this additional information will allow the charity to recommend best practices in the future for saving this mammal.

Although we are interested in harvest mice and their nests, the surveys are a great opportunity to keep an eye out for other field signs of animals in the area. Footprints on pathways and maybe the odd fox dropping, all of these can be recorded on the free Mammal Society's Mammal mapper app and will help contribute to the conservation of Britain’s mammals.

So, good searching, and I look forward to seeing your harvest mouse survey results on the Mammal Society’s website.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2022

2022-01-26T11:00:00+00:00

By Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the RSPB

Over the past two years, we have all had to navigate the difficulties and uncertainties which the Covid-19 pandemic has brought. But over one weekend in January, we can take a moment to put aside our worries and simply enjoy the beauty of nature on our doorstep with the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.

House sparrow was the most spotted species in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2021. Credit: Ben Andrew RSPB Images.

Be One in a Million

Last year, more than a million amazing people took part in the Birdwatch – the world’s largest garden wildlife survey – making it a record-breaking year, with 17 million birds counted. It’s evident how vital the natural world has become for our mental health and wellbeing. For many, there was a reconnection with nature during the pandemic and lockdowns, which had perhaps previously been lost to our hectic lifestyles. For others, the pandemic prompted a first awakening to the wonder of nature, with the Big Garden Birdwatch being a window onto the wider picture of the global nature and climate emergency and how each of us can play our part.

This year will be the 43rd Big Garden Birdwatch. Credit: RSPB Images

43 Years of Citizen Science and Counting

The brilliant thing about the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch is that anyone can take part, spending just one hour over the weekend of 28-30 January watching and recording the birds in your garden, balcony or local green space. Even if you don’t see any birds during your watch, letting us know that is really important.

It’s a phenomenal example of collective citizen science, and with 43 years’ worth of results, we have some incredible insight into how our common garden birds are doing across the UK. It’s thanks to all of you that we can analyse which species are doing well - such as great tits, which have seen a 57% increase in 42 years - and which are struggling. Starlings, for example, were the third most spotted bird in 2021’s Birdwatch, so we may think they are thriving - but we also know their numbers are down 83% since 1979.

Regularly cleaning feeders is vital to help stop diseases spreading to our garden birds, like greenfinches. Credit: Ben Hall RSPB Images

Play Your Part to Stop the Decline

Sadly, over the last 50 years, we have seen 38 million birds lost from our UK skies. For garden birds, the reasons for the decline are complex, from challenges such as fewer nature-rich green spaces to a changing climate. As individuals and as a society, we can give a helping hand, especially in winter when natural food sources are scarce. Providing food, shelter and water is crucial and we have a great guide on ways to attract and help birds in your garden, including where to situate feeders and tables and which food is favoured by blackbirds, blue tits, goldfinches, and other species which may visit. Again, you don’t need a garden to do this as window feeders are also a great way of enjoying birds close-up.

Putting food out for the birds in winter is particularly important as natural resources are scarce at this time of year. Credit: RSPB Images

Don’t Forget to Clean Your Feeders!

While feeding birds is a crucial part of helping birds – and, of course, boosting the chances of increasing our Birdwatch tally! - keeping feeders, tables and baths clean is vitally important, to stop the spread of diseases such as trichomonosis, which can especially affect greenfinches. Since 1993, these delightful birds have seen a dramatic decline of 63% and have now been moved to the Birds of Conservation Concern most-threatened red list. By taking the time to clean, we can help halt and reverse the decline of greenfinches as well as keeping the rest of our garden birds healthy. There’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to do so here.

Need help identifying what birds you see during your Birdwatch? We can help! Credit: RSPB Images.

Take Part, Join In and Enjoy!

Amidst the January gloom, when the days are still dark and the festive season becomes a distant memory, the warm comfort of the Big Garden Birdwatch is something I always look forward to and I know many of you do too. So please join in, tell us what you are seeing using #BigGardenBirdwatch on social media, and for an hour, simply enjoy the wonder of nature.

Big Garden Birdwatch takes place over the weekend of 28 to 30 January 2022.
Big Schools’ Birdwatch takes place from 5 January to 21 February 2022. Schools can take part here.

Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

Experiencing nature with all your senses

2022-01-25T15:00:00+00:00

By Leanne McCormella, Comms and Marketing Executive at Washington Wetland Centre

Experiencing nature is an immersive affair. It comes at you from all angles, overwhelming your senses, and to give yourself over to it is a truly special thing.

But what if you don’t have full use of all your senses? Is it any less magical to be amongst wildlife or in the great outdoors? Or does it open up a different way to explore the wild world?

Photographer Alex, from Sunderland, was born with Bardet Biedl syndrome; a genetic condition which causes a range of physical issues, including blindness.

The talented 25-year-old has no peripheral vision and describes his eyesight as ‘like a dot’ compared to normal sight. But this doesn’t stop him regularly exploring – and enjoying – the diverse habitats of Washington Wetland Centre, with both his mum and his camera in tow.

Washington Wetland Centre in winter by Ian Henderson WWT

“My mum is my main carer when I’m out and about, and with my camera, he explains.

“When I know what I want to photograph, I can feel around my camera as I know where all the buttons are. I ask for help when I need it to check my focus etc, as sometimes I’m not sure if it’s my eyes or the lens which is the issue.

“Because of my sight loss I tend to listen a lot more to sounds of wildlife and I know in my mind what kind of a picture I am trying to take and the WWT has all of this for me.”

The story of Alex’s passion for wildlife photography and how he navigates our wetlands to capture his incredible images will feature on Winterwatch on Tuesday 25 January at 8pm.

Mandarin duck by Alex taken at WWT Washington

“I enjoy coming to the WWT because it is very local, no two days are ever the same and the surroundings are very familiar to me, he adds.

“There are so many different trails to walk and hides to visit, there is always something different to see. I love to visit the saline lagoon and I love the Hawthorn Hide as you see such a variety of wildlife.

“It gets me outdoors and I feel safe here and the staff are always friendly and very helpful. I get plenty of exercise and I can go at my own pace because of my mobility, which can slow me down.”

Despite frequent visits to our Lagoon View hide, Alex had yet to achieve his goal of photographing an elusive kingfisher, a bird which often thrills visitors by perching and hunting in front of the hide windows.

Image taken by Alex at the Hawthorn Wood at WWT Washington

A jay photographed by Alex at WWT Washington

The Winterwatch crew accompanied him on a wander around site to see if this dream might eventually become a reality with the cameras rolling…be sure to tune in on 25 January at 8pm to find out if it did!

Three ways to enjoy nature with other senses than sight

Feel the heightened sensation of raindrops. Get your wellies and waterproofs on and head out after it’s rained to splash in the puddles. Watching raindrops fall on puddles and noticing the shapes they make can be mesmeric, especially if you’re warm and dry in suitable clothes. But you can also feel the satisfying squelch of mud as it seeps around your wellies, and be glad that you’ve still got dry feet! If it’s raining, you can seek shelter and listen to the soothing rhythm of the drops falling.

Listen for migrating birds. During late winter and early spring, you can often hear birds migrating across the sky, and with enough practice you can identify them. Birds sometimes migrate at night, a magical thing to listen to if you’re lucky enough to be out under canvas or have a garden that happens to be under a flight path. Often birds will use wetlands like those at WWT Washington to fuel up for such huge journeys. You can practice listening to their calls and eventually they’ll become easier to identify.

Smell the subtle scents of winter. It might not be the best season for smelling the flowers, but you can still practice being mindful and picking up different fragrances if you give it your full focus: the leaves of an evergreen tree, the salty scent of the sea, the crisp freshness of new snow, the delicate floral notes of an early crocus, even the smell of the earth when it rains after a dry spell. This scent even has a special name: petrichor.

Redshank at Washington Wetland Centre by Ian Henderson WWT

Swansong or staying strong: the uncertain future of the Bewick’s swan

2022-01-24T11:00:00+00:00

Migration is one of the most hazardous tasks a bird can undertake. Yet they have no choice; they need to migrate in order to survive. The UK’s migratory swan population is no different, with Bewick’s and whooper swans whiffling in on their snowy wings to escape the northerly winter. Like ghostly spirits, they appear at dawn to give us heart as the winter freeze takes hold. These beautiful birds are hugely in tune with the rhythms of our Northern climate, so how is increased warmth and weather unpredictability affecting them?

Flock of Bewick swans by Ben Cherry

The Bewick’s fortunes

WWT Slimbridge had 106 Bewick swans at the last count this year, and we are delighted that we can still provide a winter home for these special visitors there and at WWT Welney. Early indications show that around 26% youngsters are present, already a sign of a good breeding season. Clearly, they’ve made the situation work for them in the short term. But these numbers are sorely needed: Bewick’s swans have declined in Europe by almost a third since the mid-1990s.

Bewick flock by Ben Cherry

A flying visit

Historically, the birds migrate west from breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic, often flying to the UK from mid-way refuelling sites in the Baltics, Germany and The Netherlands. In 2020 it was reported in the journal Global Change Biology that some have shortened their migration journeys, falling short of the UK. They are also ‘short-staying’ – cutting short their winter stopovers by an average of 38 days.

Bewicks and cygnet feeding by Richard Taylor Jones

Why are they doing this?

It’s likely they are driven by the warming weather to return. Dr Kevin Wood, who co-authored the paper, explains. ‘The birds are against the clock and want to get back to their breeding grounds as quickly as possible. If they overwinter in the Baltics or Germany they’re better able to gauge when they need to leave, as winter conditions will be less different to those at their breeding grounds.’

The strange case of reverse migration

This strategy isn’t without risk. Shorter migration might benefit the adaptable swans but unstable weather, competition and predation in the warming Arctic – where temperatures are rising twice as fast as elsewhere – could jeopardise the Bewick’s survival. ‘The climate is warming and becoming less predictable, and if the birds arrive back earlier they risk a cold snap which would freeze their eggs and mean low breeding success,’ Dr Wood says.

Although unpredictable weather is a very real threat, one story from 2021 shows just how adaptable these birds can be. As storm Darcy caused havoc across the UK, 11 Bewick’s swans that had set off on migration decided to turn around and come back to the safety of Slimbridge. They brought with them a 12th sensible swan we named Darcy. Yet if these wetlands didn’t exist, the Bewick’s would have nowhere to run.

Bewicks on snow

It’s not just the weather

Flooding from rising sea levels, predation by the red fox and competition from whooper and mute swans could all potentially put pressure upon the Bewick’s as they encroach further into the tundra zone where they breed. These species are larger and more dominant than the Bewick’s usual companions such as the Arctic fox.

Additional hazards are lead poisoning across their migratory route and illegal shooting in Russia. Bewick’s swans are endangered in Europe and protected from hunting by law along the flyway. Despite this, a third of birds caught and x-rayed are found to be carrying shotgun pellets.

Red fox by Ben Cherry

The swans are deeply respected in the Arctic region and many hunters don’t realise they are declining or protected. There have been several projects to raise awareness, including the ongoing WWT-supported Swan Champions project.

Although the future is becoming ever more uncertain for our migratory birds, there’s a lot of support for them in each country they fly through and Dr Julia Newth, co-founder of Swan Champions, feels like they’ve never had so many advocates. ‘That gives us confidence that efforts will continue across their flyway. Bewick’s swan families have been visiting Slimbridge and Welney for decades and the fens, and although many are not flying as far, these sites remain an important winter home for these swans.’ As long as the Bewick’s continue to come, they will find shelter and safety in WWT’s wetlands.

Whoopers in Iceland

Are we seeing a new climate normal?

2022-01-21T11:00:00+00:00

From Ben McCarthy, Head of Nature Conservation and Restoration Ecology at the National Trust

Reflecting on last year’s weather, while it might feel as though it was fairly benign compared to previous years of extreme heat and floods, we found that it was bookended by two catastrophic events in particular.

Fire on Marsden Moor on 26 April 2021 by Victoria Holland

Natural disasters strike

In April, a mile long wildfire tore through Marsden Moor, in Yorkshire reducing swathes of land to smouldering embers.

Then in November, storm Arwen toppled tens of thousands of trees, including many ancient specimens, and decimating homes for wildlife in the blink of an eye. The latter left some of my colleagues – many of which have cared for these landscapes for decades – in floods of tears such is the emotional connection to these special places.

On top of this we have had cliff falls and localised flooding, all reminding us how fragile our relationship is with these remarkable places and once again really hitting home the urgency with which we need to tackle the climate crisis.

As well as dealing with extreme weather, our teams on the ground are also having to fight against increased severity in tree disease especially the effects of ash dieback.

Widespread devastation caused by storm Arwen at Wallington in Northumberland by Annapurna Mellor

Wildlife winners and losers

With the changing climate, we are seeing more winners and losers in the natural world and greater wildlife displacement.

Last year’s weather conditions with the cool, dry spring and cold, wet May suited wildflowers like orchids particularly well, but in contrast butterfly numbers were down – 60 per cent lower than 2020.

The chilly April and May’s rain and gales led to a very poor nesting season for many species of birds with a particularly topsy turvy year for seabirds like terns.

Arctic tern at Long Nanny in Northumberland by Tim Robinson, NT Images

The record number of late frosts in April and into late May in some parts of the country damaged apple blossom and the subsequent apple harvest particularly in northern parts of England and Northern Ireland.

But, it was a bumper year for grassland fungi, especially waxcaps due to a warm, damp autumn with little or no frost, with some rare or unusual species found in new places.

Fungi are changing their behaviour as the climate changes. Some species are fruiting earlier and others later, and some autumn species have started to appear in spring too.

Meadow waxcap with spores by John Newbould

New species sightings

New species were spotted at some of our sites for the first time including the critically endangered spider Zora silvestris which was discovered at Clumber Park confirming that the heathland here is one of the charity’s top spider sites.

The endangered Norfolk hawker dragonfly appeared at the Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire, and the Southern migrant hawker dragonfly recorded at two areas on the Golden Cap Estate in Dorset for the first time.

Zora silvestris spider first spotted at Clumber Park in October 2021 by Tylan Berry

Helping nature and tackling the climate crisis

Over the last six years, we have been ramping up our fight against the nature and climate crises and crucially, working with other major landowners like never before.

Projects like England’s first ‘Super’ National Nature Reserve, created in 2020 at Purbeck, Dorset, illustrate how powerful conservation of our landscapes and the protection of nature can be when partners come together to join segments of land together and to make homes for nature.

The National Trust and others are working at speed to create more diverse landscape and countryside to attract a wide range of wildlife – and allowing species to ‘move’ if they need to. We are preparing for warmer weather by planting plants and trees that are more resilient to disease and able to withstand periods of low or no rainfall.

These are just some of the challenges we face, and we are preparing for the change that we know is coming due to rising temperatures. We know the journey will be a bumpy one, but only that by working together we can create more resilient new homes for wildlife and help heal climate harm.

Digging a little deeper

2022-01-20T16:00:00+00:00

By Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

It’s fair to say that after 30 odd years of assisting with post breeding nest clear-outs of white-tailed eagles, we’ve seen a vast array of prey items represented. In fact, it’s pretty clear that as both scavengers and hunters there’s not much they’ll turn their noses (beaks!) up at. The studies over many decades have given us a fascinating insight into what they will eat and what their particular favourites are. The limitations of such studies though are that they’ll tell us what they’ve carried into a nest but generally not how it was obtained in the first place. Was something dead and scavenged from something like an otter or was it alive when it was caught? Sea eagles are very keen on one way of obtaining a free meal: kleptoparasitism. As we saw in Autumnwatch 2021 on Mull, cameraman Jim Manthorpe got some incredible footage of an adult sea eagle trying to steal a fish supper from an otter. We see them doing this a lot. They’ll also chase down gannets, herons and gulls if they think there’s a freshly caught fish in their gullets. In the pursuit, the desperate gannet will throw up the mackerel it’s just caught in an attempt to avoid becoming dinner itself. And it’s very effective. The sea eagle diverts to pick up the fish and the gannet flies on to fish another day.

A sea eagle chick at about 5-6 weeks old. Food will be coming in regularly at this point with both adults provisioning the rapidly growing chick. Credit: Justin Grant

Some people call sea eagles ‘lazy’. It’s not a word I would use to describe their habits. More like ‘efficient’. They will sit for many hours, just waiting and watching. If they see activity in the distance, like crows, gulls and ravens feeding on something, they’ll eventually go and investigate and claim whatever prey item is there, dead or alive.

Just 5-6 weeks later and the chicks are fully grown and ready to take their first flight. After a few weeks, once they’re fledged and clear of the nest area, it’s possible to inspect the nest for prey remains without disturbing the birds. All checks are carried out under licence. Credit: Rhian Evans

But it’s this behaviour which can sometimes get them into trouble and it’s what’s given them something of a bad reputation over the Centuries. Whilst we know some pairs of both golden eagles and sea eagles can take live lambs each year, sea eagles, in particular, are far more likely to be tempted into a carcass by first watching other predators at work. It’s something I’ve witnessed many times but inevitably it’s the eagle that gets the blame. They’re big, bold and get noticed. Where livestock is being affected, there is help and advice and a Government Sea Eagle Management Scheme to offer practical advice, pragmatic solutions and financial help. It can’t solve every problem but it is a recognition that living alongside predators like eagles, though exciting for some of us, is also genuinely challenging and problematic for others. And we need to respect that and help where we can.

Prey remains found near to nests are also checked. A careful sniff of this pile of feathers and the pungent oily aroma which stays in your nostrils for hours afterwards confirms this was a fulmar caught by the sea eagles out over the sea and carried back to shore to pluck before being carried into the nest to feed the chicks. Credit: Dave Sexton

So, any lamb, other mammal, bird or occasional fish bones that are found in sea eagle nests only tell us what they’ve carried in to feed growing chicks and it’s a fascinating story. The textbooks tell us they feed mainly on fish (their bones are rarely found as they get digested or rot away), birds and mammals but different pairs vary on what makes up the bulk of their breeding season diet. Some are expert fulmar hunters; others go more for rabbits and hares whilst others make a living from taking fish off others, including us! They follow fishing and tourist boats for free handouts and have probably been scavenging off mankind since Neolithic times.

Licenced, experienced climbers ring and measure chicks, check for prey remains and then return after fledging to finish the detective work. Credit: Nic Davies

Studying prey remains is wonderful ‘CSI’ forensic detective work but it doesn’t tell the whole story. I once watched a live octopus desperately trying to crawl out of a sea eagle nest 30 feet up a tree! Long tentacles kept appearing over the nest rim only to be dragged back in by the adult eagle waiting to feed its chick. It had probably been stolen off an otter. Eventually, it was completely eaten and not surprisingly, no octopus remains were found in that nest clear out! Nest investigations off us a glimpse into their world but some things just vanish without a trace…

What to watch this winter: Snowdrops

2022-01-20T11:00:00+00:00

By Archie Thomas, Sarah Shuttleworth & Dr Elizabeth Cooke

Nothing quite delights like the first sight of snowdrops in January. Their plucky appearance – seemingly against the odds - has long heralded a beginning of the end of deep Winter and engendered feelings of hope and promise for the new year. Whether fluttering on a grassy road verge or carpeting the damp woodland floor, their brilliant white blooms put a spring in the step of even the weariest walker.

Snowdrops by Trevor Dines, Plantlife

More extreme weather events triggered by climate change are impacting on flowering times and the unseasonably mild 2021 festive period saw reports flood in of snowdrops erupting earlier than in previous years. It’s still too early to gather full data but here at Plantlife we strive to keep track of such changes in wild plant communities and assess the ramifications on wildlife more widely: through citizen science programmes such as the National Plant Monitoring Scheme we keep our finger on the pulse of plantlife.

Snowdrops trailed only bluebells, primroses and dog rose in Plantlife’s survey of our favourite flowers but while they are cherished by nature lovers across the United Kingdom they still retain an air of mystery and intrigue. Here are some lesser-known facts to deepen your love for the little winter gems.

A snowdrop isn’t just for Christmas. The species has long been associated with winter – the Latin name, Galanthus nivalis, translates as ‘milk flower of the snow.’ Contrary to popular belief, wild species can sometimes flower in late Autumn and extend into early Spring.

Although often considered native, snowdrops are actually recent arrivals from continental Europe. Despite its seemingly ancient pedigree, its first known cultivation was in 1597 and was first recorded in the wild (in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire) in 1778.

Vernacular names include Candlemass bells, Mary's taper, snow piercer, dewdrops, early white, Eve’s tears, February fairmaids and dingle-dangle. In the Language of flowers snowdrops symbolise chastity, consolation, death, friendship in adversity, hope and purity.

Particularly keen collectors of snowdrops are known as galanthophiles. These collectors can spend hundreds of pounds on a single rare bulb. One of the highest amounts paid for a named snowdrop variety was over £1,000 for a variety called ‘golden fleece’. Sadly, some specialist plant nurseries have been broken into by plant thieves hell-bent on gathering rarities

Snowdrop by Andrew Gagg, Plantlife

In some traditional medicine, snowdrops were used to treat headaches and as a painkiller. In modern medicine, a naturally occurring substance within the plant, called galantamine, is used to help treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the bulbs themselves are poisonous to humans and can cause nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting if eaten; a fact which perhaps lead to the persistent superstition that a single snowdrop bloom in a house represents death.

Over 2,000 garden varieties have been named – with more new cultivars named during the late winter months each year.

Snowdrops do produce seeds provided there are pollinators around. Early emerging queen bumblebees will help spread them if the weather is warm and dry enough.

Similar to poppies on the western front, snowdrops dotted the battlefields of the Crimean war (1853-6) and the British soldiers were so taken by the little flowers (of Galanthus plicatus Pleated snowdrop) that they brought bulbs home and planted them in their gardens. There they hybridised with common snowdrops G. nivalis to produce many fine cultivars/varieties.

Wiltshire has long been something of a hot spot for snowdrops. Valleys of rivers such as the Nadder, Ebble and Wylye are bedecked in snowdrops that light up the county known also for its chalk streams and chalk grasslands. Just over the border in Dorset, the ancient hilltop town of Shaftesbury hosts a festival entirely dedicated to snowdrops.

Going on a wintry walk? Why not take along Plantlife's winter wildflower spotter sheet and see what common species - from catkins to snowdrops - you can spot out and about?

A tale of two white-tails: Skye & Frisa

2022-01-18T17:00:00+00:00

By Dave Sexton, RSPB Scotland Mull Officer

It’s hard to express just how much these two sea eagles mean to me. My connections to them – and to Frisa in particular – go way back and have had an incalculable impact on my RSPB career and personal life.

White-tailed eagles Frisa (left) and Skye (right) have produced numerous chicks during their many years together on Mull. Credit: Iain Erskine

Where it all began

For Spring, Autumn and Winterwatch fans, the adventures of Skye and Frisa are deeply embedded in ‘Watches’ history. Whilst there were earlier incarnations, the ‘Watches’ as we know them today began on BBC Two on Monday 30 May 2005. On that first ever programme, Skye and Frisa and their two chicks, Itchy and Scratchy, were beamed live from Mull into the nation’s living rooms. It had been a tense build up to the live shows and I was a nervous wreck by the end of that historic first week. As the Outside Broadcast, satellite and catering trucks rolled onto the ferry and off to the next live location, I had time to reflect on this very special pair of sea eagles and now TV wildlife celebrities in their own right.

Vital legacy

Let’s go back a few years. Frisa was hatched on Mull in 1992. Her mother was the legendary pioneering female ‘Blondie’ who had successfully raised the first UK sea eagle chick to fledge in 1985. With RSPB colleagues, I had watched over and protected Blondie, her mate and family that year as they made history. She became an integral part of my life and I followed her progress raising many more chicks, including Frisa, in the following years. She died in 2000 but her vital legacy lives on.

When I see Frisa now I guess I’m remembering her mum a lot of the time and all the people and friends I spent time with, some sadly now passed, in those momentous days. She even looks like her mum. But then again, I know, don’t they all?

Blondie, the white-tailed eagle, soars over the Isle of Mull in the mid 1980s. Credit: Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images

A special couple

Frisa and Skye paired up in 1997 and had their first chick in 1998 (she too still nests on Mull). Since then, they have raised chicks, often two a year, at a variety of locations but usually never far from their Loch Frisa home. I’ve been so lucky to work with landowners, farmers and the great team from Forestry and Land Scotland since I returned here as RSPB Mull Officer in 2003. They have provided a home for Skye and Frisa over all these years and have frequently adapted their forest management around them to keep them safe.

How do we know it’s them?

Here’s the hard truth. Hand on heart, when I see the two adult sea eagles at Loch Frisa now, am I really 100% certain it’s still them? We know adults get replaced by incoming birds. Sometimes it’s obvious (a sub-adult, a fight, a failed nest) but sometimes it isn’t. Two Mull territories had males replaced in 2021. Frisa lost her ‘Green L’ wing tags a while back but she has a BTO ring on her right leg and Skye, unusually, was ringed on his left leg in 1994. I’ve never seen any hint of a change of adult in their territory and in my heart I feel it is still my old friends. Frisa will be 30 this year, Skye 28. That’s quite old for wild sea eagles. Their time with us is sadly running out.

This pair of chicks, Itchy and Scratchy, won the hearts of Watches fans during the first broadcast of Springwatch back in 2005. Credit: Ian Erskine

For this Winterwatch, cameraman Jim Manthorpe has been filming a pair of adult sea eagles in an area which was once part of Skye and Frisa’s home range. She is ringed on her right leg; he is ringed on his left leg. So far so good. Jim will now try to zoom in on the rings to see if we can read them. Then we will know. If it’s not them we can still celebrate the majesty of this remarkable bird and the wonderful conservation success story they represent. If it is them, I might just shed a quiet, happy tear and thank them for, well, pretty much everything.

The spectacular landscape of Mull makes it a special place for lots of wildlife, in particular, white-tailed and golden eagles. Credit – Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Return of the pine marten to Shropshire

2022-01-18T16:25:56+00:00

By Stuart Edmunds of Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Stuart Edmunds is chair of Shropshire Mammal Group, a recording group with over 200 members and runs Shropshire Pine Marten Project. In his spare time, he gets involved with other wildlife monitoring projects around the world, all on top of being a communications officer!

Pine martens officially call Shropshire home. This statement that still shocks me to this day, despite over 6 years passing since we first discovered them in the county. Having spent the previous 6 years running surveys to find evidence of England’s rarest mammal in Shropshire, by that fateful summer, I strongly doubted that there were martens in the county. But then the first-ever photo of a pine marten was taken by chance at a Shropshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve that I had never surveyed before. These elusive forest-dwelling mammals then started to show up on camera traps across the wider Shropshire Hills area.

The occurrences of pine martens recorded on my camera traps have increased annually. Funding applications and Crowdfunding made the purchase of extra camera traps and several pine marten den boxes possible. Den boxes would serve as places for pine martens to sleep and maybe rear young in woodlands with limited natural tree cavities or rocky crags.

Despite the apparent growing numbers of martens on cameras, the actual field evidence of their presence is still hard to come by; no footprints found and none of the pine marten poo that usually mark trails and territories has been spotted along tracks and paths. The plus side of this lack of evidence is that it has shown that pine martens don’t behave exactly the same way when they are surviving in habitat that is fragmented and sub-optimal for a top tree-dwelling predator. The majority of the Shropshire Hills woodlands were felled in the last century, and areas which have been replanted are still relatively young compared to the ancient forests that once covered the valleys.

With this in mind, it has been a dream of mine to look at opportunities to plant more woodland corridors and connect those areas with pine martens. This has been made all the more likely thanks to the recent involvement of the National Trusts’ Stepping Stones Project, which aims to restore and connect a variety of habitats to make more space for wildlife across the whole landscape. The project has funded an additional 12 camera traps, which a team of volunteers have been trained to check at new, previously unrecorded sites. If they record a marten, we will then install den boxes to monitor and look at opportunities to plant trees and create habitat links to surrounded wooded areas.

The project covers most of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which in 2021 became the epicentre of marten activity. In previous years, pine martens might wander past a camera trap once a month, but last year I was fortunate enough to locate a secret valley on private land with hundreds of acres of woodland along its length. Within weeks of installing camera traps, 4 different individuals showed up, passing by much more regularly than previous animals. And in early spring, two young pine martens began to show up on camera; the first signs that these creatures had bred here undetected.

This was great news for the species in the county and proved that there are enough wild areas for them to live in, but planting more woodlands and connecting our remaining woodlands is key to their ongoing survival. These charismatic animals were lost in Shropshire for many decades, but with some help from us, my hope is that they will have the opportunity to stay and prove that wildlife can be brought back from the brink if given the chance.

Wildlife in a warming world

2022-01-18T11:00:00+00:00

By Kathryn Brown, acting Director for Climate Change at the Wildlife Trusts

It can be hard on dark, cold January days to get to grips with the fact that the world is definitely warming. Recent research shows that the past seven years have been the hottest on record. And we also know that climate change is having, and will continue to have a significant range of effects on our precious UK wildlife. There may be some local benefits for some species, for instance: warmer winters could benefit the survival rates of small birds. But we need to act to help the natural environment adapt to a whole set of systemic threats. There are four key groups, set out in the latest UK climate change risk assessment:

Species becoming scarcer due to our warming climate

The warming climate is likely to change the ‘climate envelope’ for thousands of species, meaning they will move further north, and to higher elevations.While we will see some species moving north into the UK and expanding their range here (like Dartford warblers), their southern ranges are shrinking, and other species like arctic skua may run out of suitable climate space altogether and become extinct in the UK. We also risk losing some of the most iconic aspects of British landscapes due to climate change – beech and bluebell woodlands are one example.

Greater numbers and more types of pests, pathogens and invasive non-native species

We’ve seen the devastating effects that diseases such as ash dieback can have on our natural landscapes in the UK. The risk from beet yellows virus which affects sugar beet is likely to increase significantly in the future as winters continue to warm. Current control measures like the use of neonicotinoids (which are toxic to pollinators like bees) are meant to be used only in exceptional circumstances, but these circumstances are becoming much more common. In addition, invasive non-native species, such as pacific oysters, can thrive as waters around the UK warm, reducing the diversity within marine ecosystems and pushing out oyster species which are native to our shores.

An increase in risk from extreme weather events

Many people saw the catastrophic effects of wildfire on Saddleworth Moor in 2019. What was particularly worrying was that the fire occurred in February, completely outside of the season when wildfires would be anticipated. Globally we are seeing wildfires happening in unusual places and unusual times compared to the past. And once they start, they can be very difficult to control and can lead to long-term severe damage to large areas. Wildfire risk in the UK could double as early as 2050. We also expect to see an increase in extreme heatwaves, flooding, and drought.

Ocean acidification and changing marine conditions

Rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification are likely to have profound effects on the marine environment. Declining numbers of sand eels and other small fish could see the loss of entire species of seabirds from UK waters. Puffins are one such example of a species at risk of rapid decline or loss.

Is all hopeless? Not necessarily. Climate change means that some change to our wildlife is inevitable, but we can still reduce the severity of climate change by taking action now to protect our natural world. If we can restore and repair damaged and degraded habitats, as well as create larger and better new habitats and link them together, we can give nature the best change of adapting to the changing climate. Nature’s recovery is absolutely essential to tackling climate change.

Watching our seas change

2021-11-12T11:10:10+00:00

By Lorna Bointon, Sea Watch Foundation Regional Coordinator

The sea is ever-changing. Image by R. Bointon

After a long absence, we have embraced freedom and revelled again in shared experiences. Throughout the summer, there have been natural spectacles to witness along our shorelines. From watching oystercatchers poking their long beaks among seaweed covered rocks, to sea gooseberries washed in by the tide, glistening on the wet sand just out of reach of the frothy receding waves. Some sea watchers have been lucky to glimpse their first dorsal fin breaking the water or to watch the mesmerising rolling motion of foraging porpoises as gannets dive greedily in a feeding frenzy and gulls cry noisily overhead. Some of us have strolled along sea-sprayed cliffs and rocky shores as pairs of red-legged choughs free-fall in a courtship dance above our heads. Others may have had the pleasure of spotting seals lazily resting in the calm sea amid bobbing guillemots and cormorants as kittiwakes scream overhead. Among all this, the sulphurous aroma of seaweeds and algae has pervaded the air as hardy plants kissed by the salty breeze push through the shingle and cling to rocks.

And now, with a final ‘hurrah’ summer fades into autumn amid a flourish of rich hues. The sea reflects the changing colour of the sky from icy gun-metal grey as ominous storm clouds gather, to molten gold on gentle serene evenings as the sun dips beyond the horizon with a final brilliant flash.

The sea can change in an instant subject to the weather and time of year. Image by R Bointon

The sun sets earlier with a blinding flash as it dips below the horizon. Image by R Bointon

Hue and cry

There is always something to see and hear along our coastline, from seabirds wheeling overhead to birds foraging along the shoreline, making their presence known with their high pitched peeping calls. During the autumn months we can still enjoy a spectacle of colour, from drifts of seaweed draped along the shoreline poked by inquisitive beaks of turnstones and oystercatchers. Some foraging birds masquerade effectively as rocks, with only a flash of orange leg or beak to give away their presence.

Turnstone in winter plumage (Arenaria intepres). Image by R Bointon

Look out for the iridescence plumage of migratory starlings as they gather in numbers to roost along the undersides of seaside piers or bridges. You may be lucky to see them perform a spectacular murmuration as they fly in unison in constantly swirling aerial formations before dropping from the sky to safety.

Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Image by R. Bointon

Fade to grey

In this time of dormancy or hibernation, as leaves fall and plants wither ready for renewal the following spring, most animals seek to store food and find shelter to slumber peacefully through the harshest of weather.

But the autumn period isn’t just about hunkering down for the colder months. Colour changes and renewal are happening elsewhere.

The coats of grey seals display a variety of colours and patterns from different shades of grey through to various pale or dark brown colours. As they mature coats may darken in colour but individual seals can be identified by their markings.

Between a rock and a hard place? Image by R. Bointon

Seals are sexually dimorphic which means that there are differences between the sexes. Larger than the females, with a larger head and thicker neck, male seals, known as bulls, are also darker than female cow seals with less mottling.

Fifty shades of grey. Image by R Bointon

The coat of a grey seal is referred to as its pelage.

‘Pelage’ refers to the hair, fur or wool of an animal. Image by R Bointon

The pelage of grey seals is variable with some exhibiting many spots and patches whilst others have only a small amount. Each seal has a unique coat pattern of blotches and spots that can be used to identify individuals.

Ideally, a photo of the head and neck on right and left side is best for identification

The markings may look different when wet or dry and during the annual moult (also juvenile male coats become more uniformly dark with age).

Grey seals start to pup around the end of August and the pups are born with a white coat, or lanugo, which they moult as they are weaned and become independent.

Please practice responsible seal watching; remember to always keep a good distance away from seals (more than 100 meters is best) and to keep dogs on leads as these actions lessen the likelihood of disturbance to the seals which can threaten their survival especially in the pupping season.

A whiter shade of pale. Image by R Bointon

Golden opportunity

Bottlenose dolphins can be seen around our coastline throughout the year. There’s always the chance that a seaside stroll will result in a magical moment when you spot a curved dorsal fin breaking the surface.

Bottlenose dolphins may appear brown or grey depending on the light. Image by R. Bointon

You can get involved by becoming one of our valued observers, observing and recording cetaceans and seals around the UK coast, by downloading the Sea Watcher app.

Whatever the season, you can help by becoming a regular observer. Image by R Bointon

The valuable data gathered through the patience and efforts of our volunteers will help in supporting, conserving and protecting cetaceans around our coast. Recording their presence is vital for our knowledge of distributions, movements, habitats and human pressures so that we can help conserve and protect them in our waters.

By Lorna Bointon, Sea Watch Foundation Regional Coordinator

Nature and climate – twin crises with twin solutions

2021-11-01T14:30:00+00:00

By Kathryn Brown, Director of Climate Action, The Wildlife Trusts

A thriving natural environment and a stable climate support all life on earth, including people. But we are amid twinned crises that are being caused by people; the climate is changing rapidly, and nature is in sharp decline. The solutions to addressing both are also wrapped up together. The natural environment is a critical store for carbon and makes us more resilient to extreme weather; and we need to take action on climate to protect nature from its impacts. For too long we’ve considered the natural world and the climate as separate from each other, when in reality they are a dynamic duo, which in good health and working together will offer people and planet a healthy and sustainable future.

Beaver (c) David Parkyn Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Bringing back beavers - a win for climate and nature

Take beavers as an example, nature’s eco-engineers whose hard work creates wildlife rich wetlands, which in turn, support other species: from otters to water voles and kingfishers. Beaver dams help river valleys to store water and carbon in wetland soils, filter pollutants and hold back flood water. Four hundred years ago beavers were hunted to extinction in England. Now, The Wildlife Trusts are helping to bring them back to many nature reserves which are already benefitting from better water quality and more wildlife.

Peat bog pool system Scotland (c) Mark Hamblin 2020 VISION

Natural solutions for carbon

A hectare of seagrass may store two tonnes of CO2 a year and hold it for centuries, while providing a nursery habitat for young fish. But we have lost half our seagrass meadows in the waters around the UK since 1985. Reducing water pollution and replanting would help to bring them back to health. Well-managed Marine Protected Areas are vital for nature’s recovery at sea.

The UK’s peatland soils store around 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon but are heavily degraded. Rather than absorbing more carbon, they are releasing the equivalent of 23 million tonnes of CO2 every year. Restored peatlands will capture more carbon, reduce flooding, clean our water, and allow wildlife to thrive.

Healthy saltmarsh, grassland and woodlands also play their part in carbon capture and supporting nature as well.

Yet nature and climate are largely treated as silos with mitigation and adaptation being considered separately, but it’s important we look at them together because adaptation is fundamental to reaching net zero. We need to consider climate action in everything we do. We need to dramatically increase the amount of land and sea protected for nature, at least 30 % by 2030, to ensure that these habitats are removing enough carbon from the atmosphere and are in a good enough condition to thrive and be resilient to climate change.

Fire at The Roaches, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (c) Rod Kirkpatrick F Stop Press

COP26 eleventh hour for nature and climate

Our natural places are in decline and face even greater risk of degradation from the extreme climatic conditions that are already inevitable over the next 30 years. It’s becoming a vicious spiral of damage – one that needs to be stopped right now.

This week in Glasgow, the world comes together to try and keep the target of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C within reach. The impacts at this level of warming will still be severe, and we have already seen already catastrophic flooding in Europe, heatwaves and wildfires in North America in 2021. But warming of higher than 1.5°C will become increasingly catastrophic. We want the global climate conference COP26 to tackle the nature crisis alongside the climate emergency – or it will risk neither being solved.

Kingfisher (c) Malcolm Brown

Turn eco-anxiety into action

We can all feel overwhelmed by the scale of the nature and climates crises and wonder how, as individuals, we can help wildlife and the climate. Every action is important; every bit of avoided warming matters. We can all make changes that count.

Some small actions that can make a big difference include reducing our own environmental footprint; reduce food waste, buy second hand, reduce our meat consumption and use only as much energy and water as we need. We can also help nature and make ourselves more resilient to extreme weather by planting more around our homes to cool the temperature and soak up floodwater.

Find out more about COP26.

Discover things you can do to make a positive change.