Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

• GREENSHANK SAFE PASSAGE For waders, autumn comes early. Failed breeders return from the far north as early as July, followed by successful adults and juveniles, many passing along British coasts en route to the Mediterranean or Africa. The greenshank is one such passage migrant: in August and September birds from nesting grounds in the Arctic tundra and Scotland’s bogs mingle on our saltmarshes and estuaries. These are nervy waders, quick to take o with a ‘tchu tchu tchu’ alarm call, flashing a pure white rump and back. TOP TIP Find out how to identify greenshanks in a BTO video: www.bto.org/about-birds/bird-id • ROWAN TRAILBLAZING TREES Rowan, or mountain ash, are ‘pioneer trees’: they are among the first to colonise new areas, spread in the droppings of mammals or birds. Laden…

It is well known that wild ungulates are more nocturnally active when there’s a full moon. But new research in South Africa’s Kruger National Park suggests that it’s not actually the moon they are tuned into. It’s certainly true that it makes intuitive sense for ungulates to vary their behaviour according to the lunar cycle. “If prey animals are mobile at night, then the probability of encountering a predator is increased,” explained Lochran Traill of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. “The prey animals simply need to be able to see the predators at a safe distance ” Traill’s research shows that zebras and wildebeest are indeed more active when the moon is bigger – but, crucially, only on nights when lions are about. When the nearest lions are more…

THE GARGANTUAN PANTANAL JAGUARS ARE WELL FED BYA VARIETY OF LARGE-BODIED PREY, INCLUDING ABUNDANT CAPYBARAS. The late-afternoon sun baked the parched pastures and dirt roads of Fazenda São Bento, a working cattle ranch and our research base in the northern Pantanal. The September air shimmered on the horizon and an occasional hot breeze wafted from the banks of the Cuiabá River. The dry season had peaked, so wildlife sought the oasis offered by shaded forest beside the water. Situated in western central Brazil, the Pantanal is the largest inland wetland on Earth and home to a breathtaking diversity of flora and fauna. Smoke from a distant fire, typical here at this time of year, billowed in the sky. In the final rays of the setting sun, a small group of…

Surrounding Monfragüe National Park are the ancient managed grasslands known as the dehesa – traditional low-intensity grazing land for merino sheep, pigs and the black bulls raised for fighting. The land is important for rural industry, as in this pastoralsilvo-agricultural landscape of dry summers and cold winters the poor soil can still sustain the oak trees used in cork, firewood and charcoal production. The acorns from the trees feed free-roaming black Iberian pigs that provide the world-famous jamón Ibérico, and wild mushrooms and wild asparagus grow under the low-spreading branches. The young oak trees are allowed to grow naturally from dispersed acorns, but are thinned out and kept well spaced to make the most of the available nutrition. The shallow 20–30cm covering of soil in the wildflower meadows is broken…

Conservationists have welcomed a groundbreaking plan from New Zealand that aims to eliminate all non-native pests from the country by 2050. Announcing the initiative, Prime Minister John Key said: “Our ambition is that, by 2050, every single part of New Zealand will be completely free of rats, stoats and possums in what is the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world.” Sir Rob Fenwick, chair of Predator Free New Zealand and a leading advocate for pest eradication, said the plan would allow a military-style response to the problem for the first time. “It will drive a more strategic and comprehensive approach to a landscape-scale assault on predators,” he said. While existing methods of control will be used, including poisoned bait and traps, it is hoped that the initiative…

On a recent visit to the Azores, photographer Andrew Sutton and I spent a day diving with a pod of 15–20 sperm whales south of Pico. The two of us both became fascinated with the extraordinary pigmentation we saw on this sub-adult female. A band of pale grey encircled her midri and spread across her dorsal fin, then splintered out into fragments on the rear of her darker body. It was as if she was wearing a haute couture gown. Many sperm whales bear pale patches on their bodies, but these usually appear much less pronounced. Indeed Melville describes Moby Dick himself as partly white, albeit not an albino (though entirely white sperm whales have been observed). It will be interesting to see whether this female’s o spring inherit their…

1984 The return of the nationally extinct large blue butterfly (pictured) to southwest England offers a template for insect reintroductions, and shows what large-scale collaboration between scientists, conservationists and volunteers can achieve. 1988 A sighting of a short-haired bumblebee at Dungeness on the Kent coast is the last confirmed record in the UK. The species was once widespread across the south of England – Humberside was the northern limit of its range. 2000 The short-haired bumblebee is officially declared extinct in the UK. Its disappearance is more evidence of the consequences for farmland wildlife of the loss of almost all of our wildflower meadows. 2006 The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BCT) is founded as a response to a population crash – two bumblebee species had been declared nationally extinct, while several…

1. RIFT VALLEY This huge geological fault line runs 6,000km across the Middle East and Africa, and has created one of Kenya’s best birding regions. Lesser flamingos are present year-round but move from lake to lake. Visit Lake Nakuru National Park to see black and white rhinos. Where to stay: Flamingo Hill Camp, Lake Nakuru Lodge, Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge 2. SAMBURU, SHABA AND BUFFALO SPRINGS NATIONAL RESERVES This area boasts its own ‘big five’ – the Grévy’s zebra, the northern gerenuk, the reticulated gira e, the East African oryx and the Somali ostrich. Where to stay: Ashnil Samburu Camp, Elephant Watch Camp, Shaba Sarova Lodge 3. MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE The annual wildebeest migration here makes Kenya one of the best wildlife destinations in the world. Visit from…

Twenty years ago this month, the first ever episode of Big Cat Diary was broadcast on BBC One. Originally presented by Jonathan Scott and Simon King, the show proved so popular that it was to become something of a natural-history broadcasting institution over the coming years, bringing all of the drama of Kenya’s Maasai Mara into living rooms up and down the country. The original wildlife soap opera follows the fortunes of key leopard, lion and cheetah families as they experience birth, life and death – and plenty of other drama to boot – on the African plains. Notable feline characters include Half-Tail the leopard, Amber the cheetah and, of course, the famous Marsh Pride lions. The series enjoyed nine outings (four Big Cat Diaries, four Big Cat Weeks and…

BOTSWANA: One of the last unspoiled wildernesses in Africa. A country of extreme habitats, from the vast waterless Kalahari dessert, to the world’s largest inland delta – the Okavango, nearly a fifth of Botswana is National Park land. AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS Linyanti Bush Camp offers the perfect setting for an authentic and wild safari experience. The Linyanti marshes are one of the most sought after destinations in Northern Botswana, boasting a great diversity of game and a peaceful atmosphere. Linyanti Bush Camp is an intimate 12-bedded tented camp on the banks of the Linyanti marshes, in a private reserve. The camp hosts small, exclusive groups who seek a personalized experience in a private concession away from the main tourist’s routes. Activities from the camp include game drives, walking safaris, game…

1 SHOWY PLUMAGE The colours of male pheasants are stunning, so I have been trying to photograph one for a long time. It was raining the day I took this shot at Carsington Water reservoir in Derbyshire, but I think it makes my image more interesting. By spending time listening to the gamebird and watching his movements I could predict when he would flutter his wings. Mary Wilde, Matlock, UK 2 IN PLAIN SIGHT I took this image of plains zebras while on a dawn game drive in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa, in January – the jeep stopped so we could watch the herd. The light was perfect as the sun rose, and I had to avoid the heads and shoulders of other tourists to get a good…

16-19 Sept GREAT BRITISH BEACH CLEAN Help keep UK beaches clean and protect marine life by collecting litter and recording what you find. Your survey will help the work of the Marine Conservation Society. You can organise your own event or find one near you at the website below. http://bit.ly/2aJFWAS To 30 Sept 2017 WRIGGLE! Explore the wonderful world of worms at this National Museum Cardi exhibition. Walk inside the museum’s Wrigaloo to see life from a worm’s point of view, spot ragworms living in crab shells and discover how a bobbit worm is able to slice a fish in half. http://bit.ly/29bYndn 10-11 Sept SCOTTISH NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL Improve your photographic skills by listening to inspirational talks by award-winning wildlife photographers at the Battleby Conference Centre, Perth. A weekend ticket…

Now about eight years old, Noca is a long-time resident of the Pantanal’s Jofre region and the star of several US TV documentaries. She is often seen around the ranch headquarters, swimming the Cuiabá and Piquiri Rivers or sunning herself along their sandy beaches. We have tracked Noca’s movements over multiple seasons and discovered that, unlike most jaguars, she holds a narrow territory along the rivers throughout both wet and dry seasons, probably due to the plentiful caiman prey. In 2013 she was observed with a male cub, confirming that our conservation efforts are helping to secure a future for this amazing species.…

Most adult ‘British’ cuckoos are already back in their Central African winter quarters, having spent just a month or two in the UK. It will have been a tough return journey, involving a non-stop flight over the Sahara lasting 50–60 hours. But as this remarkable photo shows, they face challenges on their breeding grounds too, because their hosts fight back against parasitism. Not only do cuckoo hosts reject eggs unlike their own, they also attack the invaders. Even a small host, such as this sedge warbler, can damage a cuckoo’s plumage with its bill and feet. A favourite larger host in Eastern Europe, the great reed warbler, has been seen to fly at a female cuckoo while she was laying, knocking her clean o the nest into the water below.…

The RSPB has pulled out of the Hen Harrier Action Plan a little over six months after it was launched. Announcing the move on the RSPB’s website, conservation director Martin Harper said that the grouse-shooting community was not doing enough to stop the illegal killing of hen harriers and other raptors. “My natural preference is to build partnerships and work to make positive change from the inside,” he said. “However, this year there have been a series of depressingly predictable incidents in England and Scotland, the disappearance of the hen harriers ‘Chance’ and ‘Highlander’ and the use of pole traps and the hen harrier decoy in the Peak District.” Speaking to BBC Wildlife in January when the plan was launched, Harper said the RSPB was interested in whether the plan…

“ELLIOT FEELS THAT ASPERGER’S GIVES HIM A DRIVE TO FOCUS ON A SINGLE AREA OF INTEREST” Half an hour into our interview and as he’s showing me around Port Sunlight River Park in the Wirral, 17-year-old Elliot Montieth runs down to the foreshore of the River Mersey. “Two common sandpiper,” he remarks to park ranger Anne Litherland. “That’s a site first.” He quickly focuses his spotting scope on one of the birds and shows it to me. “There it is,” he says proudly. “I’m made up. Last year I found the park’s first and only kingfisher and whinchat, too.” “How could he tell?” the ranger remarks. “Just from their flight?” It’s hard to say, on the basis of a morning in the field with Elliot, just how talented a birder…

The island of Sri Lanka offers biodiversity to rival any continent, with a wealth of exciting wildlife. As well as countless species of birds and reptiles, elephants, wild pigs, buffalos, langur monkeys, toque macaques, sambar deer, leopards and elusive sloth bears are just some of the many animals that can be seen with luck, patience and the skill of local guides. In fact Sri Lanka’s varied habitats make it one of the best countries in South Asia for watching wildlife, and our prize will allow one lucky winner and their travelling companion to enjoy superb encounters with species in their beautiful natural habitat, and to sample much of the fascinating history and culture of the island. Rickshaw Travel specialises in ethical wildlife experiences and supports projects to promote natural environments…

• Sperm whales can be seen here year-round, though numbers peak in summer, and winter seas are too rough for tourism. April and May are best for other large whales, such as blue, fin and sei. Before booking, check that your operator observes guidelines regarding speed and approaching the animals. • Philip Hoare travels with Espaço Talassa, based at Lajes do Pico. Its Zodiac trips last three hours and run April–October (+351 292 672010, www.espacotalassa.com). • UK tour operators include Exodus (0845 287 7601, www.exodus.co.uk), Naturetrek (01962 733051, www.naturetrek.co.uk), Steppes Travel (01285 601630, www.steppestravel.co.uk), The Travelling Naturalist (01305 267994, www.naturalist.co.uk) and Wildlife Worldwide (01962 302086, www.wildlifeworldwide.com).…

Queen bees emerge from hibernation in spring and briefly feed up before they select nest sites. Each queen collects pollen from flowers and lays eggs that hatch into white grubs, which eat the stored pollen. They pupate, then hatch into sterile female workers – up to 400 by the midsummer peak. These take over foraging as the queen remains in the nest laying eggs. Eventually she begins laying male eggs, and picks out female eggs to be fed extra pollen. These hatch into queens that disperse, mate, find a hibernation site – and start the cycle all over again the following spring.…

SOLVIN ZANKL is an award-winning wildlife photographer based in Germany. Many of the images in this Photo Story appear in his book Wildnis Eiche (Frederking & Thaler, 39), which features German text by biologist Mario Ludwig.…

“IT’S SIMPLE: INVEST IN PROTECTING NATIVE SPECIES FOR A RETURN IN VISITOR FEES” Jaguars: Brazil’s Super Cats TV BBC Two Due to air in the autumn. See RT for details It’s unfortunate that Brazil’s jaguars hit the headlines in the build-up to Rio 2016, when a captive female departed the torch relay with a bullet in her head. Because, out in the quiet, watery wilderness of the Brazilian Pantanal, a dedicated team of scientists and experts could be on the brink of halting – and even reversing – the demise of this iconic big cat. The groundbreaking initiative – known as The Onçafari Project – is explored in the latest instalment of the BBC Two series Natural World . Modelled on successful work with leopards in South Africa’s Sabi Sands,…

Animal Babies TV BBC One Due to air October/November. See RT for details Yep, it’s a series about cuddly, fluffy, ever-so-cute baby animals – but it’s not all about the ‘ahh’ factor. Narrated by Gordon Buchanan, this three-parter visits a trio of particularly tough habitats to investigate how young animals cope with a gauntlet of predators, competition for food, extreme weather and treacherous landscapes. “Animal Babies is all about the hurdles young animals have to overcome,” says series producer Gavin Boyland. “We set out to find the most compelling stories, featuring youngsters with grit, determination and loads of personality.” Highlights include the petrified cheetah cubs backing away from a fresh meal; young fur seals using an inland plunge pool to hone their swimming skills; and the mountain goat kid crossing…

Tiny wings discovered in 99-million-year-old amber are providing rare insights into the plumage of early birds. The fossils are exquisitely preserved, and include bones, skin and feathers – even pigmentation patterns. Being just a couple of centimetres long, they are probably hatchlings. The feathers, however, are strikingly similar to the adult feathers of modern birds, suggesting that the chicks hatched at an advanced stage of development. The amber was excavated from a mine in Myanmar, then purchased at a market by palaeontologist Lida Xing of Beijing’s China University of Geosciences. “These specimens were being prepared for jewellery when Lida found them” said Xing’s colleague Ryan McKellar of Canada’s Royal Saskatchewan Museum. “Lida realised that they were significant right away, but their full importance did not become clear until we had…

All terrestrial vertebrates owe their existence to that unlikely moment 350-odd million years ago when an ancestral species of fish hauled itself out of the water. But perhaps the real surprise is that it happened only once. “Intuitively, we might think that moving from an aquatic to terrestrial lifestyle is very hard to do – hence the cliché ‘a fish out of water’,” said Terry Ord of Australia’s University of New South Wales. But his survey suggests otherwise. Thirty-three families of modern fish contain species capable of moving and breathing on land. Among blennies alone, amphibiousness has evolved on seven separate occasions. Why, then, haven’t any of these species that have adapted to a partially terrestrial life gone the whole hog, like their ancestor did all those millions of years…

“ HE BEGAN A SERIES OF EXPEDITIONS THAT INSPIRED DARWIN AND WALLACE” Charles Waterton is dead. Sadly we never met, him dying in 1865 being a significant handicap in this regard. But he’s a hero of mine for several reasons, perhaps most notably because he is one of the true founding fathers of conservation. And also because it seems he was a colourful, determined and visionary bloke. In truth there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have hit it off. Waterton was very ‘posh’, supposedly related to no fewer than eight saints and also to Ailric, who was made a ‘king’s thane’ by Edward the Confessor. (I’ll save you the trouble: a thane, or thegn, was a bit like a pre-Norman baron or knight.) Waterton’s conservation ethos didn’t come early, either…

Marc raised his finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?” he asked. “Like the sound of a file being deleted from your computer?” Sure enough, as I paid closer attention, the noise of paper being scrunched separated itself from the general chorus of early morning birdsong. “That’s a black redstart,” said Marc, but hardly gave me time to appreciate his apt analogy before he was identifying the ‘tsssp’ of a short-toed treecreeper and the ‘p’cha cha p’cha cha’ of a red-legged partridge. Frustratingly, none of the birds were particularly visible, so I was relying on Marc’s keener ornithological ear as we strolled through holm and cork oaks and olive trees up to Monfragüe Castle, a second-century Arabic fortress in Monfragüe National Park. Only a small proportion of the 18,118ha…

“PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SCOTLAND HAVE INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF TIME PUPILS SPEND LEARNING OUTDOORS” A250-year plan for the environment, all farming subsidies to benefit wildlife, primary-school children to spend 20 per cent of lesson time outdoors – these are three of the recommendations contained in a new report that has been compiled by a group of young conservationists. Called A Focus on Nature, the group consists of scientists, photographers and writers all under 35. The report – Vision for Nature – sets out how they would like to see the natural world managed by 2050. One of the people who compiled Vision for Nature , 29-year-old climate-change campaigner Matt Adam Williams, said there were good reasons why the Government should take note of…

Sperm whales fascinated me before I even knew what they were. These are the whales we all drew as children, with large, square heads, spouts and smiling grins. Fifty years later, I’ve come to realise that the reality is much more extraordinary. Historically, the sperm whale occupied a mythic status: it is the only whale that could have swallowed Jonah, the prophet of the Bible, and it appears in the Koran as sacred to Allah. But as humans began to pursue it, the species assumed another role. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the sperm whale’s presence as a stranded monster on beaches around Europe was taken as an omen of good or ill fortune. By the time of Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick, the species had become the most…

Dungeness isn’t classically beautiful. Flat and, in places, shingly, it’s as famous for its nuclear power station as it is for its RSPB reserve. But the site is picturesque in its own wind-blown way, and important too – for birds, of course, but also for bees. In fact this whole stretch of the south coast is an insect hotspot. Rarities are recorded here but so, sadly, are losses. Agricultural intensification has contributed to the disappearance of 98 per cent of the UK’s wildflower meadows since the 1930s, with a devastating impact on farmland wildlife. The short-haired bumblebee Bombus subterraneus , one of our 25 native bumblebee species, was last recorded in Dungeness in 1988. It was officially declared nationally extinct 12 years later – starting a new…

A herd of African elephants known as the Artists’ walk across the lush, open savannah towards Kenya’s Ewaso N’giro River during the rainy season, completely unaware that their every move is being monitored. Flaubert, a 27-year-female in the group, is wearing a collar that enables researchers to collect vital information on the location and behaviour of her family. Using this GPS data, the conservation organisation Save the Elephants (STE) has identified this group as a resident herd in Samburu National Reserve. “Normally most of the herds leave the park at the beginning of every rainy season or when other areas outside the park receive rain, but this group are found here year-round,” says David Daballen, STE’s head of field operations. “This may also mean that their dominance may be higher…

I Contain Multitudes By Ed Yong The Bodley Head £20 Here’s a natural history of human beings with a difference. It’s a remarkable fact that there are as many, if not more, microbial cells living in the human body as there are human cells. This fine book is about all of those bacteria, viruses and fungi that flourish on and within us and other animals, as science writer Ed Yong reveals how our bodies are home to ecosystems as rich and diverse as any other natural habitat. Each of us contains our own unique community of these myriad microscopic hitchhikers, which contribute to our individuality – what we smell like, for example – and influence how we develop, fight disease and choose our friends. And just occasionally, of course, they…

I am currently reading Chris Packham’s memoir Fingers in the Sparkle Jar, and I am reminded of some episodes from my own childhood, also in the 1960s and 70s. For instance, in 1967 I had a fishtank on the coal bunker, proudly housing my collection of caterpillars. But while I was away on holiday it rained, and water got in through the lightbulb holes in the lid. As a result all but one of my caterpillars sadly drowned. Over the years that tank was home to a menagerie of creatures including tadpoles, frogs, newts, sticklebacks, stick insects and hamsters, though not all at the same time! I also remember keeping frogspawn in a washing-up bowl on the patio, and one morning found the bowl upside-down while the dried-up spawn was…