Innholdsfortegnelse for 1-Dec 2015 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

• TRAVELLER’S JOY WINTER WHISKERS Peer out of a car or train window in winter and you may notice what seem to be greyish-white pompoms draped over hedgerows and scrub. These are the dried seed heads of traveller’s joy, our native clematis, also known as old man’s beard. People used to gather these silky balls for fancy dress and to decorate their homes at Christmas. In situ, the seeds are a favourite food of goldfinches. FIND OUT MORE Learn more about our native plants at www.plantlife.org.uk • YEW OLD TIMERS The scarlet berries of yew provide a winter feast for blackbirds, thrushes, greenfinches and bullfinches, while goldcrests hunt insects among its fine needles. Yew is by far our longest-lived tree – the St Cynog’s Yew in Powys and Fortingall Yew…

WHAT IS IT? A cultivated orchid sold by florists under the name ‘big pink’ has turned out to be a species new to science. Dendrochilum hampelii, as it has been formally named in the journal PhytoKeys, was assumed to be an artificial hybrid until closer analysis showed otherwise. WHERE IS IT? Big pink’s wild origins were mysterious until a specimen was found with a tag attached, which claimed it came from the Philippines. Wild plants have now been found on the island of Mindanao, at elevations of 1,200m, where they grow as epiphytes among moss on the trunks and branches of trees.…

Sexism. Is it a dirty word? It often feels that way – something that people don’t really want to talk about, or if they’re going to, they do it quietly. There’s no doubt that sexism still persists in many areas of society – but what about nature conservation? Is our house in order? When you start out as a conservationist in the UK, there are equal opportunities for both women and men – and some organisations, particularly in the sciences, have worked hard to redress the gender balance of their staff. Among wardens, communicators and educators, there’s little discrimination in the paid ranks. But gender inequality, if unintentional, persists higher up the career ladder. The top jobs are still mostly occupied by men. And at board or council level, the…

Pound for pound it’s the greatest encounter between predator and prey in the world: orcas pursuing humpback whales, the ocean’s top hunter chasing one of the largest animals on the planet. That alone would be a big enough story, but add in the fact that on both sides there are multiple animals working together, and you have a battle like no other in the natural world. A battle that has only recently been properly discovered. An orca–humpback hunt is an immense and incredibly powerful spectacle. It’s impossible to watch without being overcome with awe at the unprecedented, epic scale and display of prowess and power, but you also feel tender concern when it is a mother and calf under attack. Overall, though, there is the knowledge that this is nature…

Our largest and commonest bumblebee, the buff-tailed bumblebee, can now add the ultimate accolade to these attributes – it’s the nation’s favourite insect. In a poll carried out by the Biology Society, Bombus terrestris beat nine other challengers to the title, securing a whopping 40 per cent of the vote. Its nearest challenger – the seven-spot ladybird – came second with just 15 per cent. Buff-tails are the first bumblebees to emerge at the start of the year, usually in April. They are colonial, living in nests of up to 500 individuals. And despite their name, only the queen bees have buff-coloured tails – workers and males have white ones. “Buff-tails are such amazing insects,” said Lucy Rothstein of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. “They can carry up to 90 per…

Credit where it’s due Since Margaret Mee was in your list of top naturalists at my suggestion (September), I hope you will give me the chance to refute the argument in November’s Letter Of The Month. Your correspondent John Watson ought to have done his homework before patronising distinguished botanists such as Margaret Mee. Contrary to his assertion, Mee found many plant species new to science during her 30 years in Amazonia, and three of her discoveries – the bromeliads Aechmea meeana, Neoregelia margaretae and Neoregelia meeana – are named in her honour. She was held in high scientific regard in her adopted country, and worked closely with the Botanical Institute of Sao Paulo and the Brazilian government opposing the destruction of the rainforest and its flora. By contrast the…

From penguins in Antarctica and polar bears in the Arctic, to feline predators in Kenya and gorillas in Rwanda, Exodus scours the globe looking for the ultimate adventures that all wildlife enthusiasts dream of. Join the Borneo Wildlife Discoverer trip Borneo is home to some of the most diverse and beautiful wildlife in the whole of South-East Asia. Starting with a visit to majestic Mt Kinabalu, you then continue to one of the trip’s highlights – the pristine Danum Valley. This is a nature lover’s paradise, whose beauty and animals are equalled only by Sarawak and the World Heritage Site Mulu National Park with its immense cave system and the oldest rainforest in the world. You come face to face with orangutans at Semenggok and Sepilok sanctuaries, stay at a…

The Isle of Carna provides a very different type of holiday. This secluded conservation island on Scotland’s West Coast, with no Wi-Fi and accessed only by boat, provides unique opportunities to have a proper ‘Digital Detox’ and reconnect with nature, your loved ones and yourself whilst simultaneously helping efforts to protect native wildlife. Relax and enjoy an uninhabited 600 acre island from as little as £1200 a week, virtually all to yourself. ‘Escape’ packages are available year round for weekly or short breaks which include self-catered accommodation for up to 8 in a homely and historic cottage, all house essentials, a self-drive boat, a guided tour, all transfers and a 24 hour support service. With this package you gain the freedom to explore the whole island and the surrounding waters…

Farming wild boar became popular in the 1980s, soon leading to accidental escapes and deliberate releases. A 2014 Natural England study found that during the 20 years after 1989 there was an average of one or two incidents a year, with some involving single boar and others up to 50 individuals. Boar were seen as far afield as Cornwall and Yorkshire, but most populations died out, leaving boar hotspots in the Forest of Dean (1) and three other regions. 2 DEVON/SOMERSET Boar were freed from farms several times between 2005 and 2007. Many were later recaptured, shot or killed on roads, leaving one or perhaps two viable breeding populations in north-west Devon and south Somerset. Numbers are uncertain, however. 3 WEST DORSET A few boar appear to have escaped from…

THE BAUER BROTHERS: IMAGES OF NATURE By Paul Martyn Cooper Natural History Museum £13.00 “It is delightful to look at these pages, nature is evident, art concealed,” said botanist Johann Goethe when describing the beautiful paintings of Franz Bauer and his brother Ferdinand. Now a collection of their detailed botanical and zoological illustrations from the 18th and 19th centuries has been published to tie in with the launch of an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, named ‘The Bauer Brothers: Masters of Scientific Illustration’. The exhibition reveals how the siblings viewed the natural world, through 100 paintings from the museum’s archives. It runs from 7 November 2015 to 26 February 2017, and entry is free. Jo Price Staff writer www.nhm.ac.uk…

WILD VIETNAM; WILD CAMBODIA Due to air Sundays 6 and 13 December, 6pm December sees two new instalments in the ongoing Wild series – both heading to the Far East. Wild Cambodia looks at a country shaped by the monsoon and the Mekong River, while Wild Vietnam examines how areas of the country’s landscape have started to recover since being pummelled during the Vietnam War, and explores the many and diverse species found here, such as yellow-cheeked gibbons, asiatic black bears, bamboo rats, rare Hatinh langurs and 25 species of turtle.…

6-12 Dec VISIONS OF AFRICA Explore Africa at this exhibition at La Galleria in Pall Mall, London, showcasing photos from explorer Levison Wood and bronze animal sculptures by Rosamond Lloyd. All the works are for sale, with 20 per cent of the proceeds going to the conservation charity Tusk Trust. www.lagalleria.org 6 December SEAQUEST SOUTHWEST SEA WATCH Join Abby Crosby of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust at a free two-hour event in Newquay. You will learn all about the marine species that live around the Cornish coast (a basking shark is pictured) and conduct a survey. http://bit.ly/1hPv5D5 5 Dec -3 Jan FLOODLIT SWAN FEED Don’t miss the impressive seasonal spectacle of hundreds of Bewick’s swans wintering on Slimbridge Wetland Centre’s Swan Lake. The feed takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from…

1 OPEN WIDE I saw this Asiatic lion in Gir Forest Reserve, Gujarat, India – the subspecies is now only found in this state. The big cat was relaxing in some bushes enjoying the sun. I didn’t want to disturb him, so asked my jeep driver to keep us at a safe distance. I realised I had a chance of taking a photo of him yawning, and waited until he opened his mouth wide. I’m so thrilled I got my shot. Ashutosh Shinde, Mumbai 2 FAMILY OUTING We saw these brown bears while camping on the Alagnak River in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The female was jumping into the water catching sockeye salmon, keeping a close eye on her two cubs all the while. As she moved up the river,…

During December rough grassland, coastal marshes and verges are magnets for kestrels and barn owls. They can often be seen out hunting in the same places late on midwinter afternoons. But while kestrels hover, scanning the grass below for any movement, barn owls fly low, systematically quartering the habitat on broad, silent wings. Both species are looking for small mammals, usually short-tailed (field) voles, the abundance of which varies greatly from year to year. In a winter when voles are less plentiful, kestrels and owls compete for food – frequently leading to the falcons attempting to snatch a free meal from the owls. They take advantage of the latter’s slower flight, dashing in to take the prey out of their talons. But the owls don’t give up easily, using their…

The small country of Costa Rica is Central America’s wildlife wonderland. Millions of years ago, the country became part of a land bridge connecting the North and South American continents, allowing its flora and fauna to mix. Today, it is home to an estimated 6% of the world’s plant and animal species – the sheer diversity of its exotic wildlife is staggering. Around 850 species of birds, 600 species of butterflies and almost 240 species of mammals are all to be found in an area around two-thirds the size of Scotland. Cox & Kings, the world’s longest established travel company, arranges superb value group tours to Costa Rica; an effortless way to get to know the charms of the country, escorted by an expert guide throughout. Travel through national parks,…

The best natural-history puzzles are often those close at hand. To experience one of the most enduring, simply step outside into a garden or open space. Find a small bird, such as a great tit or chaffinch, and watch it fly. You’ve probably already noticed that, whenever a songbird flies without undue haste, it doesn’t fly on a level plane from one spot to another, but instead undulates, as if negotiating a series of small, invisible hills. But why? It takes little observational skill to appreciate that many songbirds undulate, but explaining why it happens – that’s another matter. Nobody is sure why so many small birds, from woodpeckers to warblers, alternate bursts of flaps with glides rather than simply flying straight. There are several theories, but as yet no…

This is the ratio of weight to wing area, calculated by dividing the former by the latter. Light birds with large wings have low wing loading; the reverse is also true. A high wing loading results in inefficient flight – the wings have a relatively small surface area to create lift. By contrast, the lower the wing loading, the more manoeuvrable a bird is, and it can take off at slower speeds.…

All flight is a compromise between speed, weight, stability, agility, energy efficiency, stamina and versatility. No single bee, bat, bird or pterosaur can ever be good at everything. But between them birds can do anything other species of winged creature have ever done, and more besides. So how did they acquire their wondrous skills? According to Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species all creatures evolved gradually from ancestors that would have been quite different. But many biologists rejected Darwin’s idea for scientific or theological reasons. Among the detractors was the distinguished Swiss-American Louis Agassiz, who first mooted the idea of the ice ages and founded Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. Agassiz declared that birds are so different from other creatures that they couldn’t possibly have…

The flat, bare expanse of Wallasea Island on the River Crouch in Essex may not look like much of a battleground, but there is a fight going on here. Not physical combat, of course, but an intense political debate around how we protect nature across the whole of the European Union (EU). Wallasea, some say, is a shining example of how European legislation – in the shape of the Birds and Habitats Directives – can safeguard and even restore our wild places and wildlife without putting obstacles in the way of business. Fiddlesticks, the Government says. The recreation of intertidal or saltmarsh habitat here would have happened without the directives – we don’t need European bureaucrats to help us protect our birds. COLLABORATIVE VENTURE The Government sees Wallasea as a…

TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT! Follow in the footsteps of a beautiful tigress, as she brings up her precious cubs in the jungles of India India’s last remaining wild tigers are enjoying a wonderful renaissance, with a record number of new cubs being born in 2015 at famous tiger sanctuaries such as Ranthambore, Tadoba and Kanha. With the growth of wildlife photography and social media, there have never been so many people ‘watching’ and praying for these young cubs to grow up in the wild; free from the threats of poaching, habitat disturbance or illegal logging. The only way to truly appreciate and understand these remarkable big cats is to get out there yourselves and see these magnificent felines firsthand. We first visited India back in 1997 as part of a…

Chris Packham is right (November) when he remarks on the lack of top-flight, ‘sexy’ wildlife artists, but I think the problem lies with the classification of ‘wildlife art’ rather than a lack of artistic talent or interest in the natural world. Wildlife artists, societies, exhibitions and competitions tend towards observational study rather than artistic interpretation. There’s a very large gap between scientific accuracy and unbridled imagination. An artist who uses the natural world or an aspect of it in their work to illustrate a point or provoke discussion is not the same as an artist whose accurate portrayal of the animal is the sole reason for doing it. I specialise in large watercolours that highlight the unravelling of the natural world. I use animals, birds and insects in most of…

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this exclusive reader holiday from our chosen operator Heatherlea. Costa Rica is home to some astonishing wildlife and this trip promises colourful birds, exotic monkeys, sloths, lizards, bats, crocodiles, turtles, butterflies, a wealth of flora and much more. You’ll visit a unique range of habitats, from pristine beaches and tropical wetlands to high cloud forest festooned with orchids and cool, misty mountaintops. Your guide is Paco Madrigal, widely regarded as one of Costa Rica’s very finest wildlife leaders. With him you will discover Tortuguero National Park on the Caribbean coast, where you’ll go in search of all six kingfishers of the Americas and the neotropical river otter, and look for green turtle hatchlings heading for the sea. Another highlight is the misty highland cloud…

OUR EXPERTS DANIEL ALLEN is an animal geographer at Keele University and author of Otter (Reaktion). JULES HOWARD is a zoologist and author with a fondness for slug mites. CHRISTIAN DUNN lectures in wetland science and ecology at Bangor University. SAM HOBSON is a wildlife photographer who regularly contributes to BBC Wildlife . STUART BLACKMAN is a science writer who is mildly obsessed with evolution. Q MAMMALS What is high-grading in bears? A High-grading is the process by which a bear feeds selectively on the most energy-rich part of its prey, often shown during the salmon run. When prey is sparse, bears are relatively unfussy, gulping their meal down whole. When food is abundant, they can afford to be choosier, selecting the fattiest and most energy-rich parts of the fish…

Rarely do green and black appear greener and blacker than on the wings of the Rajah Brooke’s birdwing. It’s not clear whether the stunning contrasting pattern of Malaysia’s national butterfly (which is more vivid in males) functions as a sexual signal, camouflage or both. But if this photo is anything to go by, they are certainly uncannily fern-like. Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace considered the insect’s finery to be befitting of a king. He named the species after fellow Victorian Englishman Sir James Brooke, who in 1842 was given sovereignty of Sarawak by the Sultan of Brunei in return for his help in crushing an uprising. Brooke and his descendants ruled the kingdom until 1946. SB…

THE ISLAND Carna is a private conservation island on the marine-rich waters of Loch Sunart, off the Ardnamurchan Peninsula, on Scotland’s West Coast. It’s a 600 acre mosaic of abundant wildlife and protected habitats including wildflower meadows, native woodlands, moorland and wetland, all of which are open for guests to explore There are only three houses on the island and no roads so you can safely roam at leisure to scale the summit or explore the secret woods, coves and beaches. With lots to do, from wildlife watching to walking, fishing to boating, it’s an ideal place for families, groups, couples or individuals seeking outdoor activities, native wildlife, peace and seclusion. SELF-CATERED ‘ESCAPES’ Carna offers the ultimate ‘escape’ holiday for short breaks or a week, and is one of few…

1 BETTER FENCING We could follow the South African example, where fences separate wildlife from land used for cattle, and upgrade more fencing around amenity areas, fields and gardens. Boar-proof fences have high-tensile steel mesh and are buried at least 30cm deep, with an electric ‘snout wire’ near the ground. This fencing is expensive, but grants could be made available. 2 BOAR-MEAT FUND Demand for boar meat is growing – which is why boar farming took off in the first place. David Slater of Friends of the Boar suggests that meat sales from culling could go towards a publicly administered fund, which would distribute grants to local communities.“At the moment, much boar meat is poached and sold on the black market, which benefits only the poachers” Slater says. 3 GARDEN…

ORISON FOR A CURLEW By Horatio Clare Little Toller Books £12.00 The slender-billed curlew is a bird that haunts the margins of many a birdwatcher’s dreams. Though still listed as Critically Endangered, the truth is that we may have already lost this species and the chance to stumble across it on some remote site in Europe, the Middle East or Russia. For this reason, Horatio Clare’s book is not so much about the curlew itself – though the bird exists at the margins of his engaging prose – but about the people who have seen or searched for it, and the places where it has been recorded. Chronologically the author’s journey is a linear one, but it has the haphazard feel that comes with changing itineraries and many destinations. There…

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’S GREAT BARRIER REEF Three parts airing this Christmas – check RT for details The Great Barrier Reef is Earth’s largest living structure – it’s visible from space – as well as the planet’s most crowded ecosystem. This exciting, ambitious new series brings Sir David back to this famous cluster of coral, which he encountered during Zoo Quest. But this time he won’t be using a snorkel and mask in the shallows, but seeing it from inside a shiny Triton submersible 300m beneath the surface. Never before has this habitat been explored in – and indeed at – such depth, nor in this type of craft. The three 60-minute episodes are action-packed and bursting with the latest reef science. David learns, for instance, of a resilient deep-water coral that…

The club-like claws of the mantis shrimp are great for smashing open crabs, but something of a liability in contests with rivals. Little surprise, then, that they prefer alternative methods. In the Central American species Neogonodactylus bredini males attempt to settle contests quickly and bloodlessly, displaying their open claws to intimidate competitors. This doesn’t work, though, when the opponents are similar sizes. In that case, they escalate to sparring, absorbing blows with their tail-plates. The winner is the one who can deliver the most strikes, rather than the hardest. If they are still evenly matched, things get grisly. According to Patrick Green of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, their clubs aren’t their only weapons: “When contests escalated past sparring, we saw competitors unfold part of their claw and use it…

In Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, bumblebee tongues may be long or short. Long-tongued species specialise in sipping nectar from long-tubed flowers, while short-tongued ones are generalists, flitting between blooms of all shapes and sizes. However, new research shows that the tongues of the two dominant species have become about 25 per cent shorter over the past 60 years or so. This coincides with a decline in numbers of flowers of all types – a likely result of climate change. As a result, specialist bumblebee species are switching to a generalist strategy. Intriguingly long-tubed flowers have not responded to their evolving pollinators. “The big difference between the bumblebees and the plants is in their generation times. The bees are annuals, whereas these plants can live for decades and sometimes centuries,” said Nicole…

TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK Tortuguero National Park is located on the northern Caribbean coast and is accessible only by boat or plane. Travel through banana plantations and take a boat through the network of waterways penetrating the dense tropical forests. Comfortable lodges are located along the canal banks around the small town of Tortuguero, well situated for forest hikes or boat trips to spot monkeys, sloths, caimans and toucans. ARENAL VOLCANO The impressive cone-shaped Arenal volcano, until recently one of the region’s most active, is surrounded by beautiful scenery. Attractions nearby include hot springs, canopy walkways in the treetops and boat trips on Lake Arenal. Further north-west and off the beaten track is the Tenorio Volcano National Park, where hikes in the rainforest lead to a beautiful waterfall and the turquoise…

Bird flight, with the exception of soaring, dynamic soaring and gliding, generally requires enormous muscular power. This is supplied by the equally substantial pectoral, or breast, muscles. Much like the engine of a car, they represent a large proportion of a bird’s mass; for example, they make up 40 per cent of a city pigeon’s weight. The pectoral muscles are anchored to the huge, sail-like keel, an extension of the central breast bone, or sternum, one of the biggest bones in the otherwise lightweight avian skeleton.…

Pro-beaver groups have expressed concern about the level of killing of the beavers living wild on Tayside in Central Scotland. “They are not currently protected by Scottish law, and that’s a nonsense,” said Bob Smith of the Scottish Wild Beaver Group. “They do need proper management, though, because they don’t have predators.” Farmers shooting them was not the answer, he argued. “If it’s prime beaver territory, and you get rid of one, another one will move in,” he said. Instead there are measures that can be put in place to limit their impact. Scottish Natural Heritage said there was an “unknown level of shooting” taking place, but that it was legal. Wildlife officer James Scott said farmers are concerned about how beavers could affect their land. “It’s productive land where…

Polar bears are worth $6.3bn a year, beavers up to $1bn, sharks $944m, dung beetles $380m and Corbett Tiger Reserve $235m – according to a study compiled by BBC Earth and environmentalist Tony Juniper in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The research then compared the value of these ‘natural resources’ with the annual Gross Domestic Product of countries or the yearly value of resources such as fossil fuels. The UK, in comparison, is worth $2.55tn (that’s about 400 times more than polar bears), while the restaurants in the USA are valued at $709bn – about 700 times more than beavers. The most valuable resource of all was fresh water – worth a monumental $73.5tn every year – while trees came second at $16.2tn and coral reefs third…

The latest figures indicate there are only 350 wild Sumatran tigers left in the world. Every single one is incredibly important - if numbers drop further, the remaining population could become genetically unviable and another tiger sub species could be lost forever. It is essential to take action now. These apex predators have evolved stripes to help camouflage them from the ungulates that are their prey. Unfortunately, this has provided little respite from their main threat – humans who shoot, ensnare, even poison them and destroy the forests that make up their home. Sumatran tigers are under ever increasing threat due to rising demand for their pelts, bones and other body parts from the international illegal wildlife trade. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is running a programme to save Sumatran…

There are about 30 species of honeypot ant in the world, named for a very specific behaviour. Some of the colony’s worker ants prepare for hard times by storing food in their sisters. The workers feed these special sisters, known as repletes, until their abdomens swell. The feeding continues until they’re so swollen that all they can do is hang from the ceiling of their nest in diaphanous, golden rows. Then, when the hard times arrive and everything above ground is dry and inedible, the worker ants come back to the repletes and beg for food. Drop by drop, the honeypots regurgitate the sugar they’ve been storing. The practice has evolved repeatedly in regions where food is predictably scarce for part of the year. The other thing that occurs repeatedly…

If you go down to the woods today, you may be in for a pig surprise. On an evening drive along one of the scenic roads winding through the lovely Forest of Dean, you might see a long line of dark shapes materialise from the bracken and run across the tarmac in front of you. Boar. With bristly coats, straight not curly tails and (in adult males) tusks in the lower jaw, these are the altogether sturdier, wilder relatives of domesticated porkers. Perhaps, with luck, one of the boar will pause and glance your way before it charges back into the undergrowth. And – if you’re really lucky – you might spot an impressive matriarchal group, or sounder, with adorable-looking piglets in tow. For their first few three to four…

WHALES WORLDWIDE The whale watching holiday specialists. We take our customers to some of the most beautiful parts of the globe to view and photograph iconic species such as blue whales in The Sea of Cortez, humpbacks in the Molokai Channel and Southern Right whales off the Peninsula Valdez. All tours are led by the marine zoologist Nic Slocum. Nic has many years experience hosting exclusive, boat based whale watching tours worldwide. 00 353 86 120 0027 | www.whalesworldwide.com SALKA WHALE WATCHING - HÚSAVÍK, ICELAND Salka Whale Watching offers 3 hours whale watching tours and 3.5 hours whales and puffins tour. It is a great chance to see these beautiful creatures in their natural surroundings. Our guides have excellent knowledge of the local wildlife and the surrounding environment. Salka Whale…

There is nothing quite as strange as seeing an elephant hanging upside-down from a crane. We had left South Africa and crossed into Zimbabwe via an insanely busy bridge over the Limpopo River. Everything was different here. Donkeys pulled carts across barren and dusty terrain, avoiding truck-eating potholes and weaving through a landscape with occasional baobabs and scrubby mopane trees. Goats were everywhere, without a single blade of grass on which they could forage. Eventually, after some exhausting driving, we reached our destination. A herd of approximately 80 elephants had broken through a fence – a potential source of trouble for local people, so they had to go back. We were picked up by ‘John’ in a bright yellow helicopter, and flew to the spot where they had last been…