Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

BULLFINCH FAITHFUL MATES Research by ornithologist Tim Birkhead has shown that this portly finch is remarkably monogamous, perhaps more so than any other British songbird. It’s unusual to encounter a lone bird – a pair is far more likely, in the depths of winter as well as during the breeding season. The male and female constantly whistle to each other to stay in touch in thick hedgerows or scrubby woodland – a soft ‘pew, pew’. Your first glimpse is often of flashing white rumps. TOP TIP Listen to bullfinch calls at www.xeno-canto.org MISTLETOE TREETOP WONDER Bare leafless trees reveal shaggy clumps of this curious semi-parasitic plant, typically in apple trees, poplars or limes. Since mistletoe is evergreen, its untidy mass of oval leaves offers welcome shelter to overwintering invertebrates. The…

EVENT SPOTLIGHT Begin with birding Kick off 2018 with a visit to RSPB Newport Wetlands, South Wales, for a New Year’s Day Twitch and Tick guided walk. Whether you are a beginner hoping to find out more about the birds on your patch, or a twitcher starting a new list, there’s something for everyone. Newport Wetlands is home to a variety of species to see and hear, including water rails, bearded tits, and bitterns. Short-eared owls can be seen hunting along the coastline at this time of year, while flocks of thrushes gorge themselves on hedgerow berries. • 1 January, RSPB Newport Wetlands, booking is essential, RSPB members £4.40, non-members £5.50, http://bit.ly/2ybTCLV Wintry walk Join a National Trust ranger at Wallington in Northumberland on a guided walk along the banks…

1 TAIL Thick and bushy, with a black tip and five or six black rings reminiscent of those in the Scottish wildcat. Almost half as long as the body. 2 FUR COAT Luxuriously soft and denser than that of any other species in the genus Felis . The silvery or orangey-buff coloration offers camouflage among the steppe terrain. 3 EARS Positioned very low, giving the broad head a strikingly flat-topped profile. Thickly furred to ward off the biting winds and severe winter cold on the steppe. 4 LEGS Relatively short for the cat’s size, suited to ambushes and short stalks rather than running. Broad paws provide cold-protection and act as ‘snowshoes’. 5 EYES Black-rimmed and high-set, perfect for peering over rocky terrain to surprise prey. Two thick black stripes reach…

Many EU countries are failing to fufill obligations to assess and reduce the number of dolphins that are killed in fishing nets, with Spain, Sweden and Finland the worst offenders, according to a report from Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). Britain was praised for having the best record in attempting to address levels of cetacean bycatch. “I think, in general, the UK sticks to the legislation, and we put the funding into it,” says Dr Fiona Read, who wrote the report. WDC says hundreds of thousands of dolphins die in fishing nets in European waters every year. Common dolphins and harbour porpoises are most affected, with small numbers of bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales and striped dolphins. Under European Commission regulations, introduced in 2004, all nations with fishing fleets have an…

The UK Government has failed to back proposals to give a beech woodland in the New Forest unique World Heritage status along with other special beech habitats across the EU. The designation is said to have been one of the most unusual ever created by UNESCO, because it represents the status of a single species in 63 separate forests across 10 EU countries. According to Prof Peter Hobson, a senior academic at Writtle University College, beech trees are unusual because they are found over such a large area. “There are very few species of tree that we know of, anywhere in the world, that are quite so extensive in terms of their distribution,” he says. The experts wanted a woodland to represent the Atlantic region, but the “UK, which has…

Like seeing an ichthyosaur caught on camera. That's what it felt like watching recent footage of a True’s beaked whale filmed off the south coast of Pico Island in the Azores. It was the first time this cetacean has been filmed underwater. More than that, this vital new evidence is leading scientists to believe that it may be a discrete Northern Hemisphere species. If so, it will be the fifth new species of beaked whale discovered in the past 25 years. Natacha Aguiler de Soto, a marine biologist at the University of St Andrews who identified the True’s beaked whale in the film and has been studying beaked whales for 15 years, was amazed when she made her discovery. “Imagine! These are animals the size of elephants that we just…

ECOTOURS WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS Visit Mongolia, home to the second largest population of snow leopard. Enjoy the thrill of searching for snow leopards in the wilderness with the highest possible comfort, without strenuous hikes and high altitudes or sleeping in tents. Plus many unique bird and mammal species await you including saiga antelope, Mongolian gazelle and Przewalski’s horse. ecotourswildlife.co.uk FIVE STAR WHALE WATCHING We are Victoria’s longest running and most respected family owned whale watching company! As pioneers of the industry we know what works. Our expedition catamaran provides a new level of excellence to whale watching in Victoria. Join the ultimate educational & inspirational marine experience and discover ‘Why We Like Our Whales Wild!’ 5starwhales.com WILD POLAND Would you like to see European bison in the wild? Join our small…

Designated in 1872, Yellowstone was the world’s first ever national park, renowned for its extensive lodgepole pine forests and geothermal features. In 1995, this Wyoming park played host to one of the most famous rewilding experiments on Earth – the reintroduction of grey wolves. These predators have been keeping herbivores such as elk (the North American version of our red deer) on their toes, reducing browsing pressure on trees such as willow. This in turn has led to a resurgence in beavers. The Hayden and Lamar Valleys are good places for wolf-spotting, with winter offering the best chance of a sighting. Yellowstone is also the only place in the USA where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. The areas around Mammoth Hot Springs and the Old Faithful geyser –…

1 BRIGHT LIGHT Photographers tend to avoid taking shots when the sun is at its zenith, but direct overhead light can create interesting effects in water. Strong lighting is what makes this shot – the rays of the overhead sun slice brightly through the water, creating a lovely texture and illuminating the clouds of sediment kicked up by the swan’s beak. 2 FEATHER FOCUS I used strobe lights to bring out the details of the bird that would otherwise be lost in the shade – the swan’s bright white plumage catches the light well. Without strobes, the swan would have appeared in silhouette. 3 BOTTOMS UP The swan’s tail protruding from the surface of the water creates a black hole, which contrasts strongly with the bright white ball of the…

EMERGENCE Northern gannet, Morus bassanus Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire Having seen many diving gannet photographs I wanted to try and capture something a bit different. I watched the birds fishing and was fascinated by the way the gannets would emerge from nowhere to steal another bird’s prey. I was keen to photograph the moment just before they broke the surface, while they were still in ‘stealth mode’. A combination of bright sunshine and cloud made setting the exposure difficult, but the result shows some lovely patterns on the water.…

GREEN HYDRAS Green hydras, Hydra viridissima Derbyshire, England The diversity of life in my small garden pond never ceases to amaze me, but many of the most fascinating subjects require high magnification to be appreciated. Measuring only a few millimetres in length, these green hydras were dangling from the underside of a lily pad. They capture prey with stinging tentacles and when disturbed they quickly retract into a small, compact green blob that is easily overlooked.…

HIGH UP ON A HILL, A CAMERA POSITIONED ON A ROCKY OUTCROP REVEALED KITTENS. Ask someone to name a wild cat and they’ll likely mention the tiger, lion or one of the other big cats. Or failing that, the cheetah or mountain lion, which taxonomically speaking are small cats. Hardly anyone will refer to any of the other small cats, yet they make up 33 of the world’s 40 wild felines. They include some of the most fascinating and beautiful of all carnivores – and we were determined to film as many as possible. Though our new BBC series planned to include spectacular footage of the ‘Big Seven’, from the outset we wanted to give their more diminutive relatives a fair share of the limelight. Jaguarundi, bay cat, rusty-spotted cat,…

Tanzania’s Southern Safari Circuit features some of the country’s most remote and spectacular sights. With considerably fewer tourists than the northern parks, like Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, the Southern Circuit is ideal for seasoned safari-goers and confident travellers alike looking for an off-the-beaten-track experience. The southern parks also offer a more varied selection of landscapes to explore, from savannah grasslands to palm-fringed wetlands and baobab forests. Activities include boating safaris as well as those by foot, plus fishing excursions – and Ruaha and Selous are two of the circuit’s top destinations. RUAHA NATIONAL PARK Tanzania’s largest national park is characterised by diverse landscapes of exceptional beauty, and its centrepiece is the Great Ruaha River, which runs along the park’s south-eastern border through rugged gorges and open plains. The wildlife viewing…

Ice, snow and windswept rock is all I can see through the telescope. But my Ladakhi guide Stanzin Gurmet assures me that “the snow leopard is there”. I trust him, since he’s one of the best wildlife spotters in the Himalayas. At last, on a ridgeline a kilometre distant, I finally make out the elusive ghost of the mountains. Even at this range I see the cat’s thick fur being tousled by the biting wind 4,000m up. Superbly adapted to life in the highest, coldest, most rugged peaks on the planet, it seems content to continue its patrol. We are trekking in Hemis National Park in Ladakh, one of India’s northernmost states, and our sighting is only possible thanks to the eagle eyes and sheer hard work of Stanzin and…

Until now, my work has concentrated on field guides. I worked my way systematically through all the bird species of Europe. But with my latest book, the idea was to produce an account of the birds that can easily be seen from my studio window during the winter months. A simple book about a few species, with pictures sketched on the spot. I wanted to show the variations within species, how expressions and colours differ between individuals. I feed the birds at my studio, a kilometre or so from our home on the island of Gotland, off southern Sweden. Great tits are the most frequent visitors, but I see everything from bramblings to grey partridges. There is thick snow in winter, when the landscape looks particularly graphic. I like…

“I GET CALLED A BUNNY HUGGER AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, BUT A LOT OF IT IN JEST.” “You see the transformer, the little green box,” says Pat Howard, pointing about 20m away. “Just to the left of that is where the little ringed plovers nested. It wasn’t this overgrown then, it was quite bare, so it was the sort of habitat they like.” We’re standing just outside a set of fancy but temporary cabins that act as the operations centre for what is currently the UK’s biggest road project – the Highways Agency’s £1.5bn upgrade of 34km of the A14 from Cambridge to Huntingdon. The patch Pat’s indicating has been partially colonised by bristly oxtongue, some of it now going to seed, but otherwise there’s just cars and gravel…

 TIM FLACH is best known for his stylised portraits of animals and is an honorary fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. PROF JONATHAN BAILLIE is the chief scientist at the National Geographic Society. SAM WELLS is a writer with a passion for conservation. • Endangered is the result of a project to document the lives of threatened species. It is Tim Flach’s fourth book published by Abrams (£50; www.abramsandchronicle.co.uk).…

“THE LAST THING WE WANTED TO DO WAS FILM THE MARSH PRIDE IN THE MASAI MARA.” Big Cats TV BBC One Due to start 11 January Big cats enthrall us, arguably more so than any other animal on the planet. If you like these charismatic carnivores, you’ll love this new three-parter for BBC One, which aims to offer the ultimate, definitive celebration of the world’s feline family. “Big cats are incredibly captivating – the tiger is the most popular animal on the planet,” says series producer Gavin Boyland. “But we wanted to give an overview of all wild cats, not just those we know the most. We also wanted to present familiar species with new perspectives – the last thing we wanted to do was just go and film the…

Judi Dench: A Passion for Trees TV BBC One Due to air in December. See RT for details. Judi Dench is passionate about trees, having nurtured her own woodland at her Surrey home for 30 years. This BBC Christmas special follows the actress through the four seasons as she embarks on a journey to understand the vital role of the woodland in both our history and future. She is assisted on her quest by various experts and scientists, plus a plethora of clever gadgetry, such as a scanner that can create 3D images of her wood and a handheld photosynthesis system that measures how much C0 2  is absorbed by a leaf. “By combining cutting-edge filming techniques with science, we help Judi experience a side to trees that few…

1 MUDDY MALE In September 2017, I joined a photographic safari in Kenya. While visiting Tsavo East National Park to see big tuskers, we were disappointed to find that they had left the area to raid crops nearby. However, we were fortunate to come across this magnificent bull elephant on his way down to a waterhole, and photographed him spraying himself with muddy water. Jane Goss, East Sussex, UK 2 INFLIGHT MEAL Wildlife photography is a hobby of mine and, whenever I get free time, I visit Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. I normally go there to try and see leopards, but will photograph any species I encounter. In August I spotted this little green bee-eater with my daughter and friend. Using the continuous shooting option on my camera I…

NATURAL BEAUTY Atlantic gannet, Morus bassanus Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands If the eyes are the windows to the soul, what do these eyes tell you? Looking for a different perspective for a gannet portrait, I positioned myself on top of the cliffs on the Isle of Noss. Looking straight down I had an intimate view of a group of gannets sitting on a higher ledge. I talked to them and one gannet looked up, revealing its rounded head, symmetry and beautiful blue eyes against its white feathers.…

PUFFIN IN A HOLE Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire I took this photo while I was visiting Skokholm island with my dad. We were hoping to see and photograph puffins, and although there weren’t many, I was lucky enough to be sitting by a side window of one of the hides when this little individual poked its head out of a burrow. This is my favourite shot from the sequence as the seabird is well hidden by the sea campion growing at the entrance to the burrow.…

GREAT CORMORANTS Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo Holme Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire Winter Calm Holme Fen National Nature Reserve is a natural spot where cormorants nest colonially. In late winter, the birds return to the trees, ready for a short nesting season. At first, individuals spend their days sitting around on branches or building nests. After a short while they start to display to attract a mate. During this cold season, the lakes have a gloomy, eerie feel to them. Spring Feeding Time As winter’s grip loosened and spring arrived, the eggs began to hatch. The youngsters grew extremely quickly and had voracious appetites. This image shows a nest containing three chicks begging for a meal. At this time of year I had to be on site at 5am to…

With a diverse landscape of swaying savannahs, lush rainforest, cascading waterfalls and mighty rivers, Guyana is a truly breathtaking slice of paradise. But what’s so surprising about this small South American country is that in an age of mass tourism, it remains largely undiscovered. Guyana’s incredible wilderness is teaming with an abundance of native flora and fauna, including more than 900 migrant and resident birds. As jaguars roam, harpy eagles soar overhead and howler monkeys can be heard echoing throughout the rainforest – if you’re seeking nature and adventure, you won’t be disappointed here. A powerful predator Lurking in freshwater habitats, the Black Caiman is the largest predator in the Amazon eco-system, and a giant of the reptile family, growing up to six metres in length. With its black scaly…

1 FISHING CAT FILMED: Bangladesh IUCN STATUS: Vulnerable Working with local conservationists, we used underwater remote cameras to film one of these leggy spotted cats and her kittens as they learned to hunt in the monsoon wetlands. The mother stealthily tracked and pounced into the water to catch fish, but her offspring were more interested in playing with the aquatic plants. 2 RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT FILMED: Sri Lanka IUCN STATUS: Near-threatened Unsurprisingly, the world’s smallest cat (it weighs just 1–1.5kg) is rarely seen. So we teamed up with conservationists in Sri Lanka to film a young male on the verge of independence in a remote rainforest reserve. Regular downpours, deep shade and a nimble cat all conspired to present us with a huge challenge. 3 SERVAL FILMED: South Africa IUCN STATUS:…

Confronting the driver is a gate with an ‘accessible’ latch and a notice inviting Blue Badge holders to drive the 2km to the first birdwatching hide in this national nature reserve. The driver pulls up short, opens her door and manhandles a wheelchair from the rear of her car, then slides across into it, reassembling the sides. She wheels to the gate and opens it wide, hoping it will not swing closed again. She wheels back to her car, slides in and restows her wheelchair, then drives through the gate. Pulling up, she repeats all of the above in order to close the gate behind her. Twenty minutes and a pint of sweat expended just to get past a barrier. Yet this actually happened on a well-known flagship nature reserve…

The first thing visitors see when approaching St Kilda is grassy slopes covered in what resemble daisies. These turn out to be thousands of seabirds – fulmars. Puffins buzz in the sky like swarms of insects while indefatigable gannets hug the swell’s low contours. This remote, mountainous archipelago 160km west of mainland Scotland is justly famed for its seabirds. But two other, stranger creatures loom large – or small – when you explore the stone ruins of Village Bay. Singing with territorial vigour is the St Kilda wren, which has evolved into what looks like a sparrow-sized creature, and its own subspecies, during its time on the rocky outpost in the North Atlantic. Shedding soft brown wool are Soay sheep, a dainty breed that now lives completely wild. While the…

An objection raised by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) could be a major setback for plans to build a golf course on an undeveloped stretch of wildlife-rich dunes on the north-east Scottish coast. The objection comes after months of campaigning against the scheme by an alliance of six UK conservation groups and local campaigners. The site, at Coul Links, beside the Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve in Sutherland, has international importance for its wildlife. One species at threat from the planned 22ha course, say campaigners, is the tiny Fonseca’s seed fly, found nowhere else in the world but a stretch of coast in, and near, Coul Links. Rich in orchids, other flowers, mosses and lichens, the Coul sands are also home to Britain’s second-largest colony of dune-dwelling juniper. Proposals submitted by…

THE HARPY EAGLE IS A SPECIES THAT FEATURES NEAR THE TOP OF ‘BIRDS-TO-SEE-BEFORE-YOU-DIE’ LISTS. Carlos turns and grins. “I think we’re finally going to see the adult eagle this morning,” he says. “Are you excited?” As our four-wheel-drive bumps down a rainforest track towards the Pan-American Highway, there is a resounding chorus of “You bet!” The day before we had made the long journey to a recently discovered harpy eagle nest. Though we were thrilled by the single huge fluffy white chick as it peeked over the edge of its eyrie, it was disappointing not to spot a mighty adult as well. Since the chick is already about six weeks old, its parents will now be bringing back food – mostly monkeys and sloths – rather infrequently. There is still…

Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World by Alice Roberts Hutchinson £20 Tamed may be the title of Alice Roberts’ latest book but the writing is anything but tame. Lyrical storytelling untangles the current thinking on how we’ve entwined our lives with those of plants and animals. From dogs to apples and potatoes to chickens, Roberts provides fascinating insights into domestication, offering anecdotes from past and present that link the latest genetic and archaeological findings; an entertaining story about how a herder accidentally made cheese; and welcome touches of humour (“canine palaeontology is a dog-eat-dog world”). The final chapter reveals that we’ve undergone similar changes to the wolves that became dogs – our skulls are now less robust. Yet we didn’t domesticate other species as deliberately as we might think…

Winter's Weirdest Events TV BBC Two Due to air 22 December. Chris Packham returns wearing his ‘weirdest’ hat for a seasonal special of this popular strand. Using eyewitness accounts and expert opinion, Chris unravels the bizarre events that occur in the natural world when temperatures start to drop. “We live in a very weird world, but during winter it gets even weirder,” says producer Aaron Paul. Expect crows that snowboard, suicidal penguins and encounters with the icefish – the only vertebrate on Earth without red blood. .…

What do your volunteers do? Our group was formed in 2002. Our volunteers come from all walks of life but we have one thing in common – we are committed to protecting and enhancing our local environment. We meet every Tuesday and work on local nature reserves in and around the Brighton area, as well as further afield in East and West Sussex. We get involved in projects such as coppicing, chalk grassland management, woodland conservation, pondwork, footpath building and maintenance, fencing and meadow management. How have you helped wildlife? We carried out extensive vegetation clearance at Rowland Wood, a Butterfly Conservation site near Uckfield, to encourage small pearl-bordered fritillaries. The aim was to create open, sunny spaces where their favoured plant – the violet – can thrive. This species…

This image was taken in mid-November at the very ‘glamorous’ location of Deeside Industrial Estate in North Wales. I’ve noticed berry producing trees such as rowan are often planted in retail car parks and industrial estates and are a favourite for many birds, especially members of the thrush family. In previous years, I have photographed waxwings gorging themselves here, but at this point none had arrived yet. However, there was a huge influx of fieldfares and they were consuming the berries, along with redwings. I had hoped to photograph the birds in the low autumnal sun to illuminate their striking colours. I framed an image that I thought would look nice, and with a lot of waiting and patience, not one but two fieldfares landed and fed on the berries.…

“WITH THEIR POWDERY PINK PLUMAGE, PUNKY CRESTS AND BLACK EYE-MASKS,WAXWINGS ARE SERIOUSLY, WELL, SEXY.” Bushes covered in red berries; flocks of starling-sized birds sitting in the tree-tops; groups of birdwatchers with ‘scopes and long lenses. These were the signs to look out for, I told my two boys, as we drove into a trading estate on the outskirts of Cheltenham. It was an altogether different sign that caught my 13-year-old son’s eye. “Dad, what’s a ‘Sexy Adult Store’?” From a huge, bright pink billboard a French maid in a PVC pinny waggled a feather duster at me. I coughed then cleared my throat, but was thankfully saved from having to answer his awkward question because, as we turned the corner, what we’d actually come to see appeared before us like…

WREN ON FROST-ENCRUSTED FERN Wren, Troglodytidae Dunham Massey, Cheshire Following a cold, clear night I visited a local woodland to photograph deer. The temperature had dropped well below freezing during the night and frost clung to the trees and foliage, completely transforming the landscape. A heavy mist hung in the air, making the deer difficult to spot. After some time I noticed a wren flitting around in the frost-encrusted ferns. I set up my tripod and waited, following it with my lens as it moved. Eventually, it alighted on the top of a fern close by and I inched my way back in an attempt to show the bird in its wintry environment.…

TRANSLOCATION OF RED SQUIRRELS Red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris Scottish Highlands Scottish rewilding charity Trees for Life is pioneering the translocation of red squirrels to forests in the northwest Highlands, where they have been absent for decades. Red squirrels are unable to cross open ground and Scotland’s fragmented wild woodland means that recolonisation is unlikely to happen without help.…

Fast forward to autumn (November to be precise) and the cormorants are still on site, using the trees as a safe place to roost each evening. I wasn’t entirely sure if the birds would actually dry their wings at this particular spot, but took a chance when I was visiting Holme Fen one morning. Luckily, a cormorant was there, doing exactly what I’d hoped, in the first rays of morning sunshine. The orange autumnal glow of the leaves illuminated by the rising sun was incredibly fortuitous. Nature sometimes rewards you for repeat visits to the same place.…