Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2018 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

RINGED PLOVER BEACHCOMBER These smart little waders are much in evidence on Britain’s coasts in spring, when resident birds are joined by many others en route from winter homes in the Mediterranean and West Africa to breeding grounds in Iceland, Greenland and Canada. But despite their bold markings, ringed plovers seem to vanish on pebble and shingle beaches – their preferred habitat. Also on the move now are their scarcer relatives, little ringed plovers, which sport yellow eye-rings and legs and are mostly seen inland. FIND OUT MORE Learn more about waders at www.wadertales.wordpress.com BLUEBELL TRUE BLUE “You don’t need to be a botanist to feel uplifted by the mist of bluebells tracing the woodland floor,” reflects Peter Marren in his lovely new book Chasing the Ghost. But like a…

In 2015, the British Science Association calculated the speed of spring advancing north through Britain at 2mph (3.2kmh). Different events moved at different rates. Flowering hawthorn, for example, crept along at a relatively sedate 1.9mph, equating to 45.6 miles a day or the length of the mainland (600 miles) in 13 days. I reasoned I could easily cover this on a bicycle in the same time frame, though I would have to cover a greater distance (70–80 miles each day) because I would inevitably be zigzagging as I pedalled. In spring 2017, I set off on my ride – stopping off at different nature reserves along the way – to track the arrival of the season as it moved up the UK. And to see if I could indeed beat…

Skipper Martin Keivers has been running boat trips to see white-tailed eagles on the Scottish island of Mull for 10 years. “Since I moved to the island 20 years ago there are more eagles than there used to be,” he says. Sea eagles, as they’re also known, became extinct in 1918 in the UK after centuries of habitat loss and direct persecution. After two small-scale reintroduction attempts, Scottish Natural Heritage started the main translocation project on the island of Rum in 1975, which was followed by phases in Wester Ross in 1993 and Fife in 2007. “In Scotland, the population is now self-sustaining at 118 pairs,” says RSPB Mull officer Dave Sexton. “They successfully fledged over 80 chicks in 2017, despite ongoing persecution risks in some areas. White-tailed eagles are…

This inspiring project in Shropshire and the Welsh Marches is leading the way for curlew recovery in lowland farmland. It started work in 2015 and for two years monitored a total of 40 nests. Not one chick survived due to predation. Now the project is using electric fencing and predator control near nests, and is pioneering ‘head-starting’ – taking eggs from the wild to incubate in captivity and then replace just before hatching. (This is done under licence from Natural England.) In 2017, 10 chicks fledged. Find out more about the project at www.curlewcountry.org…

An area of tropical rainforest greater than all of France is at risk if the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) pushes ahead with a proposed lifting of its logging moratorium and changes to the Forest Code. That’s the view of a coalition of 51 environmental NGOs, which is calling on international donors – including the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) – to suspend funding in related forestry programmes. “We estimate that an area of 70–75 million ha is under threat,” says Simon Counsell, executive director of the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK). “In those terms, this makes the lifting of the moratorium the single biggest threat to the world’s forests.” A ban on any new logging concessions being granted was introduced in 2002…

PÅL HERMANSEN  is a wildlife and art photographer based near Oslo, Norway. He has produced 35 books and his pictures are published, awarded and exhibited worldwide.www.palhermansen.com…

"THE FIRST TIME I VISITED MIDWAY I WAS GREETED WITH THIS SILENT GRAVEYARD.” Albatross ONLINE Available for screenings from 22 April and to stream from 8 June: www.albatrossthefilm.com The albatross is lauded as the ‘most legendary’ of birds, but it seems this iconic ocean wanderer is now more an emblem of a mega-problem of our age: plastic pollution. The plight of the Laysan albatross chicks on the Pacific atoll of Midway – dying in their thousands as a result of plastic ingestion – was brought to wider attention in 2009 by artist Chris Jordan, who photographed their young bodies decaying around miniature middens of flotsam discarded from modern life. “I never expected my photos to have the impact they did,” says Chris. “But they had a hopelessness about them, so…

Diamond in the rough I was intrigued to see that in your article on adders (Conservation Insight, February 2018), all Scottish islands were shown to have no adders present. Last April, my boyfriend and I were on holiday on the Isle of Arran, and as we were walking along by Iorsa water near Dougarie on the west coast of the island, we came across this adder on the path. It think it was as surprised to see us as we were to see it! It started behaving defensively, clearing warning us to keep our distance so we crossed behind it and it shot off into the bracken. We were very lucky to have spotted it just at the moment it was in the open, especially as it looked like it…

EVENT SPOTLIGHT Make your sightings count Cities in the UK, including London, Bristol and Plymouth, will be taking part in a global citizen science survey for the first time this year. The City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition in which cities compete against each other to see which can record the most observations of nature, which can find the most species, and which can engage the greatest number of people. • 27–30 April, cities around the UK, free, see website for more information: citynaturechallenge.org Deadly sting Come eye-to-eye with venomous creatures such as snakes, spiders, scorpions ( below ), snails, centipedes and platypuses at London’s Natural History Museum. The Venom: Killer…

Like your first day at a new school, walking onto the Springwatch set for the first time is an unforgettable experience. Fifteen years of working with small natural-history crews was not much help by way of preparation. Over a hundred production and crew members make up the Outside Broadcast unit, and trying not to appear like a lummox while looking for somewhere to sit in the catering tent is just one of the many challenges. It’s only now that I am starting to glimpse the faint but unbroken line, winding its way through what seemed like a series of random life events, all the way back to my earliest memories. I was born in Kenya and had the good fortune of having a dad who wanted his children to fall…

New Year’s Eve 2017. Waves of wind and rain batter our campervan. We’re parked on the North Somerset coast, surrounded by level, sodden farmland and mudflats. Somewhere in the distance a curlew calls, but its cry is whipped away by the wind. “The curlew cannot sleep at all/His voice is shrill above the deep/Reverberations of the storm/ Between the streams he will not sleep,” wrote one medieval monk in Ireland. Known as the storm birds, curlews are even now associated with driving rain off the Atlantic in the minds of many Irish people. Dawn breaks into quietness. The first rays of light of 2018 are welcomed by a flypast of curlews, calling ‘curlee’ as they head for the fields. A group lands just across the road and begins feeding in…

“People are definitely confused by devils,” says Greg Irons, owner and manager of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary just outside Tasmania’s state capital Hobart. “I’ve been asked: ‘Are they related to pigs? Are they rodents?’” He pauses perhaps not wanting to be too harsh. “Look, see a lion and we immediately know it’s a cat. But trying to suss out a devil – that’s hard.” If anything, they remind me of a bull terrier with a slightly ratty face. But, of course, they’re none of these things – they’re carnivorous marsupials and, as with other members of this group, including the better-known kangaroos and wallabies, some aspects of their biology almost defy belief. “You start telling people that they started life as something the size of a grain of rice, they grew…

14–19 October 2018 Don’t miss the chance to enjoy autumn in the Scottish Highlands and fantastic views of some of the best wildlife in Britain, including red deer, pine martens, golden eagles, badgers, mountain hares, red squirrels, ptarmigan and a host of winter wildfowl and raptors. This special five-night holiday is hosted by the BBC Wildlife editorial team, with our resident guide, who will lend their expert help to ensure that guests have the best animal encounters. The Grant Arms, our base for the holiday, is a specialist wildlife hotel that has a long and distinguished history. Close to Anagach Woods where roe deer and red squirrels abound, and the River Spey with its otters and waterbirds, the hotel offers comfortable en-suite rooms, a cosy bar and a first-class restaurant…

Researchers have identified the wildlife species that are most responsible for feeding on crops grown by farmers in the Amazon Basin. The biggest so-called crop-raiders are red brocket deer, collared peccaries, pacas and black agoutis (these last two are both medium-sized rodents), and they are taking, it’s estimated, about eight per cent of the total manioc yield – an edible, starchy root that’s the main agricultural commodity of the region – every year. Farmers told academics, led by Dr Mark Abrahams from the University of East Anglia, that losses would be 10 times higher if they didn’t employ a mixture of lethal and non-lethal ways of protecting their fields. Despite this, Abrahams says there is no sense among the communities they spoke to that this human-wildlife conflict situation was creating…

Research carried out on behalf of Scottish Power Renewables and Swedish windfarm developer Vatenfall, suggests gannets are four times less likely to fly into wind turbines than other studies have found. “The lessened risk will mean more favourable outcomes for firms seeking consent for wind farms,” says Dr Mark Rehfisch of aquatic and environmental consultancy APEM, which carried out the work. The research focused on gannets during the autumn migration off England, but RSPB Scotland says this does little to allay its fears for the impact proposed windfarms will have on seabirds off Scotland’s east coast. “The issue there is the impact on breeding gannets when the birds behave differently due to the demands of feeding their chicks,” says the RSPB’s head of planning Aedán Smith. 45 The age of…

Some 20 years ago, while being interviewed by a journalist from the New York Times, the animal cognition expert Dr Irene Pepperberg found herself holding a conversation with her research subject, Alex – an African grey parrot. “Calm down!” Alex said when Pepperberg came into the room. “Don’t tell me to calm down!” she retorted. Pepperberg laughs a little when reminded of this exchange, which in the grand scheme of her work with Alex is nothing but a footnote. “I’d had a bad faculty meeting, and he could tell I was agitated,” she recalls. “When he was agitated, we would tell him to calm down, so he had made the association that this was an appropriate vocalisation. But we don’t know what his intention was. I was so annoyed, I…

For divers and fishwatchers, there are certain famous fish that you dream of meeting. Among them are seahorses, hammerhead and whale sharks, manta rays… and humphead wrasse. If you’re lucky enough to spot one of these ichthyological celebrities, you do your best to stay calm. But in truth, it’s hard not to make a fool of yourself by squealing through your diver’s mouthpiece. The first time I saw a humphead wrasse, also known as Napoleon wrasse, it showed me just what it feels like to be carefully and thoughtfully watched by an animal close to my own body size. It was on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and as the massive fish swam past it tracked me with its bulging eyes, swivelling in their sockets like a chameleon’s. After more solo…

Our Place By Mark Cocker Jonathan Cape £18.99 Best known as one of our foremost nature writers, Mark Cocker spent several years researching this tour de force. Meticulously footnoted, stuffed with eye-opening statistics and informed by dozens of interviews with key figures, it’s a history of the environmental movement in Britain that explores why our countryside is as it is. While that may sound dry, Cocker’s personal prose is by turns hopeful, melancholy and humorous. Yet unlike many books on ‘green’ issues, this one is heartfelt without being a polemic. There are countless revealing, often moving observations on everything from RSPB-branded napkins to subsidies, land ownership and the suicide of Cocker’s best friend, ecologist Tony Hare. At the heart of the book is the paradox of how a country with…

Attenborough’s Wonder of Eggs ONLINE Available on iPlayer until the end of April Think Easter and you think eggs – so what better time to learn more about these miracles of nature? The first of the exciting new run of Natural World films for 2018, Attenborough’s Wonder of Eggs is like a one-on-one biology lesson with Sir David as he gently talks you through everything egg – why they are laid in the first place; how they are formed; how their design at once protects a life within while allowing it to breathe. A wealth of new science is revealed along the way: blue and great tits, for instance, use weather cues to encourage eggs to hatch during the two-week caterpillar glut; tiny goldcrests incubate their disproportionately large clutches by…

Nightingales RADIO BBC Radio 3. Due to air 1 May For a break from the everyday rush, tune into this Slow Radio experience from Radio 3. The show delves into the remarkable and magical experience of the nocturnal song of the nightingale, recorded in a Sussex woodland one night in April. Musicians perform alongside the birds, with four soloists taking it in turns to respond to the birds as they sing. Folk singer Sam Lee is on hand to explain the species’ migratory nature and favoured singing habitats, and to unpick the character of its song.…

After six months working for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, I still hadn’t seen a cheetah. Such is life as a professional ecologist sometimes; it’s not as if we spend the entire time witnessing dramatic scenes like in the BBC’s Big Cats or Planet Earth II. Then one night I was walking home when something came into view on the dusty track ahead. A cheetah! I recognised him – Hifi. He had long been inseparable from his brother Sam, who had died a few years earlier. Hang on… aren’t cheetahs, indeed pretty much all wild cats apart from lions, famous for being solitary? What were these brothers doing living together? Well, it’s a little-known fact that lions aren’t the only social cats. Together with the usual interactions cats have,…

Wherever on the vast continent of Africa you choose to safari, unforgettable wild sights lie in store, and Safari In Style can make it happen. Offering tours to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda, it offers an incredible choice of breathtaking environments and wildlife experiences. Safari In Style’s team has more than 50 years experience organising travel across Africa, and knows the continent inside out. You’ll never be far from a support office on your travels. SEE IT YOUR WAY There are many different ways to safari. For the uninitiated, why not opt for open 4x4 safari vehicle excursions, under the guidance of a qualified ranger? In the open vehicles, you’ll really feel like you’re part of the wilderness, but in the safe hands of…

NUMBAT MYRMECOBIUS FASCIATUS The sole member of its genus, the numbat is a medium-sized, stripy marsupial that grows up to 50cm long. It’s a specialist termite feeder, and fills a similar ecological niche to the anteaters of South America. Unlike most other carnivorous marsupials, it’s diurnal not nocturnal. QUOLLS DASYURUS There are six species of quoll, including two found in Tasmania and two unique to New Guinea. The spotted-tailed quoll is the largest of the six, with males weighing up to 7kg and measuring up to 1m long (including the tail). Quolls fill a similar niche to European mustelids such as martens and stoats. ANTECHINUSES ANTECHINUS These small, long-tailed insectivorous marsupials are renowned for a strange biological trait in which the (mainly) males starve themselves to death…

Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park skham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park is part of A Askham Bryan College, just outside of York. The park provides a place for the college’s students to learn about wildlife and to share what they learn with visitors to the park. You can join students for behind the scenes tours, find out about conservation programmes with endangered species, or even meet some of the friendlier residents up close. The wildlife park is open weekends and holidays, and always has events and extra activities – from the daily talks programme to themed arts and crafts. Animals on show range from meerkats and marmosets to snakes and spiders, divided between the indoor Wildlife of the World exhibits and the woodlands outside. The setting is spectacular, in…

Perhaps the most famous photograph of Walter Rothschild is the one shown above, of him driving a carriage harnessed to three plains zebras. In another picture he can be seen astride a Galápagos tortoise called Rotumah that he found living in the grounds of an Australian lunatic asylum. Given such behaviour, one might question whether Walter himself should have been sectioned. He was, in short, a great British eccentric. He was also six foot three inches tall, afflicted by a speech impediment, and painfully shy. Yet he had a brilliant brain. By the end of his life, Lionel Walter Rothschild, the Second Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild and Fellow of the Royal Society, had spent time working in both banking and politics. But it was in the field of zoology…

At the edge of a natural bluff... Providing one of the best views in Africa Since 1985, family owned Tarangire Safari Lodge has catered to wildlife enthusiasts and those seeking rest and relaxation among one of Tanzania’s most popular national parks. Perched at the edge of a natural bluff, Tarangire Safari Lodge is renowned for its panoramic views of the savannah and Tarangire River below, “providing one of the best views in Africa.” Carving out the landscape below the lodge is Tarangire River, a favorite watering place, which attracts impressive numbers of wildlife from the surrounding ecosystems that come together in large numbers to drink, just below our wide-stretched terrace. A variety of ecosystems exist within the park boundary, with 94 species of mammals and over 500 bird species recorded.…

Coast Care What is Coast Care? It’s an exciting new initiative that trains volunteers to care for the stretch of coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Amble. The habitats here are wildlife-rich, supporting important populations of breeding seabirds and wintering waders, and a host of unique flora and fauna. The initiative is supported by National Lottery players through the Heritage Lottery Fund and comprises Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Northumberland Coast AONB partnership and Seahouses Development Trust. What do your volunteers do? Wildlife surveys and practical tasks such as planting trees or removing invasive species. They also lead walks, become wardens or take on media tasks, such as photographic surveys. Teens can get involved via our Young Rangers programme. Who volunteers for you? Our volunteers range from professionals and graduates keen to develop their…

• Enter our Your Photos competition and your image may appear in the magazine: www.discoverwildlife.com/submit-your-photos 1 CASTING SHADOWS Last November I visited South Georgia and Antarctica on holiday. This picture was taken in Gold Harbour, where we went to experience the orange and pink sunrise. The sun was casting long shadows when this king penguin troop marched across the beach. I stood up as they waddled towards me and waited for them to fill the frame. I thought ‘wow’ while taking the picture and later converted it to black and white. After spending six hours watching wildlife in the bay, we reluctantly left for our next location. Andy Barnes, Bushey, UK 2 STRIKE A POSE On a cold, windy day last September I visited Norfolk with my husband to see…