Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2022 i BBC Wildlife Magazine

HELLO SPRING! Hiding in the long grass Hungry humans pose a risk to the Caribbean’s prized queen conch THIS QUEEN CONCH MIGHT WELL BElooking out anxiously for the hand of a free diver. The sought-after meat is so popular here in its Bahamas home and in the USA that there are fears overfishing will cause the population to crash within 10 years if nothing is done. These herbivorous sea molluscs live in seagrass beds close to coral reefs and use their large proboscis to graze on algae and dead plant matter found on the swaying green blades. They can survive up to 30 years and once fully grown will focus on thickening their shells against non-human predators such as sea turtles and nurse sharks. In fact, the shells are a…

A STUDY HAS FOUND THAT pet foods contain meat from endangered sharks. Inspired by a 2019 US study that found shark meat in pet food, scientists investigated whether there was shark DNA in 45 pet food products from 16 brands on sale in Singapore. Of the 144 samples taken, 31 per cent contained shark DNA, most of which came from blue, silky and whitetip reef sharks. The populations of the silky shark and the whitetip reef shark are listed as vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “None of the products listed shark as an ingredient, using only generic catch-all terms such as ‘fish’, ‘ocean fish’, ‘white bait’ or ‘white fish’ to describe their contents,” says Ben Wainwright, co-author of the study from Yale-NUS College in Singapore.…

By April, the breeding season is in full swing at the UK’s clifftop puffinries. Atlantic puffins pair up for life and invest a lot of time in mutual preening and bill-tapping, showing each other great affection. Conservationists will be crossing their fingers for the birds to have a good year, but fear the UK could lose most of its nesting puffins over the next three decades due to climate change.…

THE UK MAY LACK ANY BIRD-EATING spiders, but according to new observations, we now have one capable of tackling other warmblooded flying animals. The noble false widow spider has spread widely throughout Britain and Ireland since its arrival, probably from the Canaries, in 1879. Although not aggressive, this close relative of the black widow can deliver a painful bite to humans. But now it has been documented preying on pipistrelle bats. Ben Waddams made the observations at his Shropshire home. Pipistrelles had established a maternity roost in the roof and a false widow had slung its web across the exit. “One morning, I noticed a pup trapped in the web,” he says. “It was partly wrapped in threads and shrivelled, so I wondered if it had been bitten.” Two days…

Not only does Britain have the densest fox population in Europe (despite heavy persecution), the species also occurs nearly everywhere. Foxes have been recorded in all mainland 10km grid squares – only some islands are without them. April sees the year’s first cubs emerge above ground. In morning and evening, they tumble and scrap near the den like energetic puppies.…

The size of Gálapagos giant tortoise faeces can vary from a few centimetres to over 20cm in length. Droppings are ovoid and elongated, and generally end in a point. They contain a lot of partially or undigested plant material. “It helps us to analyse the health of the reptile and understand its role in spreading native and invasive plant species,” says Ainoa Nieto Claudín, from the Giant Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme.…

A DOZEN RIVERBOATS HUDDLE AGAINST the bank of a narrow tributary of the Rio Cuiabá in Brazil. The passengers on board jostle soundlessly to get the best view, while their camera lenses reach out like limbs across the water towards a patch of sand on the opposite bank. The mother emerges from the shrub first. She struts out onto the beach with an air of nonchalance. Her two cubs tumble out after her, splashing and play-fighting in the water to the delight of the tourists, who are all hungrily snapping photographs. It’s our second jaguar sighting of the day. Given what happened here not too long ago, I can scarcely believe our luck. “Luck?” our guide Fisher Sousa says, raising an eyebrow. “We see jaguars every day.” In 2020, the…

What are grasshoppers and crickets? Grasshoppers and crickets, including bush-crickets, are jumping insects belonging to the family Orthoptera. Where do they live? Orthoptera can be found across the British Isles but prefer the hotter, dryer weather of southern Britain. Grasshoppers, as the name suggests, are found in grassy places, while crickets have more diverse habitats. What do they eat? Grasshoppers are herbivorous, while crickets will also eat other insects. What are their life-cycles? Grasshopper and cricket larvae, known as nymphs, hatch in the spring from eggs laid the previous summer. Upon reaching adulthood, they may live for two months, mating and laying eggs before dying. How do they ‘sing’? Crickets sing, or stridulate, by rubbing their wings together, while grasshoppers rub their hindlegs against their wings. The large marsh grasshopper…

Washington State, USA Benny the black Labrador sniffs out shark fins HOME TO TWO OF THE BUSIEST PORTS IN THE USA and a major international airport, Washington State is a target for the shipment of illegal wildlife products. In May 2017, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police recruited Benny, a black Labrador retriever, to help search for items such as rhino horns, shark fins and elephant ivory, which are illegally transported to the state via air and sea freight, or simply by mail. It’s time-consuming for humans to inspect shipments by hand in an attempt to determine the contents of the packages being transported. But for a master sniffer like Benny, it’s easy. He can search a large area or many items a lot faster than a human…

Middle Island, Australia Oddball the sheepdog helped a penguin colony recover MIDDLE ISLAND, A SMALL ISLAND CONNECTED by a tidal sand bridge to Warrnambool in southwestern Australia, used to be a great breeding ground for little penguins, the world’s smallest penguin species. But when foxes discovered they could reach the island at low tide, they nearly wiped out the colony. By 2005 there were fewer than 10 birds left. Meanwhile, local farmer Allan Marsh had been training Maremma sheepdogs to protect his chickens from foxes. This breed originated in Italy, where they guard livestock from wolves and bears. When Marsh heard about the penguins, he suggested an alliance. In 2006, Oddball was the first Maremma tasked with protecting the penguins during the breeding season. His presence was a huge success…

British Columbia, Canada Alli finds amphibians hiding in muddy wetlands THE OREGON SPOTTED FROG IS ONE OF Canada’s most endangered amphibians. Fewer than 700 remain, in six isolated populations in British Columbia. To conserve the frogs, researchers need to understand where they live and how they use their habitat, but finding the amphibians using traditional survey methods is laborious and unreliable. Surveyors must walk slowly in knee-deep mud during the short frog-breeding season and can easily miss them. Enter Alli. Formerly a drug-detection dog, Alli was retrained to sniff out Oregon spotted frogs and has since helped to track down these and many other endangered species. Alli is now retired, but other dogs are following in her footsteps. Since 2016, six have been helping scientists from the San Diego Zoo…

RICHARD JONES ANSWERS After laying her eggs in June, on the underside of a birch leaf, a female of the shieldbug species Elasmucha grisea (the parent bug) sits guard over them – a rare example of maternal care in an insect. She is an effective deterrent against predators (mostly ants, but also other bugs). She makes herself into a barrier, flexes her wings in an escalating response to danger, and may even head-butt the attacker. She’s also partially effective against egg-parasitoid ‘fairyflies’ – tiny parasitoid wasps. By clamping down over her eggs she can save those in the centre of the clutch, forfeiting just those at the periphery. The mother can remain with her family until the nymphs are nearly fully grown, accompanying them on feeding forays across the leaves.…

WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY PEARLS ARE ORGANIC MINERAL deposits that have been valued as precious gemstones throughout human history. They’re made by various molluscs, including snaillike gastropods such as abalones, but the majority of commercial pearls are harvested from bivalves (two-shelled molluscs), such as marine oysters and freshwater mussels (see our mussels feature in the April issue). What is a pearl made of? The same materials used in a shell, the mollusc’s exoskeleton. Shells consist of the mineral calcium carbonate in an ordered arrangement to form a crystal, of either calcite or aragonite, and a matrix of organic molecules that includes a key protein called conchiolin. The crystals are layered and make up more than 95 per cent of a pearl or shell. What’s the difference between pearls and…

PRIZE-WINNING PHOTO Daydreamer We observed this sleeping fox by chance during a walk in the Netherlands. His eyes were closed but the eyelids were moving as if he was exploring a new world in his dreams. He had been calmly walking before he headed to this pile of sand. The sun had been warming the spot for a while, which is why he decided to take a nap there! We were able to immortalise this incredible moment. Alexandre (pictured) and Chloe Bès, France WIN SOME LOVELY SANDALS Worth £80! Featuring best-in-class flexibility, comfort and design, the Drift Creek sandal from KEEN offers enhanced performance on land or at the water’s edge. Super lightweight with a lowprofile design, the Drift Creek has an advanced closure system for a precise and secure fit.…

NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA YOU KNOW THE FRUSTRATION OF searching high and low for something but, no matter how hard you look, you just can’t find it? That feeling had been plaguing me for years as I spent summer after summer searching for the stunningly beautiful, yet ridiculously common Botany Bay weevil. They’re found along Australia’s east coast and, according to my social media feed, every single person I have ever known in my entire life (and their dog) had seen one. Everyone that is, except for me. I spend a lot of time peering into the small worlds of insects. It’s fascinating observing their often complex social structures, their search for food or for a mate, while I struggle to juggle my own ordinary life. But of all the…

1 POLE POSITION Photographer Shannon Wild knew that Verreaux’s sifakas leap, dance, hop and bound across open spaces, so she positioned herself in a prime location – a road between two patches of forest – for an uninterrupted shot. 2 BODY SHAPE The animal is moving towards the light (which is falling on its face), its head is upright and its eyes are looking forward. The photo is taken when its arms are spread, so the face and body aren’t obscured. 3 TOP TIMING The shutter-release button was hit at the exact moment that the animal’s feet lifted off the ground, giving a stronger impression of the spring in its step.…

VANGUARD ALTA BATTERY CASE Experimenting requires lots of battery power and memory capacity. As they’re carrying such precious treasure (your memories and artistic creations), it’s worth keeping memory cards and replacement batteries somewhere safe and dry. The Alta Battery Case neatly stores up to four batteries and SD cards, so they’re all in one place if you need to make a quick swap. Keeping them within easy reach also means you won’t waste time – and miss that all-important shot. £14.99; vanguardworld.co.uk…

GET DOWN LOW The top of an animal’s head, as seen from the top of a safari vehicle, is rarely its best angle. Getting eye-to-eye makes for more engaging pictures. If it’s safe, get your feet or chest on the ground. Avoid standing, even if you need to stay in a safari vehicle. Crouch down, lay flat or take the front passenger seat, which is usually lower than the raised back. LOOK FOR LIGHT Even a little light can make the difference between a vibrant photo and one that looks drab and flat. Think about which direction the light is coming from and where it’s falling. If the light isn’t working for the photo you want to take, move position or wait for the conditions to change. BACKGROUND CHECK If…

MALE ADDRESS STIR FROM hibernation underground in March and April – increasingly as early as February – roused by the rising air temperatures. They moult their drab old skin, revealing a brighter one underneath, then spend early spring sunning themselves to get into breeding condition. When the females wake up several weeks later, the males are soon on their tail. Sometimes, well-matched rivals enact the ‘Dance of the Adders’. In this ritual wrestling, two males entwine and try to force their opponent to the ground, in order to win mating rights. Beautiful, shy and elusive, adders are not what most people expect. They’re not even the largest snake in Britain – that’s the grass snake (Ireland, famously, is snakeless). Adders do possess venom, a neurotoxin for despatching voles and mice,…

MALE DARTFORD WARBLERS seen singing from the tops of heathland gorse bushes during the mornings of April and May. They look superb in spring sunshine amid the yellow gorse blossom. Dartford warblers are among several insectivorous birds, including goldcrests and long-tailed tits, that are hit hard by freezing winters, but are benefitting from climate change. For now, though, their stronghold is restricted to lowland heaths along England’s south coast and in East Anglia. As Stephen Moss points out in his book on bird names, Mrs Moreau’s Warbler, the Dartford warbler got its name by chance. In April 1783, the amateur ornithologist John Latham shot a pair of unfamiliar warblers on Bexley Heath. The species was new to science, but bizarrely, he opted to name it after the Kentish town –…

A mole’s paws If you’re going to spend your life digging tunnels, you’d better have a good shovel. Moles have them in spades – well, two anyway. Their massive, clawed front paws are built for excavation. Evolution has even transformed one of their wrist bones into an extra ‘thumb’ to help the moles shift soil in bulk. Moles aren’t the only mammals to have a false thumb fashioned from a wrist bone. A similar structure also helps giant pandas grip bamboo, so they can more easily handle the stems they break off to eat.…

Venomous animals directly deliver toxins using specialised body parts 1 BOX JELLYFISH Some species produce incredibly strong toxins that can stop a human heart2 GILA MONSTER This lizard’s venom is a fairly mild neurotoxin3 FUNNEL WEB SPIDER Produces a potent venom that’s toxic to humans and other primates4 CONE SNAIL Venom varies in potency but is also used to create a painkiller5 STONEFISH Venomous sting comes from the spines on this fish’s dorsal fin6 INLAND TAIPAN Considered to be the most venomous snake in the world7 PLATYPUS Has the remarkable ability to defend itself with venom-delivering ankle spurs8 SLOW LORIS They activate their venom by combining an oil secreted by the brachial gland on the upper arm with their saliva9 SHREW Venom flows from a specialised duct at the base…

WHAT IS IT? Like other fossorial (burrowing) species, the newly described Synapturanus danta was not easy to find. The frog was discovered in Peru by researchers undertaking a ‘rapid inventory’ biological record for Chicago’s Field Museum. Researchers spend only a few days at each site for rapid inventories and came across a juvenile frog during their first night exploring an area of Amazonian peatland. Further detection work was required to identify calls and track down two adult males. Analysis revealed that the three frogs were from an undescribed species. WHERE IS IT? The tapir frog was found in peatlands in the Putumayo Basin of Peru, a rare and understudied habitat in the Amazon. WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND THE SCIENTIFIC NAME? The discovery of this new frog quickly garnered a…

CHIMPANZEES IN GABON HAVE BEEN spotted grabbing insects from the air and applying them to wounds. Biologists working at the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project have recorded 76 instances of chimps catching flying insects and chewing them before applying them to injuries. Chimps were already known to ingest certain leaves to treat parasites, but this is the first case of animals applying treatments not only to themselves, but to each other. In the journal Current Biology, the biologists argue that this is evidence that chimps are ‘prosocial’ creatures, acting in the interests of others as well as themselves. The type of insects (and whether their application is medically effective) remains unknown. Simone Pika of Germany’s University of Osnabrück, who led the work, says this will be hard to establish. “The whole procedure…

LATE AFTERNOON ON THE GRASSY plains of the Serengeti. As the orange sun slinks towards the horizon, two topi (Damaliscus lunatus jimela) are duking it out in the long shadow of an acacia tree. It’s rutting season and this pair of mid-sized antelopes – think souped-up goats on stilts – have joined hundreds of other topi to spar for sex. The horny pair face off, charge and drop to their front knees as they lock their lyrate antlers, heads wedged against the ground in a vicious stalemate. After a few tense seconds, the more dominant topi makes the most of a slight size advantage and shoves the other backwards along the ground. With the ignominy of a sumo wrestler expelled from the ring, the loser scuttles back into the herd…

Junk food A furry visitor to a small town in the Carpathians indulges in some dumpster diving, tipping an overloaded bin in the hope of finding something edible. “Bears are creatures of habit,” explains photographer David Hup. “For example, they inspect bins in a specific sequence each night.” Under the ridge The Bucegi Mountains loom over a small town in the southern Carpathians. Bears frequently descend from the peaks’ forested flanks into such towns in search of food, often breaking fences, raiding rubbish bins and destroying crops, leading to conflict with local people. Trunk road Logs lie stacked alongside a road in Transylvania – a common sight throughout the Carpathian Mountains. Though nearly one-third of Romania’s land is covered by trees, logging is reducing the brown bear’s natural forest habitat.…

Can mammals glow in the dark? STUART BLACKMAN ANSWERS All sorts of organisms – insects, fungi, algae and deep-sea fish – are capable of producing visible light, either chemically (referred to as bioluminescence) or by reflecting ultraviolet (UV) light at visible wavelengths (fluorescence). It’s not something that mammals are famous for, but a handful of nocturnal and crepuscular species do have the capability. Shine UV light on a South American water opossum, for example, and its fur reflects it back as purple light. Northern flying squirrels similarly fluoresce in pink. Late last year, it was discovered that, given the same treatment, platypus fur glows green. The function of these light shows is not clear. It may be a way for individuals to keep in touch visually in the dark. Another…

That title belongs to the Blakiston fish owl. Fully grown males weigh about 3.5kg, while the slightly bigger females can reach 4.6kg. More impressive, however, are the Blakistons’ wingspans, which can be up to 200cm. It’s found in China, Japan and north-eastern Asia, and, as its name suggests, preys on river-dwelling fish. At the other end of the scale is the elf owl, which is about the size of a tin of beans. FACT. Walruses don’t just use their impressive tusks for fighting. The giant mammals also use their elongated canine teeth to help haul themselves out of the frigid Arctic waters and onto dry land.…

Polar Bear From 22nd April, Disney+ CAN WE EVER REALLY GAIN AN INSIGHT into the minds of polar bears? This new Disneynature film from the award-winning company Silverback Films attempts to do so, dramatising the life of a female polar bear, from playing with her brother as a cub to beginning to raise her own cub. Narration is provided by the twotime Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener, and comes from the perspective of the female bear looking back at her memories in preparation for motherhood in a challenging world. Technically it’s not the same bear followed throughout, since filming was restricted to just one spring. However, the shots are weaved together to create a memorable and heart-warming story, with a dash of worry for how polar bears will survive in…

How did you get into photography? I’ve loved nature from an early age. I started off watching wildlife through binoculars, then bought a cheap zoom lens to photograph roe deers near my home in Brittany. The passion never left me. What shot is most important to you? My first image of a female lynx with her three kittens, in 2013. I’d spent four days in a hide, and finally getting the shot was a very emotional moment. It was my wife’s birthday at the time and friends had come over to celebrate. I missed the entire party. What’s your biggest ‘oh drat it’ moment? Two years ago, in the early hours, I was asleep in my hide. I was woken by a lynx calling just 50m away. I slowly reached…

The crossword ACROSS 1 Insect order that includes wasps, bees and ants (11) 7 Painted ___, wild canine that is native to Sub-Saharan Africa (3) 9 Flatworm larva (5) 10 Long-legged wading bird, Ardea cinerea, commonly seen in the UK (4,5) 11 Small wader that might be red-necked, grey or Wilson’s (9) 12 Male duck (5) 13 See 28 15 Earthworm habitat (4) 18 Leg or arm; branch (4) 20 Poisonous plant that also goes by the name stinking nightshade (7) 23 Freshwater fish related to carp (5) 24 Another name for the kākāpō (3,6) 26 Large flightless bird of Australia and New Guinea, with a colourful head (9) 27 Chlorella and kelp, for example (5) 28/13 Spiny marine echinoderms (3,7) 29 Soft-bodied marine predators in the phylum Cnidaria (3,8)…

As I’m reminded every day when considering images for the next issue of BBC Wildlife, the natural world is an endless source of inspiration for photographers. That’s why we’ve teamed up with photojournalist Graeme Green to introduce you to the wonderful world of wildlife photography. There’s little that beats the feeling of seeing animals in the wild, whether it’s elephants marching across the African plains or sparrows and blue tits flitting around garden birdfeeders. As many of us learned during the pandemic, being out in nature is good for our physical and mental health – and photography is a brilliant way to record those experiences and enjoy a little creativity at the same time. While quality equipment is obviously important, it’s still possible to capture wonderful wildlife moments with whatever…

1 CLEVER POSITIONING Photographer Marsel van Oosten was in just the right spot to capture the colourful faces and long-haired coats of these golden snub-nosed monkeys in sharp detail, with the light coming in from the side. The log also draws also you in, leading the eye from one monkey to the other. 2 IN FOCUS If the F-number was too low, only this monkey would be sharp – but here, they both are. Often, with pairs or groups of animals, only one individual will be in focus. 3 SENSE OF SETTING A well-balanced F-number here gives a clear sense of the forest surroundings. The background trees are less sharp, so the monkeys are still the clear focus, but have not become a nondescript blur.…

NICK BAKER “Female greater bee-flies catapult their eggs at the burrow entrances of solitary bees” P.36 GILLIAN BURKE The Autumnwatch host on how childhood play can spark a lifelong fascination with the natural world P.17 MARK CARWARDINE Our outspoken columnist will return with his views in the June issue (on sale 2nd June) LUCY COOKE Duelling female topi antelopes compete for a prime bull and aren’t shy about their desires P.27 MIKE DILGER Rise early to make the most of the dawn chorus as birds kick-start their breeding season P.32…

A COALITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL and wildlife groups have welcomed the decision by BBC Studios and ITV Studios to withdraw their support for the London Resort, a theme park planned for north Kent that would have a devastating impact on a nationally important wildlife site. The Swanscombe peninsula, by the River Thames in Dartford, is a refuge for some of the UK’s most threatened plants and animals, including the endangered jumping spider and the man orchid. The theme park was due to feature rides inspired by hit ITV and BBC shows. Commenting on the decision, a BBC Studios spokesperson said: “BBC Studios has no commercial agreement in place with London Resort and no current plans to enter into any agreement. We would only consider doing so should there be clear and…

THE AUSTRALIAN BLACK SUMMER of 2019-2020 cloaked Sydney in smoke for weeks, burning huge areas of native bushland. Wildlife researcher at Macquarie University Alexandra Carthey knew that cats and foxes would be picking off any surviving animals whose homes had all been incinerated. That’s where her idea for emergency refuges for wildlife came from. “I really enjoy using science to answer questions about the natural world,” says Alexandra. “After a few false starts at university, studying first creative writing, then French and psychology, I was lucky enough to have inspiring lecturers that got me interested in animal ecology and vertebrate zoology.” To design her habitat pods, the scientist collaborated with Alex Goad of Reef Design Lab. The first pods were deployed in November 2021 as part of a world-first research…

American robin, Eastbourne IN EARLYFEBRUARY, AN EASTBOURNE resident noticed an unusual bird in their garden and quickly realised it was a transatlantic visitor: an American robin. This Nearctic thrush is no relation to our own European robin and is rare on this side of the pond – this being the first record of it on the English mainland in 12 years. News quickly spread and crowds soon started gathering on the quiet suburban street. Luckily the bird remained faithful to the area in the subsequent weeks. Local residents were friendly and accommodating of the inconvenience and a crowdfunding page set up for visitors’ donations raised nearly £3,000 for Eastbourne Foodbank. The robin is most likely to have arrived back in October, the peak time for North American land birds reaching…

Smuck of jelly sh THE TERM 'SMUCK OF JELLYFISH' ISmost likely to have come from simple onomatopoeia, derived from the sound, like a noisy kiss, a stranded jellyfish makes when it’s stepped on. ‘Smuck’, like a plastic bag full of water being popped. They often become stranded together on beaches where they dry out and die. Their other collective nouns include crowd, bloom, brood, stuck, smuth, swarm, fluther and smack.…

SOME BIRDS HAVE A HABIT OF BLENDING in, and the streaky reed bunting is pretty good at escaping our notice. Except, that is, in spring. The formerly plain male develops a jet-black head and flowing white ‘scarf’, together with a white stripe each side of his bill, which from the front looks like a magnificent droopy moustache. He also sings. It’s not much – a simple jangle of staccato notes, whistled from a reed or wetland bush – but it draws attention nonetheless. The sex life of reed buntings is much more interesting. Many birds are less faithful than we tend to assume, but female reed buntings are particularly promiscuous. Mating with other males is commonplace, so that on average about half the young in reed bunting nests will not…

RED SQUIRREL NUMBERS HAVE BEEN in rapid decline across Britain in recent decades because of competition with introduced grey squirrels and transmission of squirrelpox virus, which is deadly to reds but leaves greys unscathed. Until now, the Highlands and northeast of Scotland have been red squirrel strongholds, with no grey squirrels across this huge area except for in Aberdeenshire, where they don’t yet carry the deadly virus. But grey squirrels spreading across the Highland line, and into Aberdeenshire, means that squirrelpox could also spread. Now Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is hoping to protect northern reds by enlisting the help of a squirrel predator – the pine marten – which has reduced grey squirrel numbers in other places without significant impact on the more agile reds. Red squirrels have coexisted…

1 RSPB WOOD OF CREE You can hear redstart, pied flycatcher and wood warbler all vying for attention in this RSPB woodland in Dumfries and Galloway. 2 RSPB MINSMERE The vast array of habitats at this Suffolk nature reserve makes it one of the most iconic places to enjoy a dawn chorus. Where else could you hear nightingales and bittern at the same time? 3 HAMPSTEAD HEATH Over 180 species have been recorded across the heath, woodland, wetland and grassland in this public space. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to hear the dawn chorus before London rouses itself in preparation for another noisy day. 4 SHAPWICK HEATH RESERVE This diverse reserve on the Somerset Levels is not just a place to listen for cuckoos and bitterns, it can boast up to…

You don’t get a lot of wildlife on the London Underground: rats and mice scurrying along the tracks; dogs sitting obediently at their owners’ feet; pigeons, perhaps, on the open air stretches of the network. That’s about it. Yet on 18th July last year, Amy Stocking, a librarian from Claygate, Surrey, found herself in a busy tube carriage with some rather more unusual animals. In her bag that day were about 20 large marsh grasshoppers, insects that she had hatched and spent weeks rearing as a volunteer keeper with Citizen Zoo, a social enterprise dedicated to conservation and rewilding. In just five weeks, the hoppers had gone from tiny nymphs (“when they first hatch they’re like little specks”) to fully grown adults, ready to be released into a restored area…

AS WOLVES HAVE transformed into dogs, they’ve integrated into humans’ lives in more ways than any other animal. Dogs have been herding, hunting and guarding alongside people for thousands of years, and have been long valued for their abilities to find drugs and explosives, or locate missing persons. More recently, with growing pressures on the environment and many species on the brink of extinction, dogs are increasingly More recently, with growing pressures on the environment and many species on helping with conservation projects around the world. Conservationists and scientists have realised that the dog’s extraordinary sense of smell could be unleashed to detect just about anything. From oceans to deserts, forests to wetlands, they can find rare, elusive or tiny species in vast landscapes, help enforce environmental laws, assist in…

San Diego, USA Labrador Willow is a friend for Bahati the cheetah SINCE THE 1980, THE SAN DINGO ZOO SAFARI Park has assigned companion dogs to cheetahs that are part of the zoo’s captive breeding programme. The pairing idea began as a way to provide play and companionship to cubs born without siblings. Female cheetahs are known to forsake single cubs. When that happens, humans must step in to raise the abandoned youngster, but cubs have many needs that can’t be met by humans, and that’s where the dogs come in. “There are a lot of critical behaviours that the cub needs to experience. Part of it is socialisation, part of it is comfort,” says Kristi Burtis, director of wildlife care for the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Cubs are…

DAVE HAMILTON ANSWERS Plants owe their colours to various pigments. Leaves are green due to the pigment chlorophyll. In order to photosynthesise, they absorb light from the red end of the light spectrum, reflecting back unused green light. When leaves turn in autumn, the chlorophyll goes into decline and other colour pigments become more visible, such as carotenoids, flavonoids and anthocyanins. Some fruits and flowers also owe their colour to anthocyanins, their bright hues attracting either pollinators or animals to distribute their seeds. Carotenoids are responsible for yellows, oranges and reds. Flavonoids are highly variable, making everything from purple to yellows, while betalains make reds to purples. BBC WILDLIFE EXPERTS STUART BLACKMAN Science writer RICHARD JONES Entomologist JV CHAMARY Biologist DAVID LINDO Naturalist DAVE HAMILTON Horticulturalist SARAH MCPHERSON BBC Wildlife…

DAVID LINDO ANSWERS They might be familiar birds in our towns and cities, but collared doves were unknown in the UK before the 1950s – the early vagrants that showed up in Norfolk drew crowds of twitchers. The spread of the Eurasian collared dove, often described as one of the great avian colonisers, is an ornithological wonder. This pigeon isn’t migratory but strongly dispersive, having spread from its natal range in subtropical Asia west to Turkey. It seemed to have a built-in predisposition to head west. In 1838, it was first reported in Bulgaria, by the early 1900s, the Balkans, Germany by 1945 and Great Britain by 1953, where the first breeding occurred in 1956. Three years later the doves were in Ireland and then the northerly climes of the…

Where’s the Amsterdam albatross actually from? The Amsterdam albatross (also called the Amsterdam Island albatross) hails from Amsterdam Island, which lies slap bang in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean. Its predilection for this one island has not worked in its favour – there are only about 130 of these birds left alive today due to habitat loss and longline fishing. SM Are there any predatory caterpillars? Yes: about 200 butterfly and moth species have carnivorous caterpillars. Some Hawaiian moth larvae will masquerade as twigs, before striking rapidly if an insect brushes against their sensitive body hairs. They have talon-like legs that offer little chance of escape as they consume their catch. Others target snails, entering the shell. In the UK, large blue butterfly larvae consume ant pupae. LJ…

How did the idea for this film about polar bears come about? This project has been a passion of Alastair’s for over 10 years. We both worked on the BBC’s Frozen Planet series, and from those early experiences of working in the Arctic with bears, we were both aware of the powerful narrative that surrounds this iconic animal, and aware of how that narrative is becoming more and more important to tell as the Arctic changes due to global warming. On top of that, polar bears are fascinating – highly intelligent problem-solvers living on the edge in a jawdroppingly beautiful environment, which is a great starting point for any film! What prompted the decision to have Catherine Keener narrate in first-person? Writing a feature-length narrative in the first person is…

MIKE SPENT 30 YEARS WORKING FOR THE RSPB in nature reserve management, and now juggles volunteering with paid work as a freelance ecologist. He currently volunteers as the chair of the Gay Birders Club (GBC), a trustee for Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), and a conservation offficer for the Banbury Ornithological Society (BOS), where his main focus is curlew conservation. Why do you choose to volunteer? I’m motivated to help nature and I enjoy working with other people to make a difference locally. I think in the current crisis facing nature, everyone who enjoys wildlife should help support nature conservation in whatever way they can. I find it very rewarding to be able to use my skills and experience to help, but it can be tough going as…

JAMES FAIR’S ARTICLE ON THE ROYAL estates (Royal Report Card, March 2022) was very interesting, with some entertaining ideas; few of which will become realised. However, he did largely ignore the elephant in their estates: the shooting of wildlife and release of captive-bred pheasants and partridges. It would be interesting to know how many birds are released for shooting, but it would also be a major step forwards if the use of lead shot was banned on the estates. I imagine moves have been made in this direction, but I was unable to find out any details. Finally, shooting and the royals seem indelibly linked, with Prince William (patron of the British Trust for Ornithology) taking his son on his first grouse-shooting party. Things have changed a lot since Prince…

NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS about good images being all in the eye of the photographer, there’s no denying that equipment plays a part. Having a decent camera and lenses means you’re more likely to achieve better-quality shots, while a kitbag of appropriate accessories will increase your comfort and wellbeing in the field. Good boots and waterproof trousers are worth their weight in gold, and a comfortable chair could be the best £99 you’ve ever spent. Photographic gear is not particularly cheap these days, but don’t forget you can always rent or buy second-hand. Dream kit! Dream kit! Dream kit!…

1 TELLING A STORY Deer portraits are relatively easy to obtain if you’ve done your groundwork, but the addition of the magpies takes this shot to a new level, telling a story and capturing a moment of natural behaviour. 2 COLOUR POP There is spectacular use of colour in this image, with the roe deer nicely sharp amid a haze of bright, warm yellow flowers. The two monochrome magpies – pleasingly balanced at the deer’s eye-level – add a welcome contrast. 3 BLUR THE LINES Photographers sometimes try to avoid having foliage in the foreground, but here the idea is embraced, with the flowers almost cocooning the deer. The bold yellow ‘splodges’ add to the wild look and feel of the image.…

1 OFF THE SCALE This image cleverly distorts your sense of scale – what is in fact a tiny beetle appears enormous when you spot the even tinier ant. The interaction also tells a story, making you question what’s going on. 2 FOCAL POINT Macro shots have a very narrow depth of field (the ‘zone’ of focus). The beetle’s far legs are beyond the focal zone, so Ripan has created a single line of focus incorporating the ant and the beetle’s near legs. 3 ANGLE Ripan has chosen a great angle: slightly away from side-on. It means you can see the beetle’s entire profile, including both antennae, and there’s still space around the frame.…

Wildlife Photographer of the Year nhm.ac.uk/wpy Probably the world’s most prestigious photography competition. It’s open to anyone over the age of 17 and the £35 entry fee is waived for residents of some countries to encourage diversity. European Wildlife Photographer of the Year gdtfoto.de Organised by the German Society for Nature Photography, it’s open to photographers from Europe and offers a 3,000 prize for the winning image. International Nature Photographer of the Year naturephotographeroftheyear.com Open to all professional and amateur photographers with a 3,000 prize for the overall winner. Nature’s Best International Photography Awards naturesbestphotography.org Nature’s Best runs competitions each year to encourage public interest in nature conservation. Bird Photographer of the Year birdpoty.com A competition celebrating all things avian, with an overall prize of £5,000. The Comedy Wildlife Photography…