The Woodlands.co.uk Blog - nature surveys
National Insect Week 21st / 27th June, 2010.
World wide some million different types of insect have been identified and named, even in the U.K. some 24,000 species can be found. Insects, like bees and bumblebees are economically important in the pollination of many crops (apples etc) and flowers; others like the saproxylic beetles have a role in the recycling of the materials and nutrients from dead and decaying wood. Read more…
Horse Chestnut : National Survey of Leaf Miner Moth
The woodland blog has been reporting on the various threats to the Horse Chestnut tree for some years: see blogs for May 2006, Aug 2006 , Sept 2008 and Dec 2009 . Basically, the tree is under attack by : – Read more…
Surveys and photography
Would you like to take part in a new Water Survey ?
Buglife, University College, London and other partners have developed a new water survey – part of the OPAL project (The Open Air Laboratories network). Read more…
Greenfinches
Greenfinches, parasites, heat islands and the BTO nesting survey.
Greenfinches are being killed by a protozoan parasite – Trichomonas. The parasite causes swelling of the throat by infecting the crop and gullet, so the the birds cannot eat. It has been suggested that as many as 500,000 greenfinches have been killed by this parasite. Read more…
Emerging from the Winter weather
We have finally emerged from winter. Met Office statistics confirm what we know and have experienced, namely that this last winter was colder and snowier than other recent winters. The average temperature in the UK this winter was 1.6oC; this is some 2.1oC below the average.* For England and Wales, it was the coldest winter since that of 1978/9. In Scotland, it was even more extreme; only the winter of 1962/3 was colder. The winter was also characterised by snow (and disruption); 20cm of snow was recorded in parts of southern England in early January and 30cm in central and northern Scotland in late February. At Aviemore 44cm of snow was lying on the 25th February, whilst Braemar recorded a temperature of minus 19.2oC! Read more…
Cuckoo Trouble
Compiled in the UK by organisations such as the RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO ), the Red List records birds that are considered critically endangered. Over the last few years the number of birds on the Red List has grown from 40 to 52, including the yellow wagtail, the lapwing and the wood warbler. A recent addition is the cuckoo. Read more…
The Big Bat Map
The Bat Conservation Trust has put chiropterology (that’s the study of bats) on the map with its new interactive, web-based database of bat activity. It is encouraging everyone to record their sightings of bats – wherever they might be: woodland, park, or even in your back garden. Read more…
Claro Tree Sparrow Project, 2009
A request to all woodland owners for assistance with the Claro Tree Sparrow Project from David Watkins, project manager: Read more…