A Focus On Nature

Species

A Focus On Nature, Species

5 Tips for Learning Your Trees – Sam Manning

Tree identification can be a tricky trade. Here is a short guide to making the learning of our woody friends an enjoyable and methodical adventure through the forest of knowledge.

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A Focus On Nature, Issues in conservation, Species

UK Freshwater Fish: Out of Sight, Out of Mind – Jack Perks

Fish have always taken somewhat of a back seat in UK conservation, with the exception of a few characters like Atlantic salmon and, recently, eels, due to the huge decline in numbers. For me, it’s the underdogs that really take my interest: the mini species like spined loach, which use their gut as a primitive lung; and bitterling which lay their eggs inside a living swan mussel (not entirely sure what the mussel gets out of this arrangement but it has little choice!).

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A Focus On Nature, Species

A New Arrival – Killer Whales – Sophie Scotter

Northern and Southern Resident killer whales are perhaps some of the most accepting and amiable creatures on the planet. As such, no one was surprised to learn that, several years ago, the orphaned female ‘Springer’ was taken under the wing of several different matrilines when she suddenly became a lone voice in a busy and daunting ocean.

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A Focus On Nature, Nature Reserves, Species

Nightjar – Jack Bedford

As I stood in the middle of Poole Harbour at dusk, the ‘churring’ began. It was the second time in as many nights I had heard this magical, almost alien sound reverberating across the otherwise tranquil heathland. Perhaps I should explain that this habitat had not simply erupted from the sea bed; I was listening to these wonderful nightjars of Brownsea Island.

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Issues in conservation, Species

What can your county bird recorder do for you? by Hugh Pulsford.

Hugh has been fascinated by birds from an early age, initially local patch watching and trips around the UK and Europe, and graduated into the early twitching scene in the UK from the mid 1970’s onwards and has never looked back! Over the years he has been involved in several County bird societies with local surveys and conservation activities and is keen to share expertise and put something back into the UK birding scene. He is now County Recorder for Cheshire and Wirral and Secretary of the National Association of County Recorders (ACRE). He is also an A ringer and trainer with the South Manchester bird ringing group.

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Species

How much do you know about endangered animals? By the Aspinall Foundation.

Take this quiz created by the Aspinall Foundation to help raise awareness of endangered species. How much do you know?

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Issues in conservation, Species

Where have all the Kestrels gone? By Simon Phelps.

Simon is a conservationist, wildlife photographer and passionate naturalist. He currently works for the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (views his own) and spends as much of his free time out on nature reserves around the country photographing any wildlife he can find. To follow more of his writing you can follow him on Twitter: @wildlifephelps

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Species

Silver-Studs: My favourite butterfly of June. By Sophie-May Lewis.

Sophie May has had a passion for the natural world since early childhood. Now a writer and photographer of natural history and countryside subjects, living in a historic market town in the centre of the South Downs National Park, the countryside of West Sussex and surrounding counties provide much inspiration for Sophie May’s work. Sophie May is building a career in Conservation, currently working for the RSPB on a Heritage Lottery Funded Traineeship (ending September 2014), through which she is grateful to be able to share her passion for nature, experiencing wildlife and its conservation, with others. Photographing butterflies and flowers, gardens and animals, landscapes and wildlife, is something Sophie May particularly enjoys, whilst much of her writing is creative, descriptive and poetic, exploring the way words work and sound, and the power of imagery. To read more of Sophie’s writing visit her website (http://www.sophieco.co.uk), or you can follow her on Twitter (@SophiEcoWild).

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Issues in conservation, Species

Skies darken for the Skydancer. By Simon Phelps.

Simon is a conservationist, wildlife photographer and passionate naturalist. He currently works for the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (views his own) and spends as much of his free time out on nature reserves around the country photographing any wildlife he can find. To follow more of his writing you can follow him on Twitter: @wildlifephelps

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Issues in conservation, Species

DeExtinction: Species Saviour or Zombie Nightmare? By Harry Martin.

Harry is a budding bird watcher, conservationist, naturalist and wildlife photographer.  Holidays to Scotland at an early age inspired and drove him towards his desire to work with wildlife and in conservation.  He has developed his photography over the years with a recent commendation in the mammal society photography awards he hopes to achieve more with his images. Now in his final year at the University of Manchester, studying Zoology, after having just returned from a year placement at Aigas Field Centre in the Scottish Highlands.  Any free time is spent getting out to local areas to bird and take photographs.

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