| Lizards lurking in Northern Ireland's hills |
| Ask most people and they’ll tell you there are no lizards in Northern Ireland. But they’d be wrong. St Patrick might have managed to drive the snakes off the island but he overlooked the common lizard. But because Ireland’s only native reptile is so shy and elusive, the public perception is that the common lizard is one of those exotic species which are only found across the water. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 31/08/2010 ( Reads : 26 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Unique horse mussel reefs of Strangford Lough may be doomed |
Strangford Lough’s unique horse mussel reefs could be doomed if the authorities don’t “get their act together”, the Ulster Wildlife Trust has said. It says a plan to save the reefs ends soon — with most of its measures not implemented. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 25/08/2010 ( Reads : 43 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Little Egrets make a come-back |
| Little Egrets were once a very rare bird in Northern Ireland – enough to spark a province-wide ‘twitch’ thirty years ago. Since then a lot has changed – I recently counted 30 of these small white herons at my local patch of Dundrum Inner Bay. Every year is the same, I expect more and more of them, each year surpassing the numbers of the last. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 25/08/2010 ( Reads : 40 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| First newborn beavers spotted in the Argyll Forest |
| The first newborn beavers born in the wild since their re-introduction to the UK last year have been spotted by officials in a Scottish forest. At least two kits, estimated to be eight weeks old and belonging to different family groups, have been seen in Knapdale Forest in Argyll. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 14/08/2010 ( Reads : 31 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Flower of the Glens flourishes again |
| The only place in Northern Ireland where the rare wood cranesbill is found is one of the nine Glens of Antrim — but it looks like it could be in for a new lease of life. Over the years the tiny flower has vanished from more and more of the sites in the Glen of Glenarm — and it has emerged that one cause of its decline is well-meaning attempts at conservation. Most plants thrive when the site where they live receives special protection, but the wood cranesbill started to disappear when woodland sites where it was found were fenced off to protect plants from grazing cattle. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 10/08/2010 ( Reads : 24 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Woodpeckers return to Ireland |
Bird watchers have reported that woodpeckers have finally settled in Ireland after an absence of centuries. A few pairs were spotted in 2009 but the doubling of their numbers to 15 woodpecker couples this year confirms their status as Ireland's newest bird species. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 10/08/2010 ( Reads : 125 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Dolphins follow in wake of Rathlin whale |
| First, an endangered humpback whale, and now a rare sighting of a school of Atlantic white-sided dolphins — it looks like Rathlin Island is becoming the place to go for whale-watchers. These unusual dolphins have occasionally washed up on Northern Ireland’s shores as live or dead strandings but this is the first validated sighting of a group of them in our waters. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 03/08/2010 ( Reads : 47 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Return of rare butterfly |
| One of Europe’s most threatened butterflies has returned to its old haunts in Tyrone and Fermanagh, experts have revealed. Ireland was considered one of the last bastions for the marsh fritillary in Europe after it became extinct in a number of countries, yet it had vanished from all but eight sites in Northern Ireland. But new colonies have now been discovered in traditional farming country across the west of Northern Ireland, according to Butterfly Conservation, which is seeking the help of farmers in protecting the elusive insect. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 03/08/2010 ( Reads : 39 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Silent Summer: The State of Wildlife in Britain and Ireland |
For if we lose the bumblebees and the cuckoos, the hedgerows and the hay meadows, can we still call what remains "the countryside"?
Almost half a century ago, in 1962, the American writer and biologist Rachel Carson published a short work of non-fiction called Silent Spring. Over the next decade, it not only became a bestseller, but achieved something very rare in the book trade: it changed the world. At the 11th hour, people on both sides of the Atlantic woke up to the dangers posed to wildlife by the widespread use of agricultural pesticides. Following a major campaign, the British and US governments banned the most dangerous of them, DDT. The populations of insects, wildflowers, mammals and birds – some, like the peregrine, on the brink of extinction in both North America and Britain – began to make a comeback. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 28/07/2010 ( Reads : 48 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Humpback whale pays visit to Rathlin island |
| A rare humpback whale has been spotted at the foot of the cliffs of Rathlin. It’s effectively the first verified humpback sighting in Northern Irish waters since records began, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), as a previous sighting in 2002 was in Scottish waters close to Colonsay, Islay. RSPB information officer Julie Staines, along with Jo Corkish, spotted the whale earlier this month. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 28/07/2010 ( Reads : 48 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| UK butterfly population tracked in Big Butterfly Count |
The public is being asked to help track the UK's butterfly populations as conservationists warn many native species are in serious decline. The online Big Butterfly Count survey aims to get a better understanding of which species are in need of most help. Butterflies are sensitive to changes in environment and have seen a collapse in numbers in the past three decades. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 28/07/2010 ( Reads : 48 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Red kite chicks hatch for first time in centuries |
| Red kite chicks have hatched in Ulster for the first time since the species was hunted to extinction more than 200 years ago. Five chicks fledged this summer after four young pairs of red kites bred in forests, the RSPB revealed. It was the culmination of Northern Ireland’s first species re-introduction programme in which three groups of red kites were reared in Wales and ferried to Co Down to be released into the wild. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 20/07/2010 ( Reads : 88 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Growing threat to Northern Ireland hare population |
| Irish hares were electronically tagged as part of a study which revealed a growing threat to their declining numbers, it has been disclosed. The movements of two dozen hares in South Armagh were monitored by radio transmitters day and night for a year as researchers examined eating, sleeping and hiding habits. Seven later died - some killed by foxes - but farm machinery is causing a far greater death toll, especially at the height of the breeding season when silage cutters mow down the long grass where leverets are born. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 19/07/2010 ( Reads : 109 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Anger over council fireworks display near bird sanctuary |
| A controversial pyrotechnics display beside a wildlife hotspot went ahead after a council claimed there was no scientific evidence that birds would be disturbed. But residents living near Six Mile Water wetland habitat area in Ballyclare have alleged that a wildlife crime may have been committed when the display was held at the end of Ballyclare May Fair. It is illegal to disturb nesting birds. Meanwhile, the RSPB warned that fireworks must never be set off next to birds’ breeding and roosting areas. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 18/06/2010 ( Reads : 94 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| More sharks, whales and dolphins off Northern Ireland's coast |
Keep your eye on the seas this weekend — the denizens of the deep have been making their presence felt in local waters. First there was a series of sightings of bottlenose dolphins up and down local coastlines. Then a team from Northern Ireland Environment Agency had a close encounter with a five-foot minke whale which circled their boat. And when they got back to dry land, it was to news that on the north coast at Portrush some 15 basking sharks had drawn close to shore. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 18/06/2010 ( Reads : 100 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| Wales's Badger cull faces new legal challenge |
| The proposed badger cull in north Pembrokeshire is facing a new legal challenge. The Badger Trust has been told it can appeal against the outcome of a judicial review that backed the Welsh Assembly Government's plans. The cull aims to cut the rate of tuberculosis in cattle, but opponents say it is not justified by science. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 11/06/2010 ( Reads : 89 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| The hypnotic corncrake of Tory Island |
| Tory Island lies about 9 miles off the northwest coast of Donegal – it’s not a big island and you’d be lucky if you found a tree on it. Tory has a reputation for a lot of things - the swell in Tory Sound is not for the faint-hearted, even on the calmest of days, and can be 50 minutes of hell if you can’t find your sea legs. ‘You might get on but the getting off can be a problem!’ is something you often hear and there is a very real chance you could get stranded if you pick a dodgy day to go. The breeze is an ever-present companion, no matter what corner you try to hide behind, and it can be hard to shake off the uneasy feeling of being stuck on a rock tossed into the Atlantic. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 11/06/2010 ( Reads : 91 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| How hedgehogs live the town life |
| A study of urban hedgehogs has found they prefer certain types of garden. Female hedgehogs prefer to use the back gardens of semi-detached and terraced houses, rather than detached homes. Such gardens provide ample food, but are safer, as female hedgehogs are less likely to be attacked by urban badgers, or be disturbed by dogs or people. However, male hedgehogs take more risks and are more likely to roam across gardens of larger detached houses to find new mates, finds the study. Details of the study are published in the journal Animal Behaviour. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 02/06/2010 ( Reads : 108 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| UK honeybee numbers suffer further decline after harsh winter |
| Honeybee numbers in the UK dropped again over the winter, though the rate of decline appears to have slowed slightly despite the harsh weather. In an encouraging note, the number of hives has doubled in three years to an estimated 80,000, according to the British Beekeepers Association, which released the survey of winter honeybee losses. On average, beekeepers lost 17% of their colonies in 2009-10, compared to 19% the previous year and 30% during the winter of 2007-08. There are now an estimated 48 billion bees in the UK. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 27/05/2010 ( Reads : 118 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
| I fought the squirrel… and the squirrel won |
| The squirrels are lying low. Maybe it's the early morning surprise attack I launched – my four year old let out of the backdoor as they yet again ate the bread for the birds. Maybe they're regrouping in the spotted laurel, planning their next sortie. Either way, I know, with the weariness of the besieged, that it won't be long before battle is rejoined. // Read More // |  |
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| Posted By Peter McCloskey on 27/05/2010 ( Reads : 124 ) | Comments (0) | Biodiversity |
