By Michael McCarthy, Environment EditorSaturday, 23 January 2010 One of Britain’s most attractive songbirds has vanished from most of southern England in a dramatic population decline, new research shows. The whinchat is a summer visitor from Africa with an orange breast and a prominent white eyestripe. It was widely scattered across the country 20 years […]
Once plentiful eel disappears from London’s river By Paul Eccleston, Jan 21st 2010 The eel is fast disappearing from London’s River Thames and may soon be gone completely. New research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) shows that numbers have crashed by 97 per cent in the past five years. In 2005 1500 eels […]
By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News website The decline of honeybees seen in many countries may be caused by reduced plant diversity, research suggests. Bees fed pollen from a range of plants showed signs of having a healthier immune system than those eating pollen from a single type, scientists found. Writing in the journal […]
By Auslan CrambPublished: 11:40AM GMT 15 Jan 2010 The catch and release policy will operate on the River Tay from January to the end of May, with other conservation measures in place for the rest of the summer and autumn. The radical measure has been introduced by the Tay District Salmon Fisheries board after a […]
Britain’s wildlife is being pushed to “the brink of a crisis” as sub-zero temperatures continue to grip the nation, according to conservationists. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is organising emergency feeding of several threatened species, including bitterns and cirl buntings. The RSPB is also asking people to feed garden birds, which […]
Rising temperatures and sea levels brought on by climate change could have devastating effects on British wildlife from salmon to wildfowl, the Environment Agency warned. The agency said the country’s waterways could be hit by invading species, such as African clawed toads and South American water primrose, which spread disease to native wildlife and clog […]
By Matthew MoorePublished: 5:00PM GMT 08 Dec 2009 A beach that featured in the closing scene of the film Shakespeare in Love has been left covered with slick of dead starfish. Up to 10,000 of the sea creatures died after being washed up onto Holkham Beach in Norfolk by strong currents during recent storms. Experts […]
By Steve Bird and Lindsay McIntosh The full and devastating impact of England’s worst recorded day of rain was still emerging last night as tributes were paid to a policeman swept away by floodwaters while trying to save others. PC Bill Barker was helping motorists stranded on a bridge over the Derwent in the Cumbrian […]
By Fiona Walker When you talk to people in South Uist about climate change, many already know what may be in store for them. They really live the weather, noting down its changes and understanding its impact upon their lives. Where Seumas MacDonald grew up he says people used to plough land that’s now under […]
Farmland birds like skylarks and grey partridges have declined by more than half in the last 30 years according to new Government statistics. By Louise Gray, Environment CorrespondentPublished: 7:00AM GMT 30 Oct 2009 The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) English farmland bird index, which covers 19 birds including yellowhammer and woodpigeon, […]
