New European Breeding Bird Atlas, a milestone for biodiversity research and nature conservation in Europe, is published today.
Although rain fell in Formby on 17 days, amounts were small. Therefore, November turned out to be much drier than October, with no change in the water-level at the Devil’s Hole. It was relatively mild with hardly any frost. As a result, occasional summer flowers, such as Evening Primrose, Ragwort and the Hybrid Stork’s-bill enlivened the dunes throughout the month.
New data shows that in 2018 ten species of rare birds bred in their highest ever recorded numbers across the UK. Thanks to extensive conservation work including reintroductions and habitat management, the fate of some of these birds continues to improve. However, some species haven’t fared as well, with some being impacted by cold winter weather and problems on migration.
New research, just published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, has assessed bat populations across broadleaved woodlands managed in different ways. The work not only reveals the management practices that are good for bats, but also highlights those structural characteristics that are beneficial to individual bat species.
The lockdown has allowed many people to reconnect with nature, but evidence from British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden BirdWatch survey has shown that some of our favourite garden species, such as the Blue Tit, have been struggling this year, possibly due to the unusually warm spring.
Bat Conservation Trust: Bat Monitoring Post October 2020
Bat Conservation Trust: Bat Monitoring Post October 2020
An army of citizen scientists across the UK has provided scientists at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) with new insights into the nesting habits of the House Martin, arguably our closest nesting neighbour.
October is normally the second wettest month of the year but this one was exceptional. Due to a persistently energetic North Atlantic Jet-stream, it rained in Formby on 22 days, some of that contribution being from two named storms. The 3rd was the wettest day recorded in England since records began in 1891, though we didn’t have a particularly large amount of rain here. The result was that the water-table at the Devil’s Hole blowout came up 28cm (nearly a foot) during the month, flooding the slack.
Dr Ellie Owen of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has been awarded the Marsh Award for Innovative Ornithology by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
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