What’s Red, Brown & White all over? (12/2012)
Santa Robin! This remarkable bird has been spotted through the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Abnormal Plumage Survey. The charity is calling for more householders to look out for strange-looking birds in their gardens this winter.
Not feeling Christmassy yet? A Robin with a Father Christmas ‘beard’ should do the job! ‘Santa Robin’, which has been seen by Ian Wilson in Derbyshire, has a condition known as leucism. This inherited disorder causes parts of a bird’s plumage not to have their normal colour and to appear white, often affecting areas around the face and on the wings.
It’s not just Robins that are being spotted through the BTO Abnormal Plumage Survey. In total, over 1,500 birds across more than 35 species – ranging from Blue Tit and Chaffinch to Buzzard and Coot – have already been recorded in the nation’s gardens. Blackbirds with unusual white feathers have been logged most often, with members of the crow family, including Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Rook, also featuring highly.
Some of the more extraordinary sights have been black-headed Blue Tits, red-tinted House Sparrows and a Goldfinch with an orange instead of a red face. On some occasions, people have been so puzzled that they have had to write ‘species unknown’. There is much more to find out about birds with abnormal-coloured plumage and the BTO wants householders to share what they see.
Tim Harrison, BTO Abnormal Plumage Survey coordinator, commented: “The red breast of a Robin doesn’t just make it look pretty – it plays an important role in its life. Unlike most other garden birds, Robins defend their territories throughout the year and display using their breast to warn rivals to ‘keep out’. It is possible that a white ‘beard’ could affect this communication.”
Hein van Grouw, Curator at the Natural History Museum, added: “The most common form of leucism in birds only affects the body parts farthest away from the pigment cell’s origin in the embryonic spinal cord – i.e. the face, wingtips, feet and belly. This Robin shows a moderate form of the condition and so only the chin and a few outer flight feathers are affected.”
Tim concluded: “With the help of the public, the BTO Abnormal Plumage Survey is charting odd-looking garden birds up and down the country, with records extending from Shetland to the Scilly Isles. Please keep your eyes peeled and let the BTO know what strange birds you see.”
To take part in the Abnormal Plumage Survey, visit www.bto.org/gbw or telephone 01842-750050 for a paper recording form.
Wild Goose Chase Project Launched! (12/2012)
The Wild Goose Chase is a project aimed at filling in and bringing up to date our knowledge on how Pink-footed Goose, Whooper Swan and Bewick’s Swan are using land in Merseyside and Lancashire.
We are particularly interested in how these birds are using the landscape so we can answer questions such as ‘Where is a population feeding?’, ‘What do they need to survive?’ and ‘What can we do to avoid disrupting them?’.
As such the recording website has been designed to help you enter information on flight direction and what type of fields are they using, we would also appreciate any additional information or local knowledge which can be added using the ‘Additional Information’ field.
Data collected through this website will not be used alone, it will be added to data provided by organisation and experts involved with the Wild Goose Chase project.
Any and all information is greatly appreciated and should you feel you cannot submit the record appropriatly through the recording website please still get in touch by using info@MerseysideBioBank.org.uk.
Find more info on the Wild Goose Chase recording and information page
Merseyside Elm Watch Launched (07/2012)
Decimated by Dutch Elm disease our Elm species have been pushed to the brink with almost all mature and older trees being killed off, some 25-30 million trees in all.
Being a long term component of our natural ecosystem our native Elm trees support a wide variety of wildlife, some of which is not known to use any other species, two noticeable examples are the White-letter Hairstreak butterfly and White-spotted Pinion moth, two species that are now directly threatened as a result of the decline of the Elm.
As a result we have decided to start up an online monitoring project that will allow people to let us know where they have seen any remaining Elm trees as well as giving them the option of providing information as to the condition of the Elm they have seen.
This information will then be made available at a national level as well as potentially advising future monitoring projects for specialist species such as the White-letter Hairstreak.
Find our recording project and further information by following this link
MBB on iSpot (07/2012)
Many of you are already active users of iSpot and will know that you can be badged as a member/volunteer and supporter of biological recording in North Merseyside by being linked to Merseyside BioBank!
But for those of you that aren’t already aware.. iSpot is an online site for the submission of your wildlife photography, your photographs will then be looked at by members of the Naturalist community who may then be able to help you identify the critter you have photographed!
iSpot is a friendly environment to build your knowledge of the wildlife you are photographing or just a place to show off some of your nice pics!
Either way, members and volunteers are welcome to be badged with a Merseyside BioBank badge and link. For more info check out their website and info pages
Court Hey Park BioBlitz (07/2012)
The Court Hey Park BioBlitz last month proved to be a huge success and we’d like to say a big thank you to all the volunteers that came and took part and all those that helped out with walks and talking to the public while manning the stall, great work everyone!
Not only was the day a great outreach success, with Tony Carters fungal foray being by far the most well attended walk, but we also recorded an impressive 351 different species! All of which done on the day, and the vast majority of which came from only the North section of the park.
Not only this but our bioblitz took the “Meet the Species 2012” records total to over 1,000 species by adding 32 previously un-recorded names to their list!
Photos from the event are available on our Facebook page in the BioBlitz album
Bring on next year!
Court Hey Park BioBlitz (06/2012)
This month Merseyside BioBank will be teaming up with iSpot and the Knowsley Green Fayre to run the first BioBlitz event for the North-west!
The BioBlitz will be run in Court Hey Park and involve a 24 hour biological recording marathon during which we will be trying to record as many species as possible in the part from all Taxonomic groups with ‘everyone’ welcome to take part!
In addition to the general ad hoc recording from members of the public and volunteers there will be a number of planned sessions including Moth trapping, Bat walk, mini-beast questing and pond dipping through-out the day and late into the evening!
The day promises to be a great success so if you’re free why not pop down and take part!
The BioBlitz events will be running from the previous evening and through the day on the 17th June we will also have a stall in the National Wildflower Centre “Education Barn” for people to come and meet us or to find out more.
BioBank on Facebook (06/2012)
Following in the footsteps of the Merseyside and West Lancashire Bat Group migrating much of its activity over to Facebook, Merseyside BioBank has (after significant persuasion from our volunteers!) decided to start up a Facebook page.
You can find us there by following this link.
The page will be regularly updated with photos and events and we appreciate any comments and photo uploads from volunteers, it is a further step into the world of social networking and for it to work we will need your support!
We hope to see you there!
Cetacean Surveying in the Northwest (05/2012)
Do you fancy being involved in Whale and Dolphin watching in the Irish Sea?
Sea Watch Foundation are currently looking to recruit and train volunteers to monitor the coast from Llandudno to Cumbria, this is an amazing opportunity to be involved in a network looking out for some of the most charismatic of marine animals.
If you would like more information then check out the linked flyers or contact us at info@merseysidebiobank.org.uk to register your interest.
New BWARS Website (05/2012)
Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Scheme (BWARS) the national society dedicated to the study of aculeate Hymenoptera has a brand new website with tons of useful information on the group and British species.
The website also boasts an impressive gallery and species accounts, identification guides and with information on how to get involved with the group and their ongoing studies.
BWARS homepage
Species accounts and gallery
Beginners species page
Planning System Failing Wildlife? (05/2012)
For some time now the Government shake up of the planning system has been a feature of the media and with major streamlining being implemented there are serious concerns that changes may reduce protection currently afforded to wildlife.
Cameron said the would be the “greenest government ever”, but on the back of these and other changes new questions are being asked. In a society driven by growth where will the line be drawn?
Read the full article from the Independant here
Bat Group on FaceBook (04/2012)
In an ever more interactive and networked world it was only a matter of time before the Merseyside and West Lancashire Bat Group made it into the social media!
Katie Swift (MWLBG committee member and PR) has been the one stamp the groups logo on Facebook and give us all a presence there so why not head on over and get involved, remember this is your group and it needs you to move forward.
The group page holds a variety if info and allows you to contact and chat with group members directly, find out what is going on in the group and what you can be involved with in the future.
Bat Group Updates (04/2012)
Thanks to the ongoing work of volunteers the Merseyside and West Lancashire Bat Group website hosted by Merseyside BioBank now has completed species accounts for all North Merseyside resident species with additional external links to vagrant or nearby species.
We will be continuing to update the website in the near future and hope to add much more information and helpful tools for bat workers and the public but always appreciate any help!
So if you feel you could contribute something to the website or if there is something you would like to see then please get in touch, we are always on the look out for new content and suggestions.
The online records submission is also LIVE, so if you have seen a bat, even if you don’t quite know what it was then please send us your records!
MBB Gets Tweeting (04/2012)
We could finally put it off no longer! Merseyside BioBank has Entered the world of Social Media in the form of Twitter, following some dogged persuasion by multiple volunteers (you know who you are!).
We are hoping that becoming active on Twitter will help to encourage awareness and participation of people in our local natural environment, it is also a pretty handy way for use to allow easy access (and to provide reminders!) for local events and to keep you all updated with what’s going on!
Follow us by searching for either Merseyside BioBank or @NMBiodiversity
Local Sites Go Live! (02/2012)
Increasingly Biological Data is being put Online, this is being driven largely by the National Biodiversity Network that hopes to encourage partners to put information up on there and to allow public access, this would be a huge leap in promoting a free flow of Biodiversity information and could provide a vital centralised source of information for all sorts of applications.
Part of the Trusts remit is also to encourage the use of this data, and in part this is being achived by promoting the use of ‘Web Services’ that allow the draw down of certain information into custom built functions.
In order to look into uptaking these services Merseyside BioBank has designed some brand new web pages that use the services to allow users to search for species and species information on their local designated sites.
Take a look and let us know what you think!
The new pages can be found here: Merseyside BioBank Live Sites.
Improved Data Reporting (02/2012)
With an increasing amount of Biological data being collected and centralised on the National Biodiversity Network, Merseyside BioBank has decided that this valuable resource should be accessed and it’s data included in our local reporting process.
As such all Standard MBB reports will now include NBN Gateway accessed datasets, we will also be approaching owners of datasets where full resolution data isn’t publically available so that the information we report to you is of the best possible quality.
As a not-for-profit organisation MBB can also include NBN Gateway data (not raw data) in it’s consultant reporting process, this information will be automatically included in our current report format, including the summary tables, and source information will be included in the appendix as to identify the source of records.
If you would like further information on the integration of NBN services with our own then please don’t hesitate in contacting us.
BioBank Gets LinkedIn (02/2012)
For any of you that use the ‘Professional’ Networking site LinkedIn, you may be interested to know Merseyside BioBank is now listed as a company on there.
If you have ever volunteered with us or worked with us then you can now add us to your profile, or ‘follow’ us to stay in touch with any updates.
New MBAN training scheduled (01/2012)
Enrolment of the ‘Foundations of Biological Recording’ course has reached a level where we can again run the four modules of structured training that will give trainees the skills and knowledge to produce accurate and detailed Biological records which reach the standard expected by the recording community.
You will also learn why we should collect biological records and how they are used directly in local planning and conservation as well as advising ecological and environmental works and monitoring on a National scale.
Enrolment is FREE!! Take a look at additonal details on the course here.
New MBAN sessions and field visits (01/2012)
As with last year we have planned a number of events and field visits for people who would like to learn about their natural environment, existing member are of course more than welcome at any of the course, though for many we ask that you let us know if you are coming!
For new members enrollement is free and you can get straight into the sessions and field visits, learn from experienced naturalists and develop your own skills.
Details of the sessions, enrollement and any other information on MBAN can be found here.
