The Naming of The Shrew – Greater White-toothed Shrew Now Discovered in Britain
New species of shrew identified in Britain confirmed by DNA analysis The Greater White Toothed Shrew (GWTS) has…
Western Conifer Seed Bug, Ainsdale (Dr Phil Smith)
Dr Phil Smith Wildlife Notes: October
According to the Met. Office, October was another exceptionally mild month; the fourth warmest in England since records began in 1884. The persistence of above average temperatures was particularly unusual. With measurable rain here on 16 days, rainfall was about average for the month but our sand-dune water-table rose by only 1 cm, presumably due to the soil water-deficit caused by the drought. “We still need a lot of rainfall to replenish our water resources” says the Met. Office.
Waxwing by Liz Cutting
UK set for mass arrival of rare berry-loving birds
Large numbers of rare and beautiful Waxwings are heading towards the UK in what could be the first major arrival for a decade, say researchers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). These pinkish, Starling-sized birds have swooping crests, orange, grey and lemon-yellow tails, and wing feathers with waxy red tips. They breed in coniferous forests from Scandinavia to eastern Russia and usually spend the winter further south.
Variegated Horsetail Equisetum variegatum (Dr Phil Smith)
Dr Phil Smith Wildlife Notes: September
In contrast to earlier months, our rainfall in September was about average, with measureable amounts on 12 days. There were even four properly wet days, something we hadn’t experienced for a long time. Despite this, the sand-dune water-table rose by only 3 cm, probably because the soil was so dry. The Met. Office tells us that the first nine months of 2022 were the warmest since records began in 1884, while it was also the driest year, so far, since 1959. These figures are consistent with a warming trend in Britain, due to climate change that is happening more quickly than predicted.