Big butterfly count

The Big ‪#‎ButterflyCount has officially started! Will you be taking part?

Between 17th July - 9th August we need you to help count our butterflies! Join in by using our FREE downloadable ID chart, or our FREE apps for iOS and Android. www.butterfly-conservation.org/bigbutterflycount2015

If you are over on Twitter you can follow our launch in London this morning with Sir David Attenborough!

Find uswww.twitter.com/savebutterflies with the hashtag #ButterflyCount

Laura

State of nature update

Following the launch of the State of Nature in 2013, on 3 September 2014 the Rspb are hosting the Conference for Nature in Westminster.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/forprofessionals/conference-for-nature.aspx

I’m sure there will be more news to follow, but please listen to David Attenborough’s opening gambit here

http://vimeohttp://vimeo.com/105133745.com/105133745

and don’t forget to vote for Bob ! 

https://www.voteforbob.co.uk/

2013 State of the nature report- Groundbreaking report shows nature is in trouble

David Attenborough:

The islands that make up the United Kingdom are home to a wonderful range of wildlife that is dear to us all. From the hill-walker marvelling at an eagle soaring overhead, to a child enthralled by a ladybird on their fingertip, we can all wonder at the variety of life around us.

However, even the most casual of observers may have noticed that all is not well.

They may have noticed the loss of butterflies from a favourite walk, the disappearance of sparrows from their garden, or the absence of the colourful wildflower meadows of their youth. To gain a true picture of the balance of our nature, we require a broad and objective assessment of the best available evidence, and that is what we have in this ground-breaking State of Nature report.

This important document provides a stark warning: far more species are declining than increasing in the UK, including many of our most treasured species. Alarmingly, a large number of them are threatened with extinction.

The causes are varied, but most are ultimately due to the way we are using our land and seas and their natural resources, often with little regard for the wildlife with which we share them.

The impact on plants and animals has been profound

Although this report highlights what we have lost, and what we are still losing, it also gives examples of how we - as individuals, organisations, governments - can work together to stop this loss, and bring back nature where it has been lost. These examples should give us hope and inspiration.

We should also take encouragement from the report itself; it is heartening to see so many organisations coming together to provide a single voice, stating loud and clear what is happening to our wildlife.

This partnership, backed by a combined membership of millions and enabled by the heroic efforts of thousands of volunteer recorders, provides a powerful force to bring the UK's nature back to its former glory.

State of the nature, England report:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/england_tcm9-345846.pdf

Iolo Williams:

Watch this to feel inspired, daunted, depressed, raging, emotional and driven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnJQjtvngqA

Laura

Second time lucky – the David Attenborough Nature reserve

One of many - Lapwings

The first time we tried to get to Nottingham we had to turn back after 4hrs, grid lock on the M6 after an accident, not the best way to spend husbands’ birthday!..  Travellers beware. A month later we finally got there, not without further traffic snarl ups and worse I left my binoculars behind!  Still...

The reserve has a large car park, no fee, nor entrance cost, but donation recommended similar to Mere sands wood reserve.

My initial impression of the reserve is a mature version of Brockholes, similar habitats, large walking area, but more overgrown. I was particular pleased to find a tower hide, always good to view from on high, over the reeds! Access pretty good with benches dotted about to tally on. Again the visitor /café although smaller reminded me of Brockholes, set by the lake, nice food and yes if you want to feed the ducks, swans, geese and coots they’re waiting for you. Bird food on sale in shop.

Nature centre

We went in August, the weather wasn't particular good which probably meant some birds were skulking away, however the highlight came within five minutes of starting our walk, as we stopped on Barton lane overlooking the Tween pond a kingfisher flew past us, closely followed by a hair stirring common tern overhead!  Lots of tufties, mallard, coot, grebe, mute swan on lakes, geese and herons on the river, mixed tit flocks, sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes in the undergrowth, sedge warblers in the reeds. Common terns and black headed gulls were on posts on the Coneries pond. Lots of Lapwings on the works pond, buzzard and kestrel over the Erewash fields (llamas minding a sheep flock here!)  

Works pond

Butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies were noticeable along the river path vegetation, along with a couple of little voles scurrying across.

Quite at few welcome information boards insitu 

On the south west edge of the Nottingham, the Attenborough Nature Reserve is a mostly quiet haven. Managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, the 360 acres of lakes, wetland, grassland, woodland and scrub, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) it’s squeezed between the railway and the River Trent. The extraction of river gravel created the lakes. The reserve lies around these flooded gravel pits and the created habitat attracts wildlife, especially the birds for which it is best known. There are large lakes formed by the flooded pits, known as Church Pond, Clifton Pond, Coneries pond, Main Pond, Tween Pond and Beeston Pond, plus drier areas of scrub and grassland such as Corbetts Meadow and Erewash field

Main pond

Coneries pond

The spire of St Mary’s church in the centre of Attenborough village and is visible from most points across the reserve, and it is the village that gives the Nature Reserve its name. Sir David Attenborough, who opened the reserve in 1966.

Terns

The reserve is an important over wintering site for wildfowl i.e. shoveler, goldeneye, goosander, wigeon and large numbers of mallard and teal.  For several years several Bittern, have spent the winter in the reserve. In the summer, the breeding birds include great crested grebe, shelduck, little ringed plover and common tern, for which tern breeding platforms are provided. Reed and sedge warblers in the reed beds.

The reserve was busy with families and its criss-cross reserve paths are used by bike riders. The paths provide a range of views; are surfaced and are mainly flat so give easy access for those in wheelchairs and other disabled users. There was one point on the walk where a kissing gate may be considered narrow, path alongside the railway leading from Erewash field to nature centre.

River Trent

The riverside path forms part of the Trent Valley Way, a long distance footpath that follows the River Trent, on the opposite side there is some farmland proved to be popular with canadian and greylag geese . From here I could hear skylark and yellow hammer.

Tower hide

Clifton Pond from Tower hide

Tween Pond for Tower hide

The reserve has three hides,  one of the best being a tower hide giving view over the Tween and Clifton ponds (sorry no disabled access) On the day we went I met a lady who told she’d seen a Bittern 3 times during the winter months from the hide- in the Clifton pond. You will need to get the access code from the centre for the Delta hide. There are also viewing screens along the paths.

The reserves Nature Centre has a small shop and is the base for The Wildlife Trust’s educational activities. Depending on the time of year there are screens showing what is happening in nest boxes and elsewhere on the reserve. At the back of the centre a doorway leads to a seated bird feeding area and access to the new sand martin nest/bank hide.

Sandmartin Bank

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/2014/06/05/%E2%80%98bird-becomes-bouncer%E2%80%99-sand-martin-shown-door-new-footage

The Nature Centre café does meals; soups, sandwiches cakes recommended after a mornings exploration of the reserve, we sat on the balcony and had cake and coffee, well you have to…

On A6005, seven miles south west of Nottingham on the River Trent.
Google Maps.
 

More information:

http://www.nottmbirds.org.uk/sites/Attenboroughsite.html

 www.attenboroughnaturecentre.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/attenboroughnaturereserve

RSPB's biggest ever campaign. Giving Nature a Home

Nestbox

RSPB aims to tackle housing crisis with plans to build one million homes in the UK

Nature charity needs Merseysides help with its biggest ever campaign. The RSPB has today launched a campaign to help tackle the housing crisis facing the UK s threatened wildlife. Giving Nature a Home will urge the nation to provide a place for wildlife in their own gardens and outside spaces.

The charity hopes to inspire people in Merseyside to help towards creating a million new homes for nature across the UK.

The launch of the campaign comes a month after 25 wildlife organisations, including the RSPB, released the groundbreaking State of Nature report revealing 60 per cent of the wildlife species studied have declined over recent decades.

Many garden favourites in Merseyside were among the creatures shown to be in serious trouble including starlings, hedgehogs, some butterflies and ladybirds. All are in danger of further declines unless more is done to provide better habitats.

Young starlings

Getting individuals and families from Merseyside to act for nature in their own gardens is the first part of a package of actions that the RSPB is launching in response to the State of Nature. Over the course of the next few months, the charity will be outlining what businesses, communities and politicians in the county can do, as well as detailing the RSPB's own plans for saving nature.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/science/stateofnature/index.aspx

Amanda Miller, RSPB Conservation Manager for Northern England, says:  Nature in the UK is in trouble and some of our more familiar garden species are amongst those suffering serious declines. Merseyside gardens provide a valuable lifeline for species like starlings, toads, hedgehogs and butterflies, which are struggling to find homes in the wider countryside.

 

Hedgehog box

Although the overall problem is huge, the solution can start on a small scale, right on our doorsteps. It doesn’t matter what sort of garden you have, what size it is, or even if you have no garden at all, we need everyone to help by turning their outside space into a wildlife haven.

The more people that get involved in our Giving Nature a Home campaign the better. Our aim is to provide one million homes for nature across the UK, because if there s no home for nature, then there s no nature   it really is that serious.

TV homes expert, Linda Barker, is one of the famous faces supporting the campaign. She said:  I m getting behind the RSPB s campaign because, to me, having wildlife in your garden is the perfect finishing touch to any home.

Frogs in  garden pond

 Planting wild flowers, digging a pond or creating a log pile for bugs is not just a good way of getting creative and making your garden more attractive, but it will also benefit threatened garden wildlife at the same time. Individual actions will make a difference and start to help tackle the lack of habitats for some of our wild creatures. In my garden I’ve put up a nest box for birds and planted nectar-rich flowers to attract bees.

Red admiral on sedum

Small copper & bee

If everyone can do just one thing and gave nature a home in their outside space it would be amazing - together we can make a big difference.

To help spread the word, the RSPB has joined up with Rightmove, the UK's number one property website, to help promote the campaign to homeowners, renters and those looking to get onto the property ladder.

Bee box

Matt James from Rightmove, said:  Though we re more used to helping people find a home than helping them build one, when the RSPB told us about the parlous position of some of the UK s favourite species we felt compelled to throw our support behind the campaign. More than a million people visit Rightmove every single day looking for a new place to call home and we’ll be doing our bit to spread the word about just how easy it can be to make a difference.

logpile

To spread the word and inspire individuals from a across the country to build homes for nature in their own gardens and balconies, the RSPB is embarking on its first-ever primetime TV advertising campaign, beginning on 5 July.

Over the coming months the RSPB s Burton Mere Wetlands reserve on the Dee Estuary and the Ribble Discovery Centre at Lytham St Anne s will be running a series of events and activities linked to Giving Nature a Home. For more information, visit www.rspb.org.uk/reserves. 

The Giving Nature a Home website will give everyone access to expert advice about helping nature in any outside space - whether it s a huge garden or a small planting tub on balcony - at www.rspb.org.uk/homes

By visiting this website people can get their free Giving Nature a Home starter guide, help populate a map by telling the charity when and where they ve given nature a home, and share pictures, tips and ideas with others.  You can also find out more about what the RSPB is doing to give nature a home in the wider countryside.

Sixty per cent of UK species in decline, groundbreaking study finds

UK nature is in trouble   that is the conclusion of a groundbreaking report published today by a coalition of leading conservation and research organisations.

Scientists working side-by-side from 25 wildlife organisations have compiled a stock take of our native species   the first of its kind in the UK. The report reveals that 60% of the species studied have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.

In Merseyside, experts are particularly concerned about the state of nature in farmland areas. According to the report, out of the 1,064 farmland species for which there is information, 60% of them have declined.

David Morris, the RSPB s Conservation Manager for North West England, said:  Many of the species that are in trouble live in the extensive farmland areas of the county. These range from skylarks to hedgehogs

and brown hares. If we want to reverse these declines we need to ensure that farmers are given sufficient resources and support to be able to manage their land in a wildlife-friendly way. 

In the fields and meadows of Merseyside brown hares and water voles, once abundant in this region, have suffered following the removal of hedgerows and the modification of water courses.

Anne Selby, Chief Executive for the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside said:  Our Trust has been involved in major projects to help these species recover and prosper. The region is

still a stronghold for hares and water voles but numbers are a fraction of what they used to be. Many farmers have worked with us to try to reverse these declines.

The State of Nature report will be launched by Sir David Attenborough and UK conservation charities at the Natural History Museum in London this evening (May 22), while simultaneous events will be held in

Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Sir David Attenborough said:  This groundbreaking report is a stark warning   but it is also a sign of hope.

For 60 years I have travelled the world exploring the wonders of nature and sharing that wonder with the public. But as a boy my first inspiration came from discovering the UK s own wildlife.

Our islands have a rich diversity of habitats which support some truly amazing plants and animals. We should all be proud of the beauty we find on our own doorstep; from bluebells carpeting woodland floors and delicately patterned fritillary butterflies, to the graceful basking shark and the majestic golden eagle soaring over the Scottish mountains.

This report shows that our species are in trouble, with many declining at a worrying rate. However, we have in this country a network of passionate conservation groups supported by millions of people who love

wildlife. The experts have come together today to highlight the amazing nature we have around us and to ensure that it remains here for generations to come.

Dr Mark Eaton, a lead author on the report, said:  This report reveals that the UK s nature is in trouble - overall we are losing wildlife at an alarming rate.

These declines are happening across all countries and UK Overseas Territories, habitats and species groups, although it is probably greatest amongst insects, such as our moths, butterflies and beetles.

Other once common species like the lesser spotted woodpecker, garden tiger moth and hedgehog are vanishing before our eyes.

Reliable data on these species goes back just fifty years, at most, but we know that there has been a historical pattern of loss in the UK going back even further. Threats including sweeping habitat loss,

changes to the way we manage our countryside, and the more recent impact of climate change, have had a major impact on our wildlife, and they are not going away.

None of this work would have been possible without the army of volunteer wildlife enthusiasts who spend their spare time surveying species and recording their findings. Our knowledge of nature in the UK would be significantly poorer without these unsung heroes, and that knowledge is the most essential tool that conservationists have.  

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/stateofnature_tcm9-345839.pdf