Time to Watch Moles

Moles may be under threat. To find out if they are, there's a survey called MoleWatch. They want you to count molehills in the ground. You can search in near-by fields & meadows, or even in your own garden.

Moles a re misunderstood, and are counted as pests by farmers & gardeners alike. But in fact they're helping the farmer or gardener by eating any bugs that might ruin their crops, and put air into the soil.

I think MoleWatch is a great idea. You can send in a sighting here.

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Count the Birds

Today and tomorrow is the annual bird-counting weekend. The RCPB has been doing this for years and this year is no different.

Sarah Kelly, one of the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch organisers, said, "The great thing about Big Garden Birdwatch is that anyone can do it. You don't need to be an expert, all you need is a pen and paper."

You have to sit down for one hour and count how many types of birds you see. But you have to only submit the largest number at a time for one species. For example, if you see six Blue Tits, then another five, you don't send in eleven, you send in six. You can learn more about it here.

I will be taking part definitely. I hope you all do, too.

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The Future is in Our Hands

W.W.T. has backed a plan to help the Severn Estuary for wildlife. Here's what Martin Spray, Chief Executive has to say:

"We now know how long we've got to persuade the government to investigate a sensible proposition for energy from the Severn that won't damage this unique feature of Britain's landscape.

"W.W.T. is based on the margins of the Severn Estuary itself where we have been conserving wildlife for over 60 years. We fully support a shift toward sustainable sources of energy to address climate change. But this cannot be done at much further cost to the natural environment.

"We, as much as anyone, want to find the solution to this problem. We will do all we can to contribute to the study, working closely with our other N.G.O. colleagues. Meanwhile, we continue to inform the public why the Severn is such a special place."

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Pretty in Their Own Way

There are many rare amphibians out there. Many more have now made themselves onto the endangered list. They need protecting, just like all the cute & fluffy ones do.

Many are extremely sensitive to pollution which is a growing problem. A few of these wonderful creatures include a drawing-pin sized frog, a limbless amphibian and a see-through salamander. Of course, these aren't their real names.

Zoological Society of London spokesperson Helen Meredith, said: "Alarmingly, 85% of the top 100 are receiving little or no conservation attention and will become extinct if action is not taken now.

"These animals may not be cute and cuddly, but hopefully their weird looks and bizarre behaviours will inspire people to support their conservation"

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W.W.T. Slimbridge - November Photos

Here are my photos from W.W.T. Slimbridge that I took in November. Enjoy.

Photos from 3/11/2007.



Photos from 18/11/2007



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The Sting of the Mauves

Many Mauve Stingers, a type of jellyfish, have been spotted in the Irish Sea. They have an extremely painful sting.

The species recently wiped out £1 million worth of salmon in Northern Ireland. They are the right size to get through the mesh being in between the sizes of a ten pence coin and a clenched fist.

It's best to see them in the dark because their wasp-like sting glows.

"The trouble is that we know so little about these jellyfish," said Dr. Houghton.

"Until recently, they were viewed as bags of water that had little or no impact on our ecosystem.

"Now we need to learn, very quickly, about their behaviour and about their breeding patterns in our waters.

"We need to get some basic data about numbers, and the easiest and quickest way to do that is simply to send researchers out on the ferries.

"For the past few weeks, they have been standing on deck looking at the sea and counting jellyfish. That is how we are getting a baseline figure for their numbers."

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There are Mean People in the World

Above: Newsround presenter Helen and Tyson, an abandoned rabbit.

The number of abandoned rabbits has gone up over the past few years. There are hundreds right now in rescue centres all across Britain. The RSPCA had to rescue 25 rabbits during the Christmas period.

A survey taken by the charity found out that half of rabbits don't receive clean bedding and seven out of ten don't get out of the hutch they are kept in. In 2005 alone, 1365 rabbits were abandoned in England & Wales with nearly 18,000 reports of cruelty to rabbits.

Many people don't know how to look after a rabbit properly, or they are given to young children who soon get bored of them. These are the main reasons for all this.

As a rabbit owner myself, I'd like to tell readers that make sure you spend lots of time each day with your rabbit and clean its LARGE hutch out regularly. You can get a good bond with your rabbit, I mean, just look at Smudgie & I. Rabbits are great pets if you treat them well.

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Let's Bark!

Hungarian animal experts have invented a dog translator. It can identify 6000 sounds from 14 different dogs including fight, play and ball. And it can tell one dog from another.

But the people who created it do admit that humans can do just as well as the translator. But it is designed to help a dog's well-being.

Maybe a few more tweaks and it could be really useful, not to mention helpful.

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You Watch Me, I Fool You!

A study of squirrels has discovered new information about the habits of the mammals. Experts watched them and found out that if they feel something is watching them, they will only pretend to bury the nuts they've collected. They'll then go away to find another place to bury them.

So this means that they know about stealing. And that's another animal that has been under-estimated.

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Breeding Like... Seals

The population of Grey Seals has gone up in some places. Many more pups have been born than usual.

The pups were born on the German island of Heliogland. They have had plenty of fish to eat in the North Sea and no predators on the island. 'Tis a perfect habitat.

The number of pups this breeding season has leaped from 32 to 55. They are now being tagged so that Scientists can find out more about the mammals and find out what they get up to in their five or six years out at sea.

This is brilliant news, don't you think? Please comment. Thank you.

The Turtle Wash Up

Two rare species of turtles have washed up on the shores of Wales & Scotland. The RSPCA has asked people not to send them back into the waters, but to contact them so they can rescue the reptiles.

The creatures have been blown over from America by strong winds. The seas around Britain are too cold for them, though.

The two species are the Loggerheads and the Kemp's Ridley. There are both extremely rare so this is a big deal. If you see one, please report it.

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The Cub Row

There has been a big row about who should raise Polar Bear cubs at a zoo in Germany. This is a different zoo to the one that saved Knut the bear. Knut was in Berlin Zoo, but this zoo is Nuremburg Zoo.

On Monday, Nuremburg Zoo announced that they thought a mother had eaten her cub. The cub went mysteriously missing. It was last seen being taken into its cave. The zoo stated they wouldn't help them, just let nature take its course.

But today they changed their minds. They finally realised that they should make sure they survive. And thank goodness they did too.

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Wildlife and You: January 2008

So, as you know, it's now January. It's 2008. Just in case you didn't know *rolls eyes*.

Anyway. This year I want your resolution to be to get out their with the wildlife. Take photos. They'll always be welcome here just send me an e-mail.

Anyway, this month. Quite a few mammals will be in hibernation, or just snuggling into their homes. January is the month of the birds. All the migratory birds have arrived so go out and film them! It is the best month to see Starlings doing their display in their flocks.

Be sure to send me your photos, and if you don't live in the U.K. or Europe, you can still send stuff in! It will be just as interesting to see the happenings where you live.