Bbc Wildlife 201404

TRY OUR NEW LOOK!Ap

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BRITAINS

wildlife spectacles you must see this spring

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s Otter s Grey seals Puffin s Red deer s Golden eagle s Kingfishers Dolphin s Stag beetle s Gannet s Barn owl s Dormouse

O Tune into birdsongO Watch frogs develop

SEE PAGE 6

How political uprising threatens this rare

desert species

FENNEC FOX

4 New discoveries 4 Wildlife photos 4 Naturalist skills 4 Conservation

GARDEN FOR BEES

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

AMAZINGPHOTOS

CONTRIBUTOR

BBC WildlifeApril 2014 3

ON THE COVER: Pun: Drew Buckley; fox: Bruno DAmicis; bee: Chris Shields/naturepl.com; seal: Amos Nachoum

Youll notice some changes this issue: a new photo series (p62) as well as sections on animal behaviour (p71) and scientific discoveries (p26). Well sharpen your naturalist skills (p14), brief you on conservation news (p49) and show you how you can make

a difference (p53). Youll find features on wildlife gardening (p74), spectacles to see this month (p12) and our readers-turned-Local Patch Reporters (p17).

We want even more of you to get involved with the magazine, so why not join us on International Dawn Chorus Day on 4 May? Well all be heading out with cameras and sharing the results on our website and social media. Why not do the same and report on your experience? Find out how at www.discoverwildlife.com. And if youre in Bristol, drop me an email and join me, and you can tell me what you think of the magazine over a post-chorus cuppa.

Finally if youd like to see more of our new look then you can try three issues for just 1 on p32!

Welcome

Matt Swaine [email protected]

THE SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS WAS ONCE CONSIDERED TO BE EXTINCT, BUT THE WORK OF ONE JAPANESE CONSERVATION HERO SAVED THE SPECIES. See p80

IN BBC WILDLIFE THIS MONTH

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MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFFPresident of the RSPB Miranda says, We should feel honoured that basking sharks, the second biggest fish in the sea, choose to feed and breed around our shores. See p34

KENNY TAYLORKenny has barely begun to explore Norways wildlife riches. Hardangervidda mountain plateau is a vast place, he says. Id like to return to see Arctic foxes there. See p86

STEPHEN MOSSNaturalist and BBC TV producer Stephen is a lover of birdsong. He says, Listening to the dawn chorus, particularly the song thrush, is the best possible start to the day. See p92

TUI DE ROYTui travels the world with a camera to capture its wildest places. She says, Spending 19 days photographing short-tailed albatrosses on Torishima was a dream come true. See p80

CONTRIBUTOR

CONTRIBUTOR

CONTRIBUTOR

The biomass of krill is 379m tonnes:

find out how they sustain the oceans biggest creatures

See p78

WELCOME

Buy a digital edition of BBC Wildlife Magazine for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, PC or Mac. Visit iTunes, the Google Play store, Amazon or www.zinio.com to find out more.

A concert celebrating the sound of whales is just one of the

events in our new Reviews

section

See p105

WHAT WEVE

LEARNED this issue

DID YOUKNOW?

2,401The number of

illegal trapping or shooting incidents suered by Maltese birds in 2008 See p50

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4 April 2014BBC Wildlife

April 2014CONTENTS

Features AgendaWild

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24

06 Wild photos Amazing leopard seal hunting a gentoo penguin Plus Pygmy seahorse and elephant over Victoria Falls

12 See it this month! Springs seven best wildlife spectacles in the UK

14 New Instant Naturalist How to identify mammal skulls Plus Gardenwatch

17 Local Patch Reporters New Nightwatch series

19 Your Wild Challenge A colourful minibeast safari of 12 garden beetles

20 New Discover oakwoods Expert advice on how to explore your local patch

34 Britains 17 hero species The wildlife experiences you must have this year

60 New BBC Wildlife photo award launched Your chance to win a major wildlife photo assignment

62 New Photo Story How political turmoil has increased fennec-fox trade

80 Short-tailed albatross Back from brink thanks to one conservationist

86 Discover Arctic wildlife Make Norways wilderness your next adventure

92 How to decode birdsong Heighten your senses and experience the dawn chorus

49 Red deer cull Could this be the way to protect Scottish woodland?

50 Maltas bird hunt A referendum could signal the end to illegal hunting Plus Beavers in the UK

51 Mark Carwardine On Chinas demand for illegal animal parts

53 Preserving peat bogs How you can help save these vital ecosystems

54 Birth of a nature reserve House building and wildlife working together

56 Your Feedback Signs of spring, Tassie devils and nestbox advice

Pine marten: one of our 17 British hero species

Best entry-level binoculars

22 Tadpole diaries Follow the miracle of how tadpoles turn into froglets

24 New Gear Review We pick the five best binoculars under 200

26 New Discoveries Latest scientific research from around the world

FREE ONE- MONTH TRIAL

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April 2014

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EDITORIAL

Tel 0117 314 7366

Email [email protected]

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Media Company, 9th Floor, Tower House,

Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN

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62

78

71 How do snakes mate? Plus Vegetarian spiders and knuckle-walking gorillas

74 New Garden for bees How to make your garden a haven for wildlife

78 New Photography skills How to shoot bluebells

78 How baleen whales feed Their key adaptations

99 Orangutan exhibition Unique photo exhibition Plus Best of BBC iPlayer

100 Book reviews Trees, predators, wildlife art and beautiful butterflies Plus Best birdsong apps

102 TV and Radio Whale hunting in the UK and a minibeast adventure

105 Local wildlife events Things to do this month

29 Richard Mabey A Brush with Nature Snowdrop spectacle: but are they really British?

31 Bill Oddie Wild at Heart Chasing mice around the Oddie household

32 Try three issues of BBC Wildlife for just 1 Fantastic offer to celebrate our new-look magazine

118 Crossword Solve our brain-teaser to win a prize

119 Next Month

120 Your Photos Our readers finest shots

122 Tales From the Bush Definitely not twitching a snowy owl in Holland

5BBC Wildlife

Tell us what you have seen p19

Debate wildlife topics with other

readers p56

Ask the experts a wildlife question p71

Send us your wildlife photos p120

p17

Short-tailed albatross: saved from extinction

How to decode

birdsong

Richard Mabey: Britains top natural-history writer

Discover the world of the fennec fox

Discover how whales feed

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May 20146 BBC Wildlife

Penguin suitIt may look as though this leopard seal is about to swallow the

gentoo penguin in one giant pinnipedian gulp. But thats not

what happened according to photographer Amos Nachoum, who

witnessed this encounter o Pleneau Island in Antarctica. The seal

first drowned its prey. Then, grasping the penguin by its feet, it cut

through the skin before holding the carcass out of the water and

shaking it violently until the feathers and skin had been completely

removed, eectively unwrapping its meal. Only when you could

see the bare meat did the seal start to feed, Amos says. Gruesome

for human observers, perhaps, but a fascinating insight into the

behaviour of one of Antarcticas top predators.

Photograph by Amos Nachoum/biganimals.com

4 LEOPARD SEAL & GENTOO PENGUIN

May 2014 7BBC Wildlife

WILD APRILWHAT TO SEE O NATURALIST SKILLS O DISCOVERIES


Perfect matchIn 1969, while scientists in South-East Asia were inspecting some

soft coral collected for an aquarium, they were stunned to find a

2cm-long seahorse. An exquisite facsimile of its sea-fan host, it

was covered with protuberances just like the polyps on the surface

of the coral. The fish, named Bargibants pygmy seahorse after

its finder, lives in the Coral Triangle region of the western Pacific,

and remains little known. Heather Koldeway of Project Seahorse

says that she often dives within 1m of pygmy seahorses (of which

seven species have been described) before noticing them. We

have created the iSeahorse iOS app to encourage underwater

photographers to share their images, as they provide a valuable

source of information about these elusive fish, she adds.

Photograph by Tim Laman/naturepl.com

WILD APRIL

4 PYGMY SEAHORSE


Head for heightsWhile scientists have spent many hours trying to demonstrate

whether elephants fall in love or feel grief, none as far as we

know has ever wondered if they get vertigo. This photo taken

from the Zambian side of the world-famous Victoria Falls in

Southern Africa suggests they dont, though it could just be

that this elephant was simply very hungry. Photographer Marsel

van Oosten, who was there taking pictures for a book on African

safaris, says that elephants rarely venture this close to the Falls.

So this really is a unique image but one that came at personal

cost. I had to inch as close to the edge as possible to be able

to see the maximum amount of water falling down, which is not

the greatest thing to do when youre afraid of heights, he says.

Photograph by Marsel van Oosten/squiver.com

4 AFRICAN ELEPHANT


WILD APRIL

12 BBC Wildlife

WILD APRIL

April 2014

TO SEE THIS MONTH

SEVENWILDLIFESPECTACLES

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3 BLUEBELL WOODS SA purple haze is drifting across ancient woodland floors, a tide of diminutive drooping lilies blooming beneath beech and oak. Its a particularly British spectacle over half of the worlds bluebells bloom in our woods. Stoop for a closer look: cream-coloured, pollen-bearing anthers emerging from tubular flowers show that youre gazing at true native bluebells, not hybrids or the invasive Spanish species.BEST SPOT Hackfall Wood North Yorkshire

2 BADGER CUBS SA moist snout protrudes, sning the night air; a white face with dark eye-stripes cautiously pokes from a sett then a cub, no more than two months old, emerges into the dark woodland for the first time. For your best chance of watching young badgers take their first shambling steps into the open, book a session at a badger-watching hide or join a walk organised by a local Badger Trust group. BEST SPOT Badger Watch Old Henley Farm, Dorset

1 WATER VOLE TRatty has declined by 90 per cent in Britain over the past 40 years, yet there are still plenty of places to see this plump rodent. Quiet canals, pools and wetland reserves (especially in mink-free urban areas) are strongholds. The voles enter water noisily and eat noisily too, so listen out for a sudden plop or the chomp of teeth on vegetation. For more vole-watching tips, see p44. BEST SPOT WWT London Wetland Centre

BBC Wildlife12

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Share your top

spring locations at

wildlifemagazine@

immediate.co.uk

email us with

Wild Spectacles

in the subject line.

April 2014 13BBC Wildlife

5 CURLEW XFor these long-billed waders newly arrived on moors and wet meadows from the coast, its time to make sweet music. In the breeding season curlews utter an evocative, bubbling song in mid-air watch for their arcing flights above nest sites as their song builds in intensity to a rhythmic warble.BEST SPOT Insh Marshes Scotland

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6 PIED FLYCATCHER TA highlight of the spring soundtrack of western oakwoods is the jaunty, three-second melody of this dapper migrant, fresh from its West African winter quarters. In late April, the adult male resplendent in a black cape and white shirtfront (left) watches his brown and white mate dart into nestboxes or holes in sessile oak trunks carrying nesting material. But both sexes are often unfaithful: so-called extra-pair copulations are rife in this species. BEST SPOT RSPB Ynys-hir Ceredigion, Wales

4GREAT CRESTED GREBES XHead to a lake, reservoir or gravel pit to enjoy one of Britains most expressive wildlife performances: the courtship of great crested grebes, resplendent in breeding dress with orange-black rus and full ear tufts. Pairs swim face to face, shaking their heads; some displays build to a climax where birds dive for and proer weeds. BEST SPOT Attenborough Nature Reserve Nottinghamshire

7 CUCKOO SThe cuckoos seesaw song has become rarer, but visit wetlands after mid-April and you may hear the sound that spells trouble for dunnocks, meadow pipits and reed warblers the favoured hosts of this brood parasite. BEST SPOT Wicken Fen Cambridgeshire

m TWEET OF THE DAYwww.bbc.co.uk/tweetoftheday

April 201414 BBC Wildlife

Essential feldcraft, skills and knowledge you need to discover the natural world.

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how to identify

animal skulls

Skulls can tell you a lot about an animals diet and lifestyle. Start the detective process with size.

Vole, shrew and mouse skulls are the size of an adult thumbnail, those of rats and moles are half as long as an index fnger, rabbit and squirrel skulls are the length of a thumb, and badger and fox skulls are the size of one or two clenched fsts. Any bigger and you probably have a deer, sheep, cow or horse skull. Next look at the teeth carnivores have pointed teeth with no gaps; herbivores have ridged grinding surfaces on their teeth and a long, toothless gap between the cheek teeth and the front of the jaw.

Big upper incisors with a long

gap behind on this compact

50mm-long skull. The cheekbones

are parallel, and youll see blunt

oval surfaces on the cheek teeth.

This is a very elongated skull

about 30mm long. It features tiny

incisors in both jaws, with no gap

behind. Youll see other teeth are

small, pointed and tightly packed.

Big incisors have a gap behind

while cheek teeth have zigzag

surfaces. You often fnd this 20mm-

long skull in carnivore droppings

and it has prominent eye sockets.

Long canines and the pointed

incisors are good for ID. The skull

is 811cm long, quite elongated

and has huge eye sockets with

concave pits above them.

Clean skulls

by leaving them

outside under a

fowerpot with a

gap for beetles

to crawl inside.

Whiten skulls

with hydrogen

peroxide diluted

several times,

not with bleach.

top t i p s

+ find out more

To learn how to

clean and identify

bones check out

www.skullsite.co.uk

Bank vole

Rabbit

key features

key features

key features

key features

Mole

Red fox


In spring courting male newts develop brighter bellies

and chase females to dance an underwater flamenco. You

may spot one rise to the surface, but will have more luck

if you scan weedy shallows with a torch at night. Smooth

and palmate newts occur in gardens, while rarer great

crested newts (above) live on farmland and waste ground.O To help survey newts, visit www.arc-trust.org

Look at an insect or flower

through the wrong end of your binoculars and get a few

centimetres away your bins will work just like a magnifying

glass.

Four wildlife highlights to enjoy on your home turf this month.

OBlackbirds ferrying beakfuls of food

(often earthworms) mean a nest is near.

Pairs raise two or three broods a year.

OComma butterflies have distinctive

ragged silhouettes. Ones you see on the

wing in spring overwintered as adults.

OSlow-worms are legless lizards that

hide under open compost heaps. Theyre

mostly nocturnal, but like basking in sun.

OHouse martins scoop up wet mud

in April and May to build or repair their

cup-shaped nests under the eaves.

BEHAVIOURBREEDING NEWTS

GARDEN WATCH

What on earth is phenology?Its the study of when natural events take

place each season, such as flowering (early

purple orchids, above), bud burst in trees,

and the arrival or departure of migratory

birds. By comparing records in dierent

years, you gain insights into how climate

change aects plants and animals.

So are spring events changing?They are occurring days or even weeks earlier

than 40 years ago. But species respond

dierently, raising concerns about ecological

connectivity. For example, will nesting birds

miss the peak of caterpillar availability?

How can I get involved?Jot key dates in your nature diary. You can also

contribute records to the Natures Calendar

project, created by the Woodland Trust and

the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

What kind of things should I record?Spring events could include the first flowers

opening on bluebells, first blue tits collecting

nesting material, first swallow and first leaves

on oak trees, but the skys the limit. For more

recording ideas, see the project website.

What happens to the data?More than 50,000 people have sent us their

records since Natures Calendar launched in

2000. This national network of recorders is

very powerful because it generates data for

academic researchers and the Government.

6 0 S ECO N D E X P E RT

Phenology

OKate Lewthwaite runs the Natures

Calendar project for the Woodland Trust.

Join in at www.naturescalendar.org.uk

WILD APRIL

KATE LEWTHWAITE

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Ben Hoare BBC Wildlife features editor

BENS TOP TIP

SAILING INTO BREATHTAKING LANDSCAPES

V7545

A voyage along the iconic coast of Norway on the fabled post ship is an experience that cannot be equalled. These ships have been

a lifeline to the villages, towns and cities along the Norwegian coast since 1893. In the summer, we sail beneath the 24-hour glow of

the Midnight Sun whilst winter brings with it the beauty of the frozen landscape and the chance of witnessing the incredible Northern

Lights. In between, spring and autumn bring their own charms as the landscape transforms. And with this incredible nature comes a

fascinating array of coastal birdlife, viewable both from the ship and as part of a choice of optional Birdwatching excursions with local

experts. Get up close to the sea eagles in the Trollfjord or take a trip to the incredible bird cliffs of the northerly Varanger peninsula.

REAL EXPERIENCES & BREATHTAKING BEAUTY

DISCOVER NORWAYS INCREDIBLE COASTAL BIRDLIFE

Price based on two people sharing an inside cabin on a full board basis travelling in September 2014. Not included: fl ights, transfers, optional excursions, travel insurance and portage. Offer applies to new bookings only, subject to availability and Hurtigrutens normal booking conditions.

THE MIDNIGHT SUN AT NORTH CAPE

ATLANTIC PUFFINSWITNESS THE MAGNIFICENT SEA EAGLE

For more information or to book please call 020 3740 5663, see your travel agent or visit www.hurtigruten.co.uk

FANTASTIC SAVINGS!

Kirkenes Bergen

6-days from just

794pp including full board!

THE BEAUTIFUL LOFOTEN ISLANDS


Our first 20 Local Patch Reporters are BBC Wildlife readers aged between 10 and 64 who live from Dorset in the south to Shetland in the far north. Throughout the year they will be exploring and reporting on wildlife in their surrounding area, so make sure to check out their online diaries, photos and videos. Recent highlights include an encounter with a capercaillie, some strange Dulux deer, photos of Bristols urban peregrines, a camera-grabbing toad and several close badger encounters.

RICHARD COMONT OXFORDSHIREAs I watched a huge queen red-tailed bumblebee

prospecting a nest site, I noticed several comfrey

plants were looking distinctly ragged. A closer

look revealed 36 yellow-and-black, inch-long hairy

caterpillars the larvae of scarlet tiger moths.

ZOE CHEADLE STAFFORDSHIREI wanted to catch a glimpse of the great crested

grebes on my local lake doing the famous mating

dance. Despite my patience I had no luck. But I

did spot one carrying nesting material. Then, as

I looked closer, I realised it had a pike in its beak!

JONATHAN PROUD YORKSHIREIn February I joined a beach clean at Flamborough

Head the first clean there since the tidal surge

in December 2013. We found the usual rubbish,

but also two catshark egg cases, clusters of whelk

eggs, a guillemot skull and fossils in the rocks.

SARA FROST WEST SCOTLANDI set up cameras in my garden and

loft (because I heard a scuttling

sound coming from there) to see

which species were showing up

when I wasnt around. Im pleased

the food was much appreciated

I captured footage of pheasants,

chanches, a robin, a rabbit, a roe

deer (below) and a house mouse

with a soft spot for peanut butter.

Visit www.discoverwildlife.com to see Saras video of a roe deer in her garden.

APRILMOON PHASES

15FULL

MOON

14 MAYFULL

MOON

29NEW

MOON

NIGHTWATCH APRIL

OBSERVE WOODCOCK DISPLAY FLIGHTSWoodcock are nocturnal wading

birds that nest in damp woods.

Their bat-like display flight over

forest clearings, tracks, rides and

heaths, called roding, is carried

out by males looking for receptive

females during the breeding season

from late March to the end of June.

The birds fly a circuit, just above

treetop height, uttering croaks

and squeaks. Andrew Hoodless of

the Game & Wildlife Conservation

Trust says that the males usually

rode for longer on cold, moonlit

nights. When there is a new moon,

the birds tend to rode at dusk and

dawn. But when the moon is full,

they can rode all night, he explains.

Visit www.woodcockwatch.com

to find out more.

LOOK OUT FOR the April Lyrids meteor

shower, which is visible from 16 to 26 April.

Produced by dust particles from a comet,

it will peak on the night of 22 April. Find

out more: www.skyatnightmagazine.com

Hear the bizarre squeaks of roding woodcock at dusk.

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Watch videos and read the photo diaries of our Local Patch Reporters at www.discoverwildlife.com/localpatchreporters

WILD APRIL


WILD

Leaf weevilPHYLLOBIUS PYRI

57mm. Elongated head and beak; green with gold spangles, becoming darker with age. On trees and shrubs.

Dor beetleGEOTRUPES STERCORARIUS

1525mm. Shiny with a bluish tinge, spiky legs and grooved wingcases. Larvae feed on dung in grassland.

Ground beetlePOECILUS CUPREUS

1113mm. Green or coppery sheen; grooved wingcases. Open, dry, grassy areas; less common in north.

2-spot ladybird ADALIA 2-PUNCTATA

45mm. Usually two black spots on red wingcases; forms with red spots on black also exist. Now declining.

Sexton beetle NICROPHORUS VESPILLOIDES

Up to 30mm. Attracted to dead birds and mammals, which its larvae eat. Also called burying or carrion beetle.

Ground beetleNOTIOPHILUS BIGUTTATUS

56mm. Small, with proportionately huge eyes. Hunts tiny springtails and mites on paths and in flowerbeds.

Violet ground beetle CARABUS VIOLACEUS

2030mm. Shiny body has purplish sheen. Active nocturnal predator; by day hides under logs and stones.

Thick-legged flower beetle OEDEMERA NOBILIS810mm. Iridescent green, with long, narrow wingcases and swollen thighs. Feeds on pollen in flowery places.

Lily beetleLILIOCERIS LILII

68mm. Non-native; feeds on lily leaves and buds. Spreading north, recently reaching Scotland.

Devils coach horseOCYPUS OLENS

2030mm. Long body and very large jaws. Lifts tail if alarmed. Hides under logs, stones or leaves; hunts at night.

7-spot ladybrid COCCINELLA 7-PUNCTATA

58mm. Seven black spots on red wingcases. The most abundant and frequently seen native ladybird.

Harlequin ladybirdHARMONIA AXYRIDIS

78mm. Very variable; often red with black spots, or black with red spots. Non-native; predator of UK ladybirds.

As the weather warms up, invertebrates are much in evidence and in Britain

few groups are as colourful and varied as the beetles. We have over 4,000 species, including no fewer than 300 ground beetles. So to make things simpler for this challenge, the ones pictured are abundant and easy to identify.

Most of your dozen target species are active by day and can be seen in parks or gardens, though a couple will take a bit more searching. The dor beetle, for example, is mostly found on dung-strewn grassland, while the sexton beetle undertaker of the beetle world seeks out corpses to bury as a larder for its grubs.

Good methods to find beetles include sifting leaf litter, peering under logs and stones, checking foliage, and burying pit traps in flowerbeds overnight. Good luck!

BEETLES

challenge

NEXT MONTHS WILD

CHALLENGE: WEEDS

TELL US WHAT YOU FIND!

We would love to know which beetles and other British wildlife you spot this April.

Email your photographs and stories to us at

[email protected] with Wild Challenge in the subject line, for a chance to appear in print or online.

I

For your quest this month weve picked a dozen common beetles. Photocopy this page or you can download it at www.discoverwildlife.com

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YourWILD APRIL


oakwoodsDISCOVEROur ancient oakwoods are Britains answer to rainforests and bursting with life in spring.

Oak trees are long-lived (many are at least 500 years old) and support more wildlife than other native UK trees, including

over 280 species of insect alone. This diversity of species is greatest in ancient oakwoods, making them superb places to see the endlessly repeating cycle of death and renewal in action. Youll get more out of a visit if you experience the habitat as a whole, so seek representatives of each part of the web of life in the wood, from recyclers such as fungi and beetles to a predator such as the sparrowhawk. Spring is the most exciting time to explore oakwoods as birdsong and wildflower displays both peak now.

Dead wood

Wildflowers

OExplore rotting branches and tree trunks for an array of fungi and lichen. Peel back loose bark and moss to look for minibeasts (take small plastic bottles to examine your finds). Also hunt for signs of small mammals, including droppings and nibbled seeds.

OMany oakwood flowers bloom before the canopy has fully unfurled and casts the ground in deep shade. In April widespread species to look for include bluebells, ramsons (wild garlic), red campion, wood anemones, dog violets and greater stitchwort.

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Tracks

Ferns

OPeople arent the only ones to follow paths through the wood. Keep an eye out for roe deer footprints in mud and the dark, twisted scats left by badgers these often contain bits of fur or seeds. You might also smell the potent whi left by a scent-marking fox.

O Dont ignore ferns their leaves shelter a variety of insects and are good subjects for photography. The inverted shuttlecock-like specimens in this picture are royal ferns, with fronds up to 3m tall, but there are a dozen or so other common species in woods.

POLYPODY FERNSprouts from shady banks and tree trunks. Lumps on frond undersides are called sori, and contain spores.

JAYRaucous shrieks are a sign this forest crow is in the area. In flight its bright white rump is a giveaway.

RED CAMPION Search paths and clearings. Nectar source for brimstone, small white and orange-tip butterflies (below).

ORANGETIP BUTTERFLYFlits along sunny paths and woodland rides. Orange colour warns predators it tastes foul.

WOOD WARBLERSummer migrant to deciduous woods, mostly in uplands and in the west. Male has a trilling song.

LOOK OUT FOR...

Our ancient oakwoods, such as Aughton Woods

in Lancashire, are a must-see this spring.

WILD APRIL


The transformation of frogspawn into froglets is a miracle everyone should see.

These gelatinous globules contain miracles waiting to happen.

DO IT THIS MONTH

Seize the day this spring to witness a bizarre alchemy in action. The metamorphosis of frogspawn into tadpoles and, eventually,

froglets offers a unique window into amphibian development from ovum to embryo, larva and adult. Window is an apt word: the transparent spawn renders the process visible start to finish.

You could visit a pond regularly, but creating a tadpole aquarium indoors makes watching much easier. Fill a clean, plastic 10-litre tank with rain or pond water from the same source as the spawn (avoid using tapwater treated with chemicals). Add a bed of stones or gravel and some pondweed, and finally the spawn, ideally collected from your garden or school pond.

You dont need much, says Jeremy Biggs of the Freshwater Habitats Trust (www.freshwaterhabitats.org.uk). As a rough guide, aim for about half-a-dozen tadpoles per litre of water. One clump of spawn may well represent a couple of thousand eggs!

Keep the tank on a shelf or windowsill out of direct sunlight, changing the water once or twice a week remove a third, then top up with fresh (not tap) water at the same temperature.

At first tadpoles eat their own spawn, then they nibble algae, but you can supplement this with tiny titbits of chopped boiled lettuce, rabbit food or cold-water fish flakes. Later, as their legs appear, tadpoles become carnivorous theyll eat each other unless you provide fare such as bloodworms or fish-fry food for livebearers.

As tadpoles develop front legs, reduce the water depth, Jeremy says. Keep some moss and stones above water level so the froglets can climb out, otherwise they might drown

as their lungs develop. Finally return the grown tadpoles or froglets where you found the spawn, to avoid spreading disease or invasive plant species.

This miracle in stop-motion is something we at BBC Wildlife think you must witness at least once.

TADPOLE DEVELOPMENT

Watch frogs develop

TO GET THE MOST OUT OF WATCHING

THIS AMAZING METAMORPHOSIS, KEEP A DIARY OF THE KEY EVENTS.

04 WEEKSBaby tadpole has a long, keeled tail and visible gills. Eats spawns last yolk; at 10 days starts grazing algae.

68 WEEKSSpeckles appear. External gills lost as internal gills later replaced by lungs start to develop.

812 WEEKSBack legs sprout first the knees, then double-jointed limbs (above).

1216 WEEKSFront legs complete; tail lost. Metamorphosis to carnivorous, air-breathing froglet is complete.Fr

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WILD APRIL

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WILD APRILMany so-called scatter hoarders, such as jays and crows, are adept at remembering other birds caches and pilfering their food. Thanks to researchers at Lund University, great tits have now been added to this thieves guild even though they dont hoard food themselves. Successfully memorising the caches of other birds probably requires more brainpower than remembering their own, because they only get to learn locations from a safe distance.Mammals such as skunks that defend

themselves by spraying noxious chemicals tend to be nocturnal, but why? Well, the night-time is the domain of ambush predators, against which a face-full of skunk-juice is the best defence. Social mammals such as meerkats, on the other hand, are active during the day, when birds of prey and other visual predators are about. The best defence against them is many pairs of eyes to watch for approaching danger, rather than chemical warfare.

Dont cache, do carryWhat? Great tits steal other birds food stores.

Creating a stinkWhat? The best defence mechanism for nocturnal animals is a bad smell.

DiscoveriesThe latest news in scientific research, by Stuart Blackman.

Since the turn of the millennium the number of beaked whale species known to science has risen from 19 to 22. The latest of these mysterious, deep-sea cetaceans to surface, Mesoplodon hotaula, has been described following detailed analysis of the carcasses of seven unidentified whales stranded on remote islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans over the past half-century. Unsurprisingly virtually nothing is yet known about its biology like most of the other 21 species in the group, in fact.

Rising from the depthsWhat? A new species of beaked whale pops up from the deep.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey have been testing whether Very High Resolution satellite imagery can monitor whale populations from space. Using an image of the Golfo Nuevo in Argentina, a breeding ground for southern right whales, they demonstrated that whales can be identified and using specially designed software counted automatically, raising the possibility of scaling things up to monitor the animals worldwide.

SOURCE PLoS ONE

LINK http://bit.ly/1otyTJW

Counting whales from spaceWhat? Scientists are using satellites to monitor whale populations.

4 ARGENTINA

4 PACIFIC & INDIAN OCEANS

4 USA & SOUTHERN AFRICA 4 SWEDEN

SOURCE Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

LINK http://bit.ly/1iuLibP

SOURCE Evolution LINK http://bit.ly/1nEOeG3

SOURCE Marine Mammal Science

LINK http://bit.ly/1ctck5g

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Gibbons sing duets, grebes wave pondweed and humans finish each others sentences. But pairs of Coquerels sifakas express the strength of their bond by smelling alike. At the start of their relationship the lemurs spend a lot of time investigating each others territorial scent- marks, and soon they start scent-marking the same places together. And by the time they first have ospring their odours have converged, perhaps in order to present a united front to rivals.

Lemurs use their scent as cementWhat? How sifakas tell the world that they are in love.

SOURCE Animal Behaviour

LINK http://bit.ly/1gdmpQw

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No one wants to see a distressed elephant, and new research shows that Asian elephants console group members that are upset. Elephants signal pain or distress by pushing their ears forward, holding their tail erect and vocalising, and this behaviour encourages other elephants to approach and reassure the victim. Bonobos, chimps and gorillas console members of their groups in similar ways, focusing on the face and gently probing the mouth with a finger.

Bumblebees can fly to altitudes where the air is so thin that even helicopters struggle to generate lift. Chinese alpine bumblebees Bombus impetuosus have been recorded flying to the equivalent of 9,000m higher than Everest in a low-pressure flight chamber. Its not yet clear why evolution has equipped them with such capabilities they only forage up to 5,600m in the wild.

A big, big shoulder to cry onWhat? Like the great apes, Asian elephants reassure friends in distress.

At the top of the worldWhat? Bumblebees could fly to the top of Mount Everest if they wanted to.

4 THAILAND

4 MADAGASCAR

4 CHINA AND NEPAL

SOURCE PeerJ LINK http://bit.ly/MawEvu

SOURCE Biology Letters

LINK http://bit.ly/1g4pqkm

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This years snowdrop display was astonishing but do these blooms belong here?

They were some kind of compensation for the drabbest and dampest of winters and perhaps, for

those who like the stuff, the almost complete absence of snow. What we got instead, right through February and into March, were drifts and blizzards of snowdrops. It happened across most of the UK, and no one I know has ever seen a display like it.

Snowdrops overflowed from ditches, lay like bright moonlight on woodland floors and even pushed through on the edges of arable fields. What was astonishing was the sheer scale of the spread. Based on colonies I know well, Id say that existing feral populations and new start-ups have more than doubled in 12 months, a rate that puts snowdrops firmly in that demonised company of (and this may surprise some readers) invasive non-natives.

Until the mid-1990s, when I was compiling the book Flora Britannica, it was assumed that a few colonies in remote parts of the West Country might be native. Now the consensus is that all snowdrops are escapes from cultivation. John Gerard, writing in 1597, knew what he called the timely flowering bulbous violet only from gardens, and the first reliable record from the wild was not until 1778.

Many of the most spectacular snowdrop locations are around the sites of ancient abbeys and priories for instance, at Walsingham, Shaftesbury, Dunwich, Ankerwyke and Burford and the bulbs were probably first brought to Britain by Continental monks in the Middle Ages. The purity of the white blooms made snowdrops the special flower of Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, which falls on 2 February.

As one of the earliest flowers of the year and one of the most beautiful of any season snowdrops soon became garden favourites. Scores of new species and varieties appeared doubles, hybrids, frills and that increasingly frequent naturalisation from south-east Europe, the greater snowdrop Galanthus elwesii, with blooms like small iced pears.

The Rev. Harpur Crewe, of Drayton Beauchamp in Buckinghamshire, raised a green-petalled variety in the 1880s (and, some villagers swear, a pale pink one).

Our snowdrop festivals now outnumber bluebell days, and a few people can remember a more practical thanksgiving, when snowdrops were planted to light the route from house to outside privy during the dark days of February.

But what is fascinating is how these beloved domestic and monastic colonies broke bounds, ramped across our countryside and became thoroughly naturalised here. Snowdrops are pollinated by bees, but this rarely happens in the British climate. Mostly they spread by bulb division, the bulblets being carried away by floods or rainwash. In Wiltshire, one of the best snowdrop counties, they seep perceptibly into stream valleys and damp runnels, so that even the most subtle low contours are marked by white tracery.

This years extraordinary blooming may be a result of 2013s hard winter and hot summer promoting bulb division, and the deluges of autumn spreading the results around. Snowdrops are now

clearly competing with impeccable British early natives such as primroses and lesser celandines. So how will the purists in the immigrant plant border control lobby respond? By adding snowdrop scrunching to balsam bashing? Beauty, cultural history and human affection have rarely been considered mitigating factors in judgments passed on non-natives.

Due to the floods this winter, next years Galanthus storm may be unstoppable. A Dorset friend tells me that she spotted a detached window box full of what they

refer to as February fairmaids in that part of the world, sailing down the River Tarrant.

Richard Mabey

THE EXTRAORDINARY BLOOMING MAY BE DUE TO 2013S HARD WINTER, HOT SUMMER AND THE DELUGES OF AUTUMN.

A BRUSH WITH NATURE

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RICHARD MABEY is one of Britains best-loved nature writers and has written for BBC Wildlife since 1984. Hear his Mabey in the Wild series at www.bbc.co.uk/radio


Mousetraps are a long-running source of drama chez Bill as well as in the West End.

Its mouse-catching time in the Oddie household. They might be woodmice, but they are not pedantic enough to stick to woods.

In fact they are partial to visiting our TV room, and the first indication of their presence is usually the sound of my wife Laura screaming. In itself this is a noise I am used to, because she is an aficionado of the horror genre. But there is a world of difference between a Walking Dead scream and a woodmouse scream.

The latter expresses not so much revulsion as surprise, and is usually followed by, Bill, did you see that? It ran behind the sofa. There! You must have seen that one.

Yes, I did. And that one.You mean there are two?There could be 22!Theres another mouse its

climbed down the curtains. Now its behind your chair!

At which point I sense a frisson up and down my back.

Its on your shoulder! Laura gasps.

Since I am actually very fond of mice, I break into a song of joy: Theres A Woodmouse On My Shoulder to the tune of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. But my wife is not amused. Put the traps out, she demands.

They are, of course, humane traps little perspex boxes with a hinged door at one end that shuts if a mouse is tempted in by the bait. This can be a few seeds, some bits of fruit or just crumbs. I dont recommend a big wedge of cheese la Tom and Jerry, but I do find that woodmice can rarely resist a small cube of dark chocolate, especially if its Belgian.

Surprising as it may sound, these traps really work. If I put out two or three, I expect to find at least one mouse the next morning. Snug in their little box, they often seem strangely content. Any trembling surely

indicates not so much fear as excitement that a night of imprisonment is at an end.

However, Mousey might not be quite so thrilled if he knew that I was not going to release him into the garden, whence he would no doubt scuttle back indoors. But how far you have to transport a mouse to be certain that it wont find its way home is a matter of debate among the tea-shop society of Lower Hampstead.

The caf owner insists you have to release it at least a mile away, the estate agent says half a mile is enough, the

student reckons a couple of hundred yards and the once-famous rock musician believes that the homing capabilities of mice are so good that you have to take them on a bus ride and a long bus ride at that.

I have now developed a finely honed routine. I cross the busy main road and head off to Hampstead Heath, and an area that I assume is woodmouse-friendly since there are lots of trees. I open the trapdoor and let my captives leave in their own time. They are rarely in a hurry, often having a final nibble of the bait before turning round and realising they can escape. At which point they shuffle forwards and perch at the opening, rather like a baby bird about to fledge. However, fledglings tend to flap and plummet, while woodmice leap as if propelled by a spring (they ought to go Boing! or Wheee!). As soon as they hit the ground, they vanish.

Though you do have to be careful where you release a small rodent, because there may be other eyes watching. I never

release a mouse in the middle of an open meadow that would be like delivering meals-on-wheels to the local kestrels. I choose somewhere shady with lots of dead leaves and fallen trunks to hide behind or under, where the only potential predators are Hampstead dogs (not that I have ever seen a terrier, poodle or pug catch one). And because there is such a density of dogs on the heath, it is almost a cat-free zone.

Indeed it should be a paradise for woodmice, so why they are tempted into my house beats me. I caught another one

this morning. Or was it the same one? Are there two, or 22? I guess well never know.

Bill Oddie

I NEVER RELEASE A MOUSE IN THE

MIDDLE OF AN OPEN MEADOW

THAT WOULD BE LIKE MEALSON

WHEELS FOR THE LOCAL KESTRELS.

WILD AT HEART

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Former Goodie BILL ODDIE OBE has presented natural-history programmes (both serious and silly) for the BBC for well over 10 years.

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SpringwatchDont miss

returning next month

Slouched on the rocks, appearing to do little other than yawn and scratch, blubbery grey seals dont look the most statuesque of species. Their scientific name, which means hook-nosed sea pig, does them no favours either.

But in the sea these pinnipeds literally come into their element. Beautifully adapted for swimming, they slip through the water with supreme agility, the light catching their dappled bodies as they glide through the shallows, nose among the kelp or bolt after prey at speeds of up to 30kph. When travelling fast the seals use their tails for propulsion, flattening their front flippers against their flanks; if swimming at a more sedate pace they hold these limbs out to the side.

Encounters with grey seals are virtually guaranteed if you head to the right stretch of coast. Even if there are none on the shore,

you may spot an inquisitive head bobbing on the seas surface. And if youre willing to don wetsuit and snorkel, you could marvel at their underwater prowess up close for yourself.

Nearly half of all grey seals live on British coasts, with the rest spread between Iceland, Scandinavia and south-east Canada. They fish at sea for most of the year, periodically coming ashore to rest. In autumn large numbers haul out at favoured sites such as Donna Nook in Lincolnshire to deliver pups conceived last year and to mate again a breeding extravaganza thats one of our greatest wildlife spectacles.

1 GREY SEALCHAMPION MONTY HALLS

It dives to 120m, it defies its mammalian heritage to

dominate the marine food-chain, and weve got more of the

species here than anywhere else. The grey seal: as one diver

to another, Im lost in admiration. Monty is a BBC Two presenter and author

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Blakeney Point, NorfolkO Farne Islands, NorthumberlandO Orkney Islands, ScotlandO Skomer Island, PembrokeshireAlex Mus

tard

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These are the 17 wildlife experiences that readers tell us they most want to enjoy this year. Discover what makes them so special, the

best locations and the fieldcraft skills you need to see them.

BRITAINS MOST WANTED

Grey seals are Britains largest living carnivores,

equipped with up to 1,500 nerves at the base of each

super-senstitive, fish-detecting whisker.

April 2014BBC Wildlife36

WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES

It has been suggested that we adore puffins, or sea parrots as they are traditionally known in northern Scotland, because their rotund features and comical gait on land remind us of human babies. That may be a little far-fetched, but theres no doubting the affection in which we hold these charismatic auks.

Despite being pint-sized seabirds just 2728cm in length, puffins are extremely tough, braving storm-tossed seas throughout autumn and winter, out of sight of land. Adults return to their breeding colonies on grassy clifftops in March and April, departing again in mid-August, and the sight and sound of a puffin rookery have to be experienced to be believed.

Parents spend the summer catching fish, mostly sandeels (the record beakful is 61, plus a rockling), and carrying them to their hungry youngster in its burrow. After hatching the puffling remains safely below ground for six weeks before heading to sea under cover of darkness to avoid marauding gulls and skuas. It will be four or five years old before it breeds.

2 PUFFINCHAMPION IOLO WILLIAMS

With its huge, gaudy bill, waddling walk

and croaking call, the puffin never fails

to bring a smile to your face.

Iolo returns to BBC Two to present Springwatch

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Farne Islands, NorthumberlandO Isle of May, FifeO RSPB South Stack, AngleseyO Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire

A pun is one of the few British birds to moult its bill the

garish outer plates drop o in autumn.

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April 2014 BBC Wildlife 37

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Golden eagles mainly prey on hares or birds such as grouse, but also scavenge carrion here a red deer.

3 ADDERCHAMPION SYLVIA SHELDON

I've become extraordinarily fond of adders because I

know them as individuals, having learned to distinguish

one from another by the zigzag patterns on their backs.

Sylvia has studied her local adders for 35 years

With its highly distinctive, viscerally thrilling pattern of diamonds on its back, the adder is one of Britains most exotic native species. It is, after all, our only venomous snake and venomous creatures are normally associated with the tropics. Paradoxically, though, its also remarkable for being the worlds only snake found within the Arctic Circle.

Sadly, as our champion Sylvia Sheldon says, Adders need friends. Theyre increasingly rare in the north and Midlands due to agricultural intensification and development, though good numbers survive in areas such as the south-west and Wales. Adders like rough grasslands, heaths and moorland, but anywhere with sunny spots for basking, dense cover for shelter and plenty of prey small mammals, on the whole will do.

Vision 10 times sharper than ours, a mighty 2.2m wingspan, massive talons and a meat-cleaver bill that strips flesh from bone the golden eagle is an impressive predator. But even this majestic raptor, Britains second largest after the reintroduced white-tailed eagle, vanishes in the vastness of its upland home. Top photographers spend entire days in hides to capture portraits of eagles lured to carcasses, so what chance do the rest of us have of an encounter?

RSPB eagle aficionado David Sexton recommends staking out a lofty viewpoint in the Scottish Highlands or islands (the highest eagle densities are on the west coast), then patiently scanning ridges back and forth. With luck, a soaring bird will crest the skyline. Eagles are most active on fine, breezy days after spells of bad weather, which grounds them, David says. Autumn is particularly productive as youngsters (which sport white patches on the wings and tail) will be flying too, boosting Scotlands adult population of 440 pairs.

But beware confusion with buzzards, nicknamed tourist eagles due to the frequency with which they are misidentified. True goldies have amazingly long wings with deeply fingered tips. Theyre also shy and quiet if you see a bird perched on a pole or fence near a road, or hear it mewing, its probably a buzzard.

4 GOLDEN EAGLECHAMPION JOHN AITCHISON

One species makes my heart race

whenever I see it: what else could it be

but the golden eagle? Its Scotlands

ultimate bird the epitome of wild places.

John is a cameraman who often works for the BBC

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Eagle Observatory, Isle of HarrisO Findhorn Valley, Inverness-shireO Glen More, Isle of MullO RSPB The Oa, Islay

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Carsegowan Moss, Dumfries and GallowayO Humberhead Peatlands, South YorkshireO Parc Slip, GlamorganO Wyre Forest, Worcestershire

Adders wait for their envenomed prey to die before

swallowing it whole.


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6 COMMON DOLPHINCHAMPION MAYA PLASS

Were an island nation, yet the ocean ecosystem that

surrounds us is a mystery to most Britons. Common

dolphins are a very visible sign of how vibrant and

diverse our sea life really is. Maya is a marine biologist and BBC presenter

There is no mistaking the creamy yellow hourglass pattern on this sleek-looking dolphin as it leaps from the water. Though you may catch sight of one from land, youre more likely to see pods of these highly inquisitive cetaceans out at sea, where groups of 1030 approach boats and ride their bow waves (bottlenose dolphins usually stay inshore).

Breaching dolphins can be spotted from a considerable distance and their location is also given away by flocks of diving gannets, which like them hunt schooling fish such as mackerel and herring. Recent studies have questioned just how intelligent dolphins are, says marine biologist Maya Plass. But its their ability to organise themselves socially that we relate to most, and that in itself is a sign of intelligence.

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Devon coastO Hebrides, ScotlandO Isle of Man ferryO Isles of Scilly ferry

If youve ever seen a pine marten in the wild, then congratulations it puts you in an elite 5 per cent of British people and also sets you apart from David Attenborough who, almost incredibly, has yet to get this tick on his life list.

Pine martens are hard to see in the British Isles, its true theyre shy woodland animals that have been ousted from much of their range by persecution and habitat loss, so you must travel to Scotland or parts of Ireland to have a chance of seeing one. Yet the slinky species may have been the second most abundant carnivore here 6,500 years ago, after the weasel.

But if you do want to spot all 17 of our must-see animals in 2014, the pine marten may actually be one of the easiest you just need to overnight at a place where these mustelids are known to visit and jam or peanut butter are offered. Though pine martens hunt small mammals and birds, theyre omnivores that cant resist a sweet or nutty treat.

Slowly but surely, pine martens are starting to take back some of their old stomping grounds as BBC Wildlife reported in February, pine martens may be recolonising North Yorkshire, and theres mounting evidence of their presence in some parts of Wales.

5 PINE MARTENCHAMPION SIR JOHN LISTERKAYE

Acrobats in chocolate and orange,

graceful, pert, intelligent and as fluid

as mercury, pine martens are for me

the most charismatic of British mammals.

Sir John is a nature writer and conservationist

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Aigas Field Centre, Inverness-shireO Ardnamurchan Peninsula, HighlandO Loch Eck Caravan Park, Argyll and ButeO Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Stirling

If the luck of the gods is with you (more likely in summer), you might spot a pine marten hunting by day.

Swift and agile swimmers, common dolphins can hit 15kph.



Kingfishers are endlessly surprising. Theyre smaller than most people realise (only sparrow-sized) and, strictly speaking, not even blue either a brown pigment in their plumage appears iridescent azure due to a light-scattering phenomenon called the Tyndall effect. And these living jewels are elusive, materialising when you least expect them.

To spot kingfishers, patience and planning are key. Though not uncommon, theyre thinly spread, and if people or dogs approach along the bank they often jink away from the waterside, circling back to reappear 3050m further on. Going for a stroll is not the best strategy for a sighting. Photographer Andy Holts tip is to wait in a hide or among bankside vegetation. The birds have a territory up to 34km long, depending on habitat, and follow a circuit, he says. If you wait two or three hours one will come past in the end. Its no coincidence that anglers see most of these sprites.

Kingfishers love gin-clear, slow-moving water with reeds in the shallows or overhanging willows, where they perch low to dive for minnows or preen (they preen a lot). Theyre often spotted where drainage ditches, culverts or streams join a larger waterway.

7 KINGFISHERCHAMPION KATE HUMBLE

It all starts with a high-pitched, urgent

peep that sets you scanning frantically

for an iridescent flash of unmistakable

blue. Theres anticipation mixed with the fear that

you might just miss it. Kate is a BBC presenter

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Lackford Lakes, SuffolkO RSPB Rye Meads, HertfordshireO Tophill Low & Potteric Carr, YorkshireO WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire

Kingfishers target minnows and other tiddlers. A pair with chicks to feed can

catch 115 fish a day.

Ospreys are making a big splash in Britain. Their return from the brink of extinction is a heartwarming success story from a single pair in 1954, they have bounced back to 270 pairs in Scotland, England and Wales today. In 2001 ospreys were introduced to Rutland Water and colonised Cumbria, and helped by the spread of young birds they reclaimed Wales in 2004 and Northumberland in 2009.

Hopes are high that birds may soon nest at wetlands in Derbyshire, Somerset, the south coast or East Anglia, says Tim Mackrill of the Rutland Osprey Project. Artificial nests attract unpaired young adults looking for a territory a third of Scottish nests are artificial.

Ospreys are easy to identify, though in some views can resemble large gulls due to their pale plumage and flight style. Migrants turn up at fresh waters almost anywhere during

their northbound migration in MarchMay and southbound return in AugustSeptember, but to be sure of unforgettable views visit a breeding site. A dozen or so British osprey nests (including at the four sites listed below) have observatories with webcams, telescopes and experts on hand to show you the birds.

For the thrill of an osprey fishing, head to the waterfront hides at Manton Bay on Rutland Water or Rothiemurchus Trout Fishery near Aviemore. At the former site, a reservoir home to five nesting pairs in 2013, you can also enjoy an osprey-spotting cruise on the Rutland Belle.

8 OSPREYCHAMPION BRETT WESTWOOD

A fishing osprey is dedication distilled. As it plunges

waterwards those glaring eyes have one focus the fish

soon to be hoisted aloft in a cloud of spray and carried

to the birds huge dishmop nest. Brett is a BBC Radio 4 presenter

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Bassenthwaite Lake, CumbriaO Cors Dyfi, PowysO Loch of the Lowes, Perth & KinrossO Rutland Water, RutlandAn

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An osprey seizes a rainbow trout at

Rothiemurchus Trout Fishery. Its talons have

spiny undersides to grip struggling fish.


HERO SPECIES

11 HAZEL DORMOUSECHAMPION BILL ODDIE OBE

Scientists tend to frown on sentimentality, but if you

dont go Aw at a dormouse, you have lost your soul.

Bill is a BBC presenter and writes for BBC Wildlife (see p31)

Not for nothing is this rodent called the dormouse. The Latin root dormire, meaning to sleep, is believed to be the derivation of its name, and it can certainly snooze. At the first sign of cold weather the dormouse takes to a hole in the ground or a nestbox on a tree, often as early as October, after feasting on autumnal nuts and berries to reach its minimum hibernation weight of 40g. And then it snuggles down until April the following year. Thats a seven-month siesta for sleepiness only the hedgehog (among British mammals) comes close.

But the dormouses talent for marathon-length naps does not really explain its appeal. Perhaps thats down to it being the archetypal cutesy small mammal golden fur on top, pale cream belly below, button-black eyes and a soft, fluffy tail with no rat-like bare skin in sight.

The dormouse prefers woodland coppice and ancient hedgerows, both habitats in decline due to agricultural intensification. To meet this sleepiest of mammals, join a summer nestbox check organised by the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) or The Wildlife Trusts.

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Bradfield Woods, SuffolkO Briddlesford Woods, Isle of WightO Cheddar Gorge, SomersetO Croes Robert Wood, Monmouthshire

10 RED DEERCHAMPION JOHNNY KINGDOM

Our biggest land mammal keeps luring me back for

more. I love following stags fortunes, from antlers

being shed and regrown to the testosterone rush

of the autumn rut. Johnny is a TV presenter and lover of Exmoor

A deep, throaty groan reverberating across woodland, heath or moor, coupled with the combat of sexually mature stags, is what makes the red deer rut a visceral highlight of Britains wildlife calendar. But the prelude to this big event is a fascinating series of subtler seasonal changes. In March the antlers of the biggest stags start to fall off and theres a race on Exmoor to find the first pair, says Johnny Kingdom. The antler drop continues until June and it takes just a few weeks for new velvet-covered antlers to begin growing. In August the deer will start to rub this covering off against the bark of trees. Most of our red deer live in the Scottish Highlands and islands, with smaller numbers in areas such as Exmoor and East Anglia and at deer parks. Populations are thriving in Scotland to the point that culls are being considered (see p49), yet hybridisation with non-native sika deer may mean that eventually Britains only pure red deer herds will exist on islands.

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Cairngorms, ScotlandO Exmoor, DevonO Isle of Rum, ScotlandO Westleton Heath, Suffolk

With a UK population of 220,000 breeding pairs 56 per cent of the world population the northern gannet is a bird that we can say is mainly ours. Not only that: here is a species that, unlike most seabirds, has been increasing in number at roughly 2 per cent a year since the early 1900s. Its a rare example of wildlife bucking the global trend for decline and fall.

Though falling well, diving is what a gannet does best. From a height of up to 40m above the sea, four times as high as the top board in an Olympic pool, this bullet of a bird reaches speeds of 100kph. To cope with the violent impact, it has inflatable sacs under the skin of its chest and face, plus nostrils inside its bill to stop seawater shooting into its lungs. Most dives are just a few metres deep, but some reach 10m as the bird chases herring, mackerel or sandeels.

Watching gannets plunge-dive may be high drama, but the sight of breeding pairs faithfully greeting one another is a wildlife spectacle as touching as any in Britain, making a trip to a gannet colony a must.

9 GANNETCHAMPION DAVID LINDO

Their whiteness, sheer number, amazing

dives, size, raucous noise when I visit a

gannetry these thoughts flood my mind.

David, the Urban Birder, appears regularly on BBC television

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Bass Rock, Firth of ForthO Grassholm Island, PembrokeshireO Hermaness, ShetlandO RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire

Gannets often mate for life and perform elaborate courtship

and greeting displays at their nests.


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Its fussy, its feisty and its partial to feeding on faeces (not to mention rotting fruit and carrion). Meet the purple emperor, our most regal and arguably most sought-after butterfly, which sports a wingspan of up to 9cm. When the summer sunlight catches the wings of a male at just the right angle, they gleam violet and will take your breath away. Females lack the iridescence, being dark chocolate with white markings, but are still impressive insects.

Purple emperors fly from late June to early August, and peak season is usually the first week in July, when butterfly fanciers descend on the woods listed below armed with a weird array of foul-smelling bait. In Britain these showy insects are restricted to southern England and associated with ancient woodland, especially oak, though they also frequent scrub and hedgerows. But there have to be sallows, the only trees on which the females will lay their eggs. Not only that entomologist Matthew Oates says that the leaves must be in shade not full sun, and a specific colour. The leaves have to be mid-green and of medium thickness, have matt upper surfaces and not be too hard in texture. Now thats what we call fussy.

12 PURPLE EMPERORCHAMPION MATTHEW OATES

The purple emperor seems too exotic

to be British, but it is truly, madly,

deeply. Its so engrained within our

culture that it has to be our national butterfly.

Matthew is an ecologist at the National Trust

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Bentley Wood, WiltshireO Bookham Commons, SurreyO Broxbourne Woods, HertfordshireO Fermyn Woods, Northamptonshire

The solid-bone antlers of red deer stags are shed and

regrown annually.

Purple emperors dont visit flowers

but sip tree sap, aphid honeydew,

carrion and dung.

Snug in its hibernation nest, a dormouse falls into a deep torpor and

is cold to the touch.


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15 STAG BEETLECHAMPION

ROSS PIPER

The fleeting adult

stage of the stag beetle

is outlandish in appearance and

clattering in flight. Seeing one is a

joy, making you feel like a big kid.

Ross is an entomologist

and BBC presenter

13 OTTERCHAMPION SIMON KING

With a graceful command of both land

and water and a playful nature, the

otter is definitely my must-see species.

Simon is a film-maker: www.simonkingwildlife.com

Britains biggest beetle is a shiny beast up to 7.5cm long, with massive mandibles in the adult male (right) wielded in battles with rivals. But in truth males are not as pugnacious as billed youre unlikely to witness a scrap. Instead look out for their territorial flights. On sultry May and June evenings males patrol the same circuit over and over rather clumsily prospecting for females to mate with. The latter have modest jaws and are seldom seen.

This most urban of beetles loves leafy gardens and the edges of parks and commons, with strongholds in the south-east and New Forest. It has an incredibly local distribution, says researcher Deborah Harvey. Often it frequents one side of a street but not the other. The species lives six weeks as an adult, yet five or six years underground as a wood-munching grub. Garden owners can help this scarce insect by drilling holes in buckets, filling them with wood chippings, then burying them in their flowerbeds as artificial nesting sites.

Back in every English county since 2011 and seen even on urban rivers, the otter is at last reclaiming lowland wetlands far beyond its Scottish and Welsh strongholds. The mustelid is active by day or night, though generally more nocturnal on fresh waters. To see one, head out at dawn or dusk and scan the waters surface for ripples or a moving wake. On the coast, pick a rising tide. Clues to the presence of otters include tracks and spraints on banks and shores, and whistles between a mother and her cubs in summer.

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Colchester gardens, EssexO New Forest gardens, HampshireO Richmond Park, LondonO Wimbledon Common, London

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Isle of Skye, ScotlandO Shapwick Heath, SomersetO Shetland Islands, ScotlandO Thetford, Norfolk

There is something undeniably Zen about the water vole, according to expert Tom Moorhouse. They live in this amazingly dangerous environment where every predator fox, heron, tawny owl, pike wants to eat them, but they always look so relaxed, chewing calmly at grasses, rushes or sedges until alerted to danger.

Water voles favour open wetlands away from tree cover, with lush vegetation that offers both food and protection. Search flat spots on banks for chopped up piles of vegetation and latrines of 1cm-long droppings. If you do find these signs, put out some apples over the course of a few days, then return in early morning or late evening: you may be rewarded with a sighting of Ratty.

14 WATER VOLECHAMPION TOM MOORHOUSE

Once water voles were an everyday

part of experiencing our countryside.

Seeking them is a way of connecting

with our past. Tom is an ecologist and author

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Cardowan Moss, GlasgowO Cheddar Gorge, SomersetO Cromford Canal, DerbyshireO WWT Arundel, West Sussex

Water vole diets are low in nutrients they must

spend a lot of time eating.

Coastal otters have smaller ranges, and on Scottish islands there may be an otter territory every 23km.


16 BARN OWLCHAMPION CHRIS SPERRING

Seeing a barn owl hunting is inspiring

because the bird indicates the diversity

and health of its environment.

Chris is an owl expert and BBC Radio 4 presenter

Ghostly, angelic, ethereal a barn owl on the hunt is a mesmeric bird. Golden above but all-white at a distance, it drifts 23m above the ground like a giant moth, frequently hovering or banking steeply to change tack. Effortless? In reality its an energetic hunting technique, which is why this steely, intensely focused predator often also hunts from perches.

On a good night an owl catches four or five voles, mice or shrews. Factor in food for the chicks, and a breeding pair may make 5,000 kills a year. Small wonder that barn owls are tied to the richest small-mammal habitat: tussocky, unimproved grassland.

Seeing a barn owl requires luck and you may need it more than ever this year as some populations are at a low ebb after the deluges of 2012 and 2014, and the cold snap in early 2013. Stake out a vantage point with panoramic views of rough grassland or fen an hour before dusk on a calm evening, and sit tight to keep a low profile. Then bide your time.

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Dumfries & Galloway, ScotlandO North NorfolkO Somerset LevelsO Suffolk coast

+ FIND OUT MORE

Springwatch is

back next month.

We choose our

favourite spring activities in

our May issue, on sale 7 May.

Barn owls are a delight to watch they seem to float

through the air, with lazy-looking

wing beats.

17 BASKING SHARKCHAMPION MIRANDA KRESTOVNIKOFF

I get a tingle down my spine every time I swim with a

basking shark even now, nothing prepares me for the

first sight of that huge maw and giant dorsal fin.

Miranda is a BBC presenter and RSPB president

The basking shark is the second largest fish in the sea and must surely have the biggest oral gape proportionate to, say, the diameter of its eyeballs of any creature on Earth. But then wed need big gobs, too, if we grew to 12m long by eating just plankton. One of only three shark species restricted to such a diet, the basking shark finds rich feeding grounds in British waters, particularly during the summer months.

Once we hunted this gentle giant. Valued for its liver oil, meat and fins (the naturalist and writer Gavin Maxwell tried to make his fortune from exploiting this niche), the basking shark was a target for commercial fishing until as recently as the mid-1990s. Thankfully the only hunting taking place in the UK today is a Scottish Natural Heritage-funded satellite-tagging project that is revealing some of the secrets of these extraordinary fish. Check the recent sightings at www.sharktrust.org to track their summer migration up the west coast.

BEST PLACES TO SEE

O Cornwall and DevonO Isle of ManO Northern Irelands north coastO Scotlands west coast, especially Coll

Basking sharks cruise slowly through shallow water rich in

plankton soup.

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BBC Wildlife 49April 2014

ii UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES | BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

SCOTLANDS DEER IN FIRING LINE

Red deer are a magnificent sight in Scotlands forests, but are they having too great an impact on biodiversity?

AGENDAWE ASKED YOU...

Should grey squirrels be culled to protect red squirrels?h SEE YOUR ANSWER ON P57

The Native Woodland Survey of Scotland, a seven-year study by the Forestry Commission, found that herbivore browsing prevents forests regenerating, and that deer are the main culprits.

Deer were recorded as a significant presence in 73 per cent of native woodland areas, livestock in 15 per cent and rabbits/hares in 3.5 per cent, the report states.

According to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the loss of woodland is a threat to species such as capercaillie, crossbills

and wildcats. Its compelling evidence that deer numbers are out of kilter with the natural environment, said the trusts Dr Maggie Keegan.

Deer dont only have an impact on biodiversity.

Scotland is committed to increasing woodland cover

Bbc Wildlife 201404

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