Home/Science/BBC Wildlife Magazine/July 2023/In This Issue
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023DISCOVER wildlifeWater, water, everywhere Heatwaves are becoming more frequent so it’s important to provide water for garden wildlife. For an immediate impact, make your own bird bath or pond now, or get stuck into constructing a rain garden for future years. Find clear and helpful guides at discoverwildlife.com/how-to/make-things. Keep in touch wildlifeletters@immediate.co.uk instagram.com/bbcwildlifemagazine twitter.com/WildlifeMag facebook.com/wildlifemagazine…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Royal blueMOST FLOWERS WITH ‘CORN’ in their name, or that traditionally grow in cornfields, became vanishingly rare over the past century due to agricultural intensification. They include the gorgeous cornflower, an annual at its azure best in July and which once turned much of the countryside into a sea of blue. The iconic bloom is so closely linked to nostalgic ideas of British national identity that it featured on the replica Glastonbury Tor in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and more recently on official invitations to King Charles III’s coronation. Like many plants associated with arable farming, however, the cornflower’s origins in the British Isles are not, in fact, truly ancient. Its seeds were probably brought here from mainland Europe during the Iron Age, mixed in with…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Getting stuck inONE ANIMAL’S WASTE IS ANOTHER’S opportunity and to the common dor beetle, a nice juicy cowpat means lunch. In summer, decent dollops seldom go unnoticed, as these beetles can sniff them from afar. They soon get to work, burrowing into the poo and chewing off chunks to drag into their larval burrows underneath. Afterwards, as the nature writer Amy-Jane Beer has observed, the pat can end up looking as pockholed as a burnt crumpet! Common dor beetles are among 60 or so species of dung beetle in Britain. Few roll dung balls in the ‘classic’ way beloved of natural-history film-makers – most just dive headfirst into the dung and lay their eggs there, while others bury the dung on the spot and lay their eggs there. You won’t find many…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023GILLIAN BURKEARE WE HOOKED ON THE IDEA that life on Earth is a constant and ever-unfolding drama? What if life is really mostly about tolerance and compromise? Recently, I had the chance to closely observe vervet monkeys and I really grew to hate them. Modest in size at up to half a metre in length and slight, these grey-green primates (with adult males sporting anything-but-modest blue testicl*s) were a menace. Ubiquitous across many regions of sub-Saharan Africa and naturalised in parts of the Caribbean and as far west as Florida, my time with the vervets was at a resort on the Kenyan coast where they invariably mobbed, mugged and harassed tourists and their children. The monkeys took food and even mobile phones, snatching them with calm reassurance. In response, the humans…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Open and shut case?MOST FISH WOULD PERFORM PRETTY well in a staring competition. But not, perhaps, the mudskipper. Because unlike most fish, mudskippers can blink. And new research into how they do it provides clues to its origin in land animals such as ourselves. Soft tissues such as eyelids and muscles are not preserved in the fossil record. Which is why biologists have turned to mudskippers for clues to how early terrestrial vertebrates evolved the ability to keep their eyeballs moist on land. Research published in the journal PNAS suggests that these amphibious gobies have come up with a fairly straightforward solution: they retract their eyeballs into their skull using already-existing musculature so that the surrounding tissue acts as ready-made eyelids. “It is sufficient to achieve a bunch of functions that are associated…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023BEACH BABYFew things in life are cuter than a baby seal. July is peak pupping season for common, or harbour, seals – unlike greys, which give birth in autumn and early winter. Another difference is that common seal pups are born with a spotty adult coat and can be swimming within hours, whereas white-furred grey seal pups suckle on shore for several weeks before taking the plunge.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Peck outTweet of the Day: Chris Baines enjoys great spotted woodpeckers YOUNG BIRDS SEEM TO BE EVERYWHERE in July and many look confusing or downright ‘odd’. They fledge in a juvenile plumage that can be strikingly different from their future adult coloration. Songbirds generally keep these juvenile feathers for several weeks or months, moulting into adult plumage later in summer or autumn, whereas gulls and birds of prey take far longer to become fully adult. The great spotted woodpecker is a good example, and since the species is both widespread and common, you have an excellent chance of encountering juveniles in woods, parks and gardens this month. Unlike adults, they have an entirely red cap, as well as less red under the tail, which often leads people to misidentify them as…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023POO CORNER ID GUIDEHare droppings are like rabbit droppings but bigger (1.5–2cm in diameter), flattened and more fibrous, containing larger bits of plants. They are usually quite sweet-smelling – “like a digestive biscuit and mown hay”, according to The Mammal Society – and can be found in hare scrapes, on bare ground of farmland and edges of grassland. As grass is incredibly hard to digest, hares eat their own droppings in a process known as refection, which gives them the chance get some extra nutrients.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023PURE SHORES MACHAIR IN BLOOMThe broadcaster, naturalist and tour guide shares the most breathtaking seasonal events in Britain COMING FROM THE GAELIC FOR a fertile, low-lying grassy plain, ‘machair’ describes a rare coastal habitat, famed not only for its plentiful bird life in spring but also its beautiful array of wildflowers throughout summer. Covering a total area of just 19,000ha globally, machair is not just one of the rarest habitat types in Britain, but also right across Europe. It can only be found along a few exposed Atlantic-facing coasts in north-west Scotland and Ireland, with the majority concentrated along the western shores of the Outer Hebrides, Tiree and Coll. Machair grassland usually sits alongside white sandy beaches and among sand dunes, and will even merge into marshes as it stretches inland. It began to…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023VOLE ON A ROLLIT’S NOT OFTEN THAT respectable conservationists dare to utter the c-word, but when a small, furred head pops up above its straw refuge, there is more than one exclamation of “Oh, they’re so cute!” We are gathered in the yard of Trelusback Farm, Cornwall, helping to ferry cages from a van and stack them in a small barn, the only refuge from the dour weather. Apples and carrots are being chopped, lists being crosschecked and release cages being readied. Occasionally a soft brown face peers out to observe the proceedings, nostrils flaring to reveal a flash of bright orange teeth. But amidst the adorable animals, vintage tractors and wistful stories of childhood sightings, we are conscious of the seriousness of the occasion. We are preparing for a groundbreaking moment: 116…10 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023ON THE EDGEAfrican elephant Photo by Marsel van Oosten, Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia “The elephants in this area have relatively small tusks, and many of them have no tusks at all. This is the result of what is called ‘reverse evolution’ – the survival of the weakest. Poachers target the biggest bulls with the largest tusks, so their genes are eliminated from the gene pool. The weakest bulls – those with small tusks or even no tusks at all – survive and get to procreate.” Great white shark Photo by Chris Fallows, Stewart Island, New Zealand “New Zealand, Australia and the North American coastlines are the few remaining strongholds of this keystone species, which is so vital to the balance and wellbeing of marine ecosystems. In other locations, most notably South…5 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Flight fantasticTHERE IS, ACCORDING TO author Douglas Adams, a knack to flying: throw yourself at the ground and miss. Humans are terrible at flying. We are too big, too heavy, too wingless. Insects, though, thrive in the air, and developing the ability to fly has played a large part in their success. With wings you can escape a predator; move to more advantageous habitats; radiate, diversify and take over the world. The first insect flew at least 325 million years ago, and it quickly caught on. Like the Duke of York’s men, once they were up they were up – and for them there was no coming down. Insect flight manifests itself in many different ways, whether it’s the breathtaking control of a dragonfly, the exasperating agility of a house fly,…10 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023What’s the smallest lizard in the world?The current smallest reptile is a chameleon called Brookesia nana. It is only 13.5mm in body length (tail not included) – as small as a sunflower seed. Until recently, the world record holder for the teeniest lizard was a Caribbean gecko called the Jaragua dwarf gecko. It comes in at 16-18mm (again, tail not included) and lives in the leaf litter on the forest floor – a habitat that seems to be common for micro lizards.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Toxins and venoms: nature’s poisonsWHEN ASKED TO NAME substances that cause sickness or death, many people would mention poisons that are harmful to humans – chemical elements such as arsenic, plants such as hemlock, or death cap mushrooms. In fact, nearly every major group of organisms makes natural poisons, which come in two flavours: toxin and venom. What’s the difference between a toxin and a venom? They’re distinguished by delivery route. A toxin passively enters a recipient’s body after being swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through contact. By contrast, a venom is actively delivered into a victim via a bite, spray, stab or sting. But you can’t simply say that toxins are ingested and venoms are injected. When the toxin tetrodotoxin is delivered through the bite of a blue-ringed octopus, it’s then technically venom! The…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023SNAP-CHAT WITH BBC WILDLIFE PICTURE EDITOR TOM GILKSHow did your career begin? I’ve always loved travel and the outdoors, and photography became a hobby. I became interested in wildlife during my post-graduate diploma in ecology and environment, and in 2000 I made wildlife photography my profession. What would you be if you weren’t a wildlife photographer? There is no plan B… What’s your biggest ‘oh drat it’ moment to date? I work around 300 days a year in the field so there are too many to remember. What’s been your most memorable encounter with a wild animal? I don’t really endorse words like ‘most’ or ‘best’. For me, the joy comes when I see and photograph new places or species, and witness interesting behaviour. I was overjoyed when I photographed the western tragopan in the Himalayas and…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Raptor rescueWHEN THE PHONE RINGS I AM always prepared to grab my equipment and rush out of the door. For the last 22 years I have run a volunteer bird-of-prey rescue service – the equivalent of being a first responder for our avian friends. You never know what a day will bring. The Monday after King Charles III’s coronation, I received a call from Gateway Primary School in Carterton, Oxfordshire. The children had found a red kite, and he was in a bad way. My husband Phil and I immediately made the half-hour journey and were met by two teachers who had the kite safely contained in a box. His injuries were shocking – his head was bleeding from wounds inflicted by corvids and there was further bleeding to damaged wings…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023SPRING ONCOASTAL CLIFFSEACH SPRING I RETURN TO A favourite spot, camera in hand. It’s a place I first visited nearly 40 years ago, and I stood in awe then just as I do today. That place is the most northerly point in Britain: Hermaness National Nature Reserve in the Shetland Islands, which hums in spring and summer with gannets and auks breeding on its spectacular cliffs. Hermaness is just one of the seabird cities dotted around our coastline, some of which are of global importance. Sadly, as with many of our coastal sites, numbers of birds at Hermaness have been impacted by bird flu. Photo opportunities on the coastal cliffs are best during the nesting season, from early April to late July. Many seabird colonies are very accessible (though some restrictions may…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Watching animals can help us be more tolerantI HAVE A BIT OF A THING FOR MANTA RAYS. THERE’S something in the way they move that I can get completely lost in. With some animals, watching them becomes almost like a meditation (I’m sure there’s a manta/mantra pun in there somewhere). Mantas are so unlike us that we can project onto them an otherworldly quality – the word alien has been used many times in the BBC Wildlife office this issue – and this made me think about how we relate to animals. Gillian Burke touches on this subject in her column this month (p17), in which she makes a great pitch for tolerance and compromise. If watching animals can teach us this and nothing else, then what a change they can make to our lives – as…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023The dark side of lifeA NEW ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL MEDIA reactions to the Netflix documentary series Our Planet suggests that environmental campaigners have their work cut out if they want to communicate positive messages about the future. The research, led by Alberto Acerbi of Italy’s University of Trento and published in Conservation Biology, shows that negative Twitter posts such as “With no ice, this walrus has no place to go,” get more responses than positive ones such as “There are things we can do, if we act now.” Acerbi suspects this bias is an obstacle to campaigners’ efforts to communicate constructive environmental messages. “Maybe we need to be more precise about our targets,” he says. “There is a lot of differentiation between different social media platforms and different special interest groups, so some channels…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Lying low in the HighlandsThe Essay, The Meaning of Trees discusses birch BIRCH IS SCOTLAND’S COMMONEST broadleaved tree, a title held by the oak in other parts of the UK. It is a pioneer, one of the first trees to colonise disturbed ground, and hardy enough to thrive in boggy uplands. By ‘birch’, we of course mean silver birch, the largest and most familiar of Britain’s three birch species. The others are downy birch and the extremely local dwarf birch, a tiny tree restricted to exposed mountainsides in the Scottish Highlands (and a couple of sites in northern England). Dwarf birch is so small, it forms a canopy barely 30cm high and often does not even reach that far above the peaty ground. Low nutrients, fierce winds, extended snow cover and a short summer…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 202310 dinosaur documentaries1 WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (1999) An iconic BBC series using CGI 2WALKING WITH DINOSAURS: THE BALLAD OF BIG AL (2000) Focuses on an Allosaurus found in 1991 3DINOSAURS: THE FINAL DAY WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH (2022) The story of the end of the dinosaurs 4 LAST DAY OF THE DINOSAURS (2010) Discovery Channel documentary 5 PREHISTORIC PLANET (2022) Covers the late Cretaceous period 6 DINOSAUR 13 (2014) The world of dinosaur fossil discovery 7 T. REX AUTOPSY (2015) Palaeontologists perform a dissection on a realistic silicon model of T. rex 8 PLANET DINOSAUR (2011) The BBC’s first major dinosaur series since Walking with Dinosaurs 9 DINOSAUR! (1985) A retro feel and 80s graphics 10 ATTENBOROUGH AND THE GIANT DINOSAUR (2016) The story of a titanosaur…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Hipposideros kingstonaeWHAT IS IT? This furry face belongs to a new member of a group of about 70 species known as roundleaf bats, so called because of their approximately circular nasal apparatus. H. kingstonae can be distinguished from its relatives on the basis of the structure of its nose-leaf and the pitch of its vocalisations. WHERE IS IT? The species was trapped during bat surveys of rainforests in peninsular Thailand and Malaysia. Other specimens have been identified in collections from Borneo, where it has probably been mistaken for a similar, more common species. WHAT DOES THE SCIENTIFIC NAME MEAN? The species is named in honour of Tigga Kingston, a bat biologist at Texas Tech University, who is the founder and chair of the Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit and who…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Gannets found to be avian flu survivorsScotland Outdoors: A bird themed episode on the Bass Rock SCIENTISTS HAVE MADE THE DISCOVERY that northern gannets can recover from avian flu and that the irises of the gannets that survive the infection turn from a normal vivid blue to black, an indicator of a previous infection. A detailed study on the impact of avian flu was carried out on the Bass Rock in Scotland – home to 150,000 gannets, the largest single gannet colony in the world – which was affected by an avian flu outbreak in 2022. Whilst the virus responsible for avian flu has been infecting both domestic and wild birds for decades, the current outbreak appears to have been severely impacting seabirds, especially gannets. Researchers examined the numbers and breeding success of the Bass Rock…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023FEMALE OF THE SPECIES RING-TAILED LEMURIN THE MOVIE MADAGASCAR, THE GREAT African island is ruled by a fast-talking ring-tailed lemur called King Julien. The producers may have felt it natural to impose male governance on their feel-good movie but when I visited the island back in 2018 King Julien was nowhere to be found. In real life ring-tailed lemur females are unquestionably the authoritarian sex. For a start, females do the majority of territorial defence. They have well-developed scent glands and produce more chemical signals than males. Females are more interested in the scent of their own sex, especially breeding females, than they are males. The co*cktail of chemicals they produce provides a health report on their immune system and stress levels, indicating how strong and sexy they are. Females leave more marks in ‘confrontation…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023TRY 3 ISSUES FOR ONLY 5*• Try your first 3 issues for just £5!* • Continue to pay just £19.99 every 6 issues – saving 33% on the shop price• Free UK delivery direct to your door in our new paper wrapping• Never miss an issue of your ultimate guide to the British countryside! Subscribe online or call us www.buysubscriptions.com/CFH23 03330 162112† Quote codeCFH23 †UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed line numbers (starting 01 or 02) and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered by your phone tariff). Outside of free call packages call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute. Lines are open Mon to Fri 8am – 6pm and Sat 9am – 1pm. *3 issues for £5 offer…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023TOPFIVE PLACES1 NORTH UIST RSPB Balranald on the island of North Uist has a 5km circular nature trail through some of the finest flower-rich machair in the Outer Hebrides. 2 OLDSHOREREMORE AND SANDWOOD Designated as a Special Area of Conservation, this complex contains one of the largest and least disturbed examples of machair on mainland Scotland, with even richer flora species than on the islands. 3 SOUTH UIST The extensively cultivated machair on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides extends for the whole length of the island and up to 2km inland. 4 OMEY ISLAND Located just off the Connemara coast in County Galway, this tidal island is thought to contain one of the finest examples of machair in the Republic of Ireland. 5 TIREE Around a quarter of Tiree is…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Release the voles!NUMBER OF WATER VOLES RELEASED 1 ABERFOYLE, PERTHSHIRE Between 2008 and 2011 1,000 voles were released into the Loch Ard Forest, thanks to support from several partners. Water voles had not been spotted here for 30 years prior. 2 KIELDER FOREST, NORTHUMBERLAND A total of 2,039 voles were released at this site in seven releases over five years from 2017 by Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Tyne Rivers Trust and Forestry England. 3 NIDDERDALE, YORKSHIRE 200 water voles were released into Washburn Valley by Yorkshire Water across 2020 and 2021. 4 STOKE-ON-TRENT, STAFFORDSHIRE 220 water voles were released into TrenthamLake by estate staff in June 2022. Derek Gow marked the release of his 30,000th water vole to the UK. 5 ST ALBANS, HERTFORDSHIRE 150 voles were released into the River Ver by…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023TAKE STOCKTHE CHANCES ARE YOU DON’T consider yourself a consumer of wildlife products. You might forage a few autumn fruits and fungi, but you’re not part of an annual legal trading market worth a staggering $220 billion (£182 billion) a year – or, indeed, complicit in the illegal one, estimated at anywhere between £6-19 billon. The chances are you’re wrong about that. Bought any fish recently? Or anything made of wood? They are both wildlife products. Alternatively, open up your food cupboard – what do you see? Have you got any marshmallows or soft drinks? They probably contain gum arabic, the hardened sap of an acacia tree that grows in semi-desert areas of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the world’s gum arabic comes from Sudan,…9 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Lift off!BUTTERFLY Rapid take-off to avoid predators can be important for butterflies. In the deep upstroke, cupping of the wings creates an air pocket, which is forced out backwards in a jet when the wings clap at the top of the stroke. Another deep downstroke and the butterfly is in the air with speed and efficiency. LADYBIRD The ladybird opens its elytra first, the shiny carapaces springing open like the doors of a DeLorean. Then the hind wings unfurl and snap into position. The process is helped by the veins in the wing and a substance called resilin in the joints – giving the wings a mixture of rigidity and elasticity. HOUSEFLY House flies don’t require an involved process to take off – flight is almost automatically triggered when the insect’s…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Got the humpIf every face tells a story, this one might have a sorry tale to relate about the time a golf ball landed in its pond. But there’s been no tragic sporting accident here. The enormous swollen forehead of this flowerhorn cichlid is called the nuchal hump, a feature that seems to be involved in mate-attraction. Cichlid fish are famous for their ability to form new species rapidly, which draws the attention of evolutionary biologists and fish breeders alike. Indeed, the flowerhorn is a selectively bred product of the aquarium trade, but has been released in several locations around the world and often has invasive tendencies.…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Go WILD!Catch up on all four episodes of BBC One’s Spy in the Ocean on iPlayer TV HIGHLIGHT Life below the waves Spy in the Ocean Watch all four episodes on iPlayer MORE THAN 30 ULTRA-REALISTIC animatronic spy creatures go undercover in the ocean to capture unique wildlife behaviour on film for this innovative BBC One series from the makers of Spy in the Wild. Four revelatory episodes seek intelligent life, exploring the complex minds, emotions and relationships that exist beneath the water’s surface. This next generation of spy creatures includes Spy Whale, with a sophisticated buoyancy system for dynamic control down to depths of 30m, and Spy Cuttlefish, with an integrated LCD screen in its back. “This breakthrough technology enabled Spy Cuttlefish to communicate with the real cuttlefish by mimicking…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023The crosswordACROSS 8 Monkey of Africa and Arabia that might be hamadryas or chacma (6) 9 Intelligent, adaptable omnivore found in North America (8) 10 Large water bird with white plumage and an orange bill (4,4) 11 Air-breathing marine fish of the genus Megalops (6) 12 Red-billed corvid (6) 13 Songbird of the Americas that might be northern or vermilion (8) 14 ___ amphiuma, aquatic salamander found in the USA (3-4) 16 Region of Finland, home to wolverines, brown bears and lynx (7) 20 Dolphin-like marine mammal (8) 23 Landlocked African country (6) 25 Organism that thrives in an oxygenated environment (6) 26 Damp upland habitat (4,4) 27 Bird of New Guinea that may be yellow-breasted or black-breasted (8) 28 Hard-shelled reptile (6) DOWN 1 Monkey of Central and South America…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023How to film wildlife in your gardenHave you ever wondered what goes on in your garden or outside your window when you’re not looking? There are a range of camera systems on the market nowadays. Here are four to consider for starters: • TRAILCAM These cameras can be set up anywhere and easily moved around. They are triggered by motion sensors and record straight to an SD card. • PONDCAM Trailcams can be used to capture wildlife around your garden pond, but consider using GoPros or similar systems to film underwater. • TIME LAPSE Want to reveal a plant growing? You can buy cheap apps for your smartphone that allow you to create time-lapse sequences. • NESTBOX CAM Get an intimate view of a brood with a nestbox cam connected by cable to a TV or…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023WELCOMEWhether you live in the city or the countryside, birds are a part of the natural world that we see and hear every day, providing an endless source of inspiration and fascination. With that in mind, we’ve teamed up with acclaimed wildlife photographer David Tipling to introduce you to the wonderful world of bird photography. Over the coming pages, David suggests where to go and what to shoot through the seasons, sharing a wealth of tips and advice along the way. As fast-moving subjects, birds are not always easy to photograph, but for David, who has been shooting birds since his early teens, the thrill of getting a great image, such as our striking cover portrait of a gannet, has never waned. “If you photograph birds, you will know it’s…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023SUMMER ONHEATHS AND MOORSSUMMER HOLIDAYS IN MY CHILDHOOD were often spent in a cottage close to the Cumbrian village of Brough. For two weeks, the surrounding moorland became my hunting ground. Curlews, red grouse, and, on one memorable occasion, my first ring ouzel, were all carefully stalked among the heather-clad hills. I didn’t have much success photographically back then, but I still recall the excitement. Bird activity is subdued in hot weather, so it’s worth getting out nice and early, when the air is still relatively cool. During the first days of summer, there may be opportunities to photograph moorland birds in song or perhaps feeding their newly fledged chicks. To get within range, you can use your car as a mobile hide. Many upland roads are very quiet early in the morning,…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023AUTUMN ONESTUARIES AND MARSHESTHE FIRST ‘WINK WINK’ CALLS OF pink-footed geese flying over my house marks the arrival of autumn for me. After the quieter summer months, the migration season is ushered in, bringing plenty of opportunity for photography. Coastal marshes and estuaries rapidly fill with birds and our shores become arrival and departure lounges, thronging with migrants both leaving for warmer climes and arriving from the Arctic, either refuelling before continuing south or settling in for winter. A good place to start is a coastal nature reserve, such as RSPB Titchwell Marsh, where well-located hides overlooking scrapes and tidal lagoons are excellent for capturing images of species that might otherwise be hard to approach by stalking on foot. Flighty birds such as teal and curlew can be quite tame in a reserve…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023A QUICK GUIDE TO OPTICSWHEN YOU’RE OUT IN THE FIELD, birds will often be a long way away or camouflaged within their environment. A decent pair of binoculars or a spotting scope will make the world of difference when it comes to locating and following your subjects, and really enhance your photography. Binoculars: the basics There are two types of binocular: porro prism and roof prism (the difference being how light is reflected inside the product). The latter are lighter and more compact, but usually more expensive. A pair of binoculars is described by two numbers. The first is the magnification (how many times closer the subject appears), which generally ranges from 6x to 12x. Most birders opt for a 8x or 10x binocular, as these offer good magnification while being reasonably small and…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 20239 TOP TIPSGARDEN BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY1 The perfect perch The advantage of photographing in your garden is the chance to create natural looking sets. Create perches by using clamps, clips and garden canes to position sprigs of holly, blossom or whatever takes your fancy. Place these props close to feeders and water sources, and the birds will naturally land on them before going on to feed or drink. 2 Make a splash When fewer birds are around in the summer, lure them into your space by providing fresh water for both drinking and bathing. Splashing water can look very effective when photographed facing the sun. 3 Create colour Plant shrubs in your garden to give background colour and interest at varying times of year. The plants will also offer useful perches. If planting isn’t possible,…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Every month, only in BBC WildlifeNICK BAKER “You can see giant water fleas by towing a fine-meshed plankton net through water” P.36 GILLIAN BURKE “I had the chance to closely observe vervet monkeys and I really grew to hate them” P.17 MARK CARWARDINE Our frank columnist on how conservation battles are being fought in the boardroom P.31 LUCY COOKE Female ring-tailed lemurs rule the roost and they can be shockingly agressive to boot P.27 MIKE DILGER “Machair grassland usually sits alongside white sandy beaches and among the sand dunes” P.32…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023ORIGIN OF PIECES AN ANATOMICAL MISCELLANYFEW BODY PARTS HAVE BEEN PUT TO SUCH a variety of uses as have the palps of spiders. More formally known as the pedipalps, these large, paired mouthparts are used to manipulate food, as supplementary walking legs, communication devices, sensory structures and sex organs. In sexually mature male spiders, the palps terminate in bulbous tips resembling boxing gloves, which are used during mating. The Infinite Monkey Cage: Brian Cox and Robin Ince present an episode all about spiders…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Yuliana BedollaMEXICAN CONSERVATIONIST YULIANA ROCÍO Bedolla Guzmán was recently recognised by UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature for her work to protect important seabird colonies from invasive mammals. While pursuing a Masters in coastal oceanography, she contacted non-profit Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) to conduct fieldwork for her thesis on the Baja California Pacific Islands: “I witnessed the relevance of the restoration work they were doing,” says Yuliana. She started working as a coordinator for the organisation before later becoming a project director. “Mexico provides crucial breeding and foraging habitats for one third of the seabird species worldwide and its islands host the world’s breeding population of 10 seabird species. Taking action to restore and conserve seabird species in my country could make a huge difference to preserving…2 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023The helpful “hooverfly”A marmalade hoverfly feeds on a marigold on the sunny July 1987 cover. “This is one of the hoverfly species you’re most likely to see in the garden this month,” states BBC Wildlife magazine, “It may look like a wasp, but like all hoverflies, it is completely inoffensive. That is, unless you are an aphid.” In this issue, entomologist Graham Rotheray explains why the hoverfly should be considered one of the heroes of Britain’s garden wildlife. He says, “It is one of the most valuable insect pollinators of plants, its larvae can clean up your garden pests and its aerobatic skills rival those even of dragonflies.”…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Green armyTO SEE ONE OF OUR MOST BEAUTIFUL YET strangest wildflowers, you must make the pilgrimage to an ancient pine wood in the Scottish Highlands in late June or early July. This is when, for a few brief weeks, the twinflower blooms. It is a botanical oddity, with an unusual stem branching to form a ‘Y’, and on each side there hangs a bell-shaped flower of the palest pink that wafts a subtly sweet nocturnal perfume across the woodland floor. Sadly, few Scottish pine woods still have twinflowers (numbers have declined by 44 per cent since the 1970s), and the surviving populations have become so isolated over the years that different plants are unable to pollinate one another. In the Cairngorms, Plantlife Scotland has organised an army of gardeners, nicknamed the…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023MARK CARWARDINECONSERVATION IS EVOLVING LIKE crazy. Make no mistake – we still need to protect habitats and save species. Without traditional conservation, with its relatively moderate, steadfast way of doing things, the world’s wildlife and wild places would be disappearing even faster than they are already. But anyone who believes that saving a wildflower meadow here, or protecting a hen harrier there, is the answer to all our problems is out of touch with the realities of our rapidly changing world. Nowadays, many of the most urgent and important conservation battles are being fought in boardrooms and shareholder meetings. Rapid, large-scale environmental threats are forcing conservationists to consider more innovative – and often controversial – tactics. This is why Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain, Just Stop Oil and other more radical, hard-core…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023YOU WON’T SEE METhe popular naturalist, author and TV presenter reveals a secret world of overlooked wildlife ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER IS A single Cyclopean eye. Close by, an unsuspecting water flea bounces along until, in an interlocking of multiple limbs, it is trapped then held as the owner of the eye slowly plucks it to pieces. Meet the giant water flea (Leptodora kindtii), the largest water flea in the UK and a stealthy, raptorial carnivore. Water fleas are a fascinating group of aquatic crustaceans – mostly small, filter-feeding and planktonic – that make up a large component of many freshwater habitats. They bob around and graze on microscopic plant plankton, effectively turning those green sunlight-converters into animal protein that percolates its way up the food chain. In short, if it…3 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 20233 ISSUES FOR £5*SPECIAL OFFER Your first 3 issues for £5* Continue at just £9.70 every 3 issues by Direct Debit – SAVING 35% Never miss an issue of your favourite magazine Free UK delivery direct to your door Subscribe online atbuysubscriptions.com/GIH23 or call our subscriber hotline on 03330 162114† PROMOTION CODE GIH23 †Calls from landlines will cost up to 9p per minute, depending on provider. Calls from mobile phones will cost up to 55p per minute, but are included in inclusive call packages. Lines are open 8am-8pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturdays. Overseas readers call +44 1604 973722. *Three issues for £5 is available for UK subscribers paying by Direct Debit only. After your first 3 issues, your subscription will continue at £9.70 every 3 issues saving 35% thereafter. If you cancel within…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023MISSIONMANTAIN THE GLASS-CLEAR WATERS OFF THE MALDIVES’ Raa Atoll, something akin to an underwater circus is taking place. The manta rays that have gathered near our boat streak through the water, unfurling their wings as they perform barrel rolls, somersaults and sudden dives. They disappear into the depths before magically reappearing, mouths agape and cephalic fins (horn-like structures used for feeding) curled as they gulp down tiny plankton invisible to the naked eye. “They swirl through the water en masse, bright shafts of sunlight illuminating their smooth, pale skin” Watching marine biologist Jess Haines in action is no less impressive – even more so given she hasn’t been blessed with the ability to breathe underwater. Jess trails the manta rays as they perform their acrobatics, snapping pictures of their undersides.…9 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023→ FAST ANSWERSAre there any wild donkeys? There are three distinct species of wild donkeys or asses. The African wild ass (Equus africanus) and the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) or onager, and the kiang (Equus kiang). There are 12 different subspecies of wild ass within these groups. Interestingly, Asiatic asses have never been domesticated. The Donkey Sanctuary How many organisms are there in a teaspoon of soil? At first glance, soil may seem like a lifeless substrate, but in just one teaspoon of topsoil, there can be billions of organisms. Starting from the smallest, you’ll find between 100 million and one billion bacteria. There can be anything between 10,000 and one million protozoa, larger microscopic organisms that feed on the bacteria. You’ll also find the threads of fungi, nematodes and more…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023What Do You See When You Look At A Tree?GENTLE AND CONTEMPLATIVE, this children’s book, created in association with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, encourages readers to take notice of the beauty and purpose of the trees around them. We follow the central figure of little girl through various arboreal scenes, seasons and touching moments with her family, all depicted through beguiling pencil-and-watercolour illustrations by Devon-based author and illustrator Emma Carlisle. Lilting, rhythmic prose poses open-ended questions, using trees to prompt reflection on our own personal growth and relationship with other beings. At the back of the book, for curious minds there is information on how the ‘wood wide web’ works and a How To Be More Like a Tree section has pointers on what trees can teach us about taking our time, resting and being our authentic selves. It’s…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Photo CLUBPRIZE-WINNING PHOTO Terrific trio The conservation story of red kites stands out as one of my favourites. I first saw these raptors as a young boy in Rhayader, Wales. I returned more than a decade later as I had heard how projects have had a huge benefit to the species in this area. Moments after entering Rhayader again, I was surrounded by kites – they danced in the wind as the light shone through their forked tails. Blake Euan Marlow, Shropshire Wide open The crocodiles of Banco Chinchorro in the Caribbean will move from the swamps into clear water to feed on fish scraps tossed away by local fishermen. Rick Beldegreen, Charlotte, USA Frosted fungi Caught by a thick frost during temperatures of -8ºC, this conifercone cap, found growing on…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023Can No Mow May cause more harm than good?FORGIVE ME, BUT I’M REALLY SURPRISED that your wildlife magazine continues to encourage people to partake in Plantlife’s No Mow May campaign each year due to the harm it can cause. Every garden will have wildlife that lives amongst the plants and in the nooks and crannies of various structures. When people leave their lawns uncut, it is not just the flying pollinators that will be attracted to the new habitat when various flowers appear, but many of the garden’s resident creatures will move into the long grass, too. It is these creatures that are then destroyed when the mowing resumes once May has passed. You only have to look at the life-cycle of grasshoppers to realise why No Mow May can be such a destructive scheme for wildlife. If…5 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023ESSENTIAL KIT FOR THE FIELDTHERE’S a vast range of gear available for photographers, from cameras, lenses and tripods to nifty gadgets and outdoor clothing. Wildlife photography often means long days spent outside in the heat, cold and good old British rain, so you’ll need a well-equipped kitbag. Here are a few ideas for the wishlist – and don’t forget you can always buy second-hand. CAMERAS NIKON COOLPIX P900 Bridge cameras (half way between pointand-shoot cameras and interchangeable-lens cameras) have limitations, but are highly portable because the camera and lens is in one package. The P900 has been superseded by the P1000, which means you can pick it up second-hand. A good entry-level option.From £459, mpb.com CANON EOS R7 This mirrorless offering from Canon shoots up to 30 frames per second and has good autofocus…4 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023TRY 3 ISSUES FOR £5*OFFER ENDS 31ST DEC 2023 • Try your first 3 issues for just £5* • Continue to pay just £18.99 every 6 issues – saving 42% off the shop price • Free UK delivery direct to your door in paper wrap • Never miss an issue of your favourite wildlife magazine Subscribe online or call us… ONLINE – buysubscriptions.com//WLH23 PHONE – 03330 162 121† Please quote WLH23 *3 issues for £5 available to UK Direct Debit orders only. After your first 3 issues, your subscription will continue at just £18.99 every 6 issues saving 42% on the shop price. If you cancel within two weeks of receiving your 2nd issue, you will pay no more than £5. Your subscription with start with the next available issue. †UK calls will cost…1 min
BBC Wildlife Magazine|July 2023WINTER ONLAKES, WETLANDS AND RESERVOIRSYOU DON’T NEED TO BE NEAR THE coast to find watery locations for bird photography. Reservoirs, marshes, city lakes and ponds in parks all have plenty to offer. They attract a range of species, are easy to access and provide the perfect arena for perfecting fieldcraft and stalking skills. I spent my formative years at my local gravel pit, learning the art of getting close. My first successful stalk was on the banks of the River Medway in Kent, a place I spent hours birdwatching as a youngster. One memorable afternoon, I spotted a male goosander fishing. I inched closer every time he dived, freezing whenever he surfaced, and eventually got my shot. Ducks are a star species of inland watery habitats, with numbers swelling in winter. Many sport striking…4 min
