UK Safari News - August 2005 - I always find this interesting

[Guest guest]

===============================================[[[[[[[[[[[ UK SAFARI NEWS - AUGUST ]]]]]]]]]]]===============================================Best Before: 31/8/05Welcome to the August 2005 issue of UK Safari News. Youcan also read this issue online at:==> http://www.uksafari.com/news/200508_sparrows.htmIN THIS ISSUE0) Members Area Password1) On Safari - What's Going Wild in August2) Sponsor Message3) News Headlines4) July Readers Poll Results5) August Readers Poll6) Photo of the Month7) Photo Caption Contest8) Competition: The Origin of the Faeces9) Wildlife Hospital News10) Glow-Worms11) Extra Bits (at no extra cost)Contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives=============================================================0) MEMBERS AREA PASSWORD========================The Members Area features some interesting factsheets youcan download. To access the Members Area you'll need thismonths ID and password:ID = augustPassword = wildcatMore at: http://www.uksafari.com/members.htm==========================================1) ON SAFARI - WHAT'S GOING WILD IN AUGUST==========================================HUMMING-BIRD HAWK-MOTHSIt's that time of year when people start seeing hummingbirdsin their gardens! Now this sort of thing can happen whenyou eat too many wine gums, but in August it is possible toreally see something which looks just like a hummingbird. It'sactually a moth called a humming-bird hawk-moth. These largeinsects fly in from Mediterranean areas, are often confusedwith real hummingbirds, because they look, hover and soundjust like the real things.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/hummingbird.htmWILDCATSWildcats will be giving birth to their kittens this month. Therecan be up to five kittens in a litter. They are blind at birth,but have a full coat of fur. Less than a hundred years agowildcats could be found in many parts of Britain. Today onlya few hundred individuals remain in northern Scotland, and eventhey are at risk. Many wildcats have bred with feral domesticcats producing hybrid kittens. If they continue breeding in thisway, true Scottish wildcats as we know them today couldbecome extinct.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/wildcats.htmHOUSE SPARROWSOne classic summer sound to listen out for this month is frantictweeting of flocks of house sparrows. Sparrow populations havebeen in decline for many years, but they're starting to make acomeback. August marks the end of the breeding season forhouse sparrows, and in late summer young birds, and adults,start to form noisy flocks which move around the localitylooking for food.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/housesparrows.htmEARWIGSThey're normally ground dwelling scavengers, but during thesummer months, as any gardener will tell you, earwigs moveas far away from the ground as they can, and seek out tinycrevices to hide in. They can often be found hiding insideflower heads among the petals.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/earwigs.htmHORSE FLIES Look out for horse flies this month, especially if you're walkingnear water. They like to bite horses and cattle but they'reequally happy chewing on a human. They make a low-pitchedhumming noise when they fly, so unless you know the soundyou don't always notice them coming. The males are harmlessnectar feeders, but the females give a nasty bite which cancause a painful swelling.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/horseflies.htmROMAN SNAILSIt's thought that the Romans may have introducedthese snails to Britain as a source of food - hence theirname. They are edible, but they are also quite rare,and they take a long time to mature and reproduce, sothey're best left in the wild. Look for them on chalkdownland, especially on damp mornings and evenings.A hot spot for them is the Cotswolds.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/romansnail.htmGRASSHOPPERSAnother typical sound of summer is that of grasshopperschirping away in a meadow. They make the noise byrubbing a row of pegs on their back legs against theirwings. It's the males who make the noise in order toattract a mate. They lay their eggs in dry soil from nowuntil September, and the nymphs will emerge next May.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/grasshoppers.htmGRASS SNAKESThe grass snake is our only native snake which doesn't givebirth to live young. It frequently lays its eggs in compost heaps,where the extra heat helps to incubate the eggs. There canbe ten or more eggs in each clutch. The round, white eggs areabout 2cms long, and the baby snakes which hatch out in lateAugust are about 15 to 20cms. long.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/grasssnakes.htmHEATHERIt's peak flowering time for heather this month. Vast areasof the British countryside become swathed in beautiful shadesof purple. This floral spectacular is on a par with the bloomingof the Bluebells in spring, and well worth a trip to your localheathland for a good view.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/heather.htmANTSIn hot, humid weather, ant nests literally erupt with life. Wingedants take to the air in what are known as 'ant weddings'.Thousands of queens and males rise up, sometimes formingdense, smoke-like clouds. They mate in the air, and then dropback down to earth. All the males die soon after mating, butthe females shed their wings and go off to start a new colony.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/ants.htmMOON JELLYFISHSomething that strikes fear into seaside bathers every summeris the sight of jellyfish in the water. The most commonlyseen jellyfish around our shores is the moon jellyfish.Although it has stinging tentacles they are usually harmlessas they cannot penetrate human skin.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/moonjellyfish.htmWILD ARUMIf you take a woodland walk this month you might notice theshort berry spikes of the wild arum plant. The berries aregreen at first and gradually ripen to a bright orange colour.Although they have an attractive appearance they are highlypoisonous.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/lordsandladies.htmVIPER'S-BUGLOSSThe flowers of the viper's-bugloss are out this month. Theunusual name comes from the old, and sadly, mistaken beliefthat they could be used to cure snake bites. There must bea few country folk with "See I told you it wouldn't work"written on their tombstones.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/vipersbugloss.htm==================2) SPONSOR MESSAGE==================Some of you will have already know, or have heard of ChrisEdwards. He's kindly supplied a number of photos to UK Safariin the past, including puffins, swallows and seals.Chris is a professional wildlife photographer, who is currentlyworking with Billy Shiel MBE to organise some new photographyworkshops around the Farne Islands. Photographers andbirdwatchers now have the chance to go on a 5 hour boattrip for just £20. The trip includes a two hour stop on StapleIsland plus another 2 hours on Inner Farne.Tours can also be customised to suit small groups and cameraclubs. For example you can charter a boat and organise yourown cruise with up to 10 people for £350 a day, or £500 ifyou'd like to have Chris on board to give expert help andadvice. Food can also be arranged for the trips.More details: Billy Shiel tel: +44 (0)1665 720 308Chris can be contacted on: 077 875 20935=================3) NEWS HEADLINES=================RARE BREEDING BIRDS ON SCILLYThis year three rare breeding birds; the Marsh Harrier, Nightjarand Arctic Tern, have set up their homes in the Isles of Scilly.The Marsh Harrier is a first time breeder within the islandshaving nearly become extinct in the UK during the 60's.The Nightjar has not bred in Scilly since the 1940's, and theArctic Tern has not bred on the islands for at least 30 years.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000023.htmMINISTER LAUNCHES MAJOR NEW POLICY FOR ANCIENT ANDNATIVE WOODLANDSForestry Minister, Jim Knight MP, and Lord Clark, Chairman ofthe Forestry Commission launched a new policy that willradically change the way that woodland sites and forestsacross England, will be managed. The delivery of the newpolicy will involve a programme of tree felling and thinningin those ancient woodlands converted to plantations in thelast century. This will see millions of conifers and non-nativetrees replaced with native oak, ash and beech.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000024.htmBREEDING BEARDED TITS - ANOTHER FIRST FOR NEWPORTWETLANDSBearded tits have bred at the Newport Wetlands Reserve, thefirst time the bird has bred in Wales since the early 1980's.Tony Pickup, CCW Senior Reserve Manager at the WetlandsReserve said: "The fact that they have bred only 6 yearsafter the reedbeds were created on former industrial land isquite an achievement."More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000025.htmBREEDING BEE-EATERS DISCOVERED IN UKLocal people in Herefordshire have discovered a nest of bee-eaters, one of Europe's most colourful birds, which havesuccessfully bred hundreds of miles from their normal breedingarea in southern Europe. This is only the fourth time thatbee-eaters have nested in the UK, having made their summerhome in a riverbank at Hampton Bishop, near Hereford and theRSPB is providing wildlife lovers with the chance to enjoy thespectacle.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000026.htmNEW PARASITE IS SERIOUS THREAT TO BRITISH WILDLIFEA new parasite which could kill pet cats and dogs and a rangeof much loved British wildlife has been discovered for the firsttime in Britain warns Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The flatworm,called Pseudamphistomum truncatum, is thought to have beenintroduced by ornamental fish imported from Russia and EasternEurope. Some escaped from ponds and are now thriving in theSomerset Levels. The worm is passed on when animals, likecats, dogs, otters and foxes eat raw fish which have beeninfected.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000027.htmFIRST PUFFIN CHICK SPOTTED ON LUNDY FOR 30 YEARSA puffin chick has been spotted for the first time since 1972on Lundy island in the Bristol Channel. The young bird wasseen by Ben Sampson, the island warden, who had campedovernight to start watching the puffins at first light. He said:"Four of the six nesting burrows I knew about still appearedto be occupied and I saw a total of nine adults land together.Then, just before seven o'clock, a juvenile bird appeared inthe entrance of one of the burrows, closely watched by itsparent. The youngster had very little, if any, down left andI'm sure it was very close to fledging."More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000028.htmNFU CALL FOR BADGER CULLConservationists today criticised the National Farmers Unionfor demanding badger culling to control bovine tuberculosis."By demanding badger killing, the National Farmers Union isbehaving like a school bully. Unable to win the intellectualdebate to justify localised badger killing, it is resorting toever-nastier tactics by demanding national badger snaringand gassing," said Dr Elaine King, Chief Executive of theNational Federation of Badger Groups.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000029.htm============================4) JULY READERS POLL RESULTS============================Rare birds from abroad can land anywhere in Britain, so lastmonth we asked you how far would you travel to see a rarebird in the UK? Here's how you voted...A) 5 miles - 41 per centB) 50 miles - 50 per centC) 500 miles - 9 per cent======================5) AUGUST READERS POLL======================Hedgehogs, thrushes, frogs, toads, slow-worms and glow-wormsall eat slugs and snails, and all these of them have been declining.According to "Bio" British gardeners use over 400,000,000,000slug pellets every year.Do you think there's a connection?A) Yes B) No C) Duh!Send your answer by e-mail to uksafariJust put A, B or C in the subject box and hit send. We'll publishthe results in next months newsletter. If you want to send us your thoughts on the subject, pleaseadd them in the body of your message. We'll post them on thewebsite next month.=====================6) PHOTO OF THE MONTH====================="Mini-Dinosaur?" by Roger WasleyYou can also send this photo as a greeting card.Each month we select our favourite photo from those sentin to us. You can see the "Photo of the Month" at:http://www.uksafari.com/potm.htmIf you've got a good nature photo (taken in Britain) thatyou'd like to share with us, please send it in by e-mail togetherwith details of how you took the shot.Send it to: uksafari========================7) PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST========================The responses we received (the printable ones!) to last month'scaption contest can be found at:http://www.uksafari.com/caption.htmWe're giving the caption contest a break for a while, but if youhave a picture which you think would make a suitable captionphoto in the future, please send it to: uksafari=========================================8) COMPETITION - THE ORIGIN OF THE FAECES=========================================Nobody got the correct answer to last months competition, sohere's another chance to win.We've put a photo of an animal dropping on the website.All you've got to do is guess "the origin of the faeces" and tellus which animal dropped it.Clue: It's a REALLY small mammal, and it's featured in the mammalsection of the website www.uksafari.com/mammals.htmIt's worth having a guess because there's a prize of two neatbooks to be won; "The Garden Bird Survival Guide" and "TheGarden Wildlife Survival Guide".More at: http://www.uksafari.com/competition.htm=========================9) WILDLIFE HOSPITAL NEWS=========================Do you remember in early July how dry it was. Apart from a fewextreme downpours of rain in the north, the ground was hardbaked. Badgers were having a tough time finding food. Thebulk of their diet is made up of earthworms, and if the groundis too hard they're unable to dig for them. It was around thistime that Folly Wildlife Rescue took delivery of a badger cub.He was in such a poor condition he had to be rushed straightto the vets. He weighed just 1.9kg and was caked in fly eggs.His temperature was so low that it wouldn't register, and hedesperately needed to be rehydrated...More at: http://www.uksafari.com/folly1.htm==============10) GLOW-WORMS==============Thanks to all of you who kindly sent in your glow-worm sightingsfor the annual survey last month. I also received an interestinge-mail from Tony Lawton, a r living in Dorset, whichreally highlights the declining population of glow-worms in the UK.Back in the 1950's Tony used to live between Wimborne andCranborne. He said there always used to be 50 or 60 glow-wormson a hedgebank close to where he lived. Having seen our surveyhe figured he'd go back and see what the situation was like today.Sadly he only counted three.Undeterred, he remembered a lane he used to cycle down at night,near Witchampton. In 1953 he said you didn't need lights on thebike, because the glow worm light was so good. Back then he usedto count between 1200 and 2000 glow-worms along this 1 milestretch. When he went there on the 15th July there were none.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/glowworms==============11 EXTRA BITS==============FREE MONTHLY PLANNERThere's another free monthly planner to download. You've heardof "Big Cat Diaries", well this is the "Small Wildcat Calendar".More at: http://www.uksafari.com/planner.htmBIRDS OF PREY REHAB SEMINARRaptor Rescue is holding a day-long Seminar at ReaseheathCollege, in Nantwich, Cheshire. This event will feature severalguest speakers and will cover subjects from rehabilitation andveterinary care, to legislation and ringing. It takes place onSaturday 24th September in the College's Lecture theatre.The cost of the day will be £25.00 and lunch is included inthe price. Tickets from: Ian Taylor. Tel: 01298 709959More at: http://www.raptorrescue.org.uk/ BIRDWATCHING FAIRThe 17th British Birdwatching Fair will be held at Rutland WaterNature Reserve from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st August 2005.It's a massive event which combines local and national supportfor international bird conservation.More at: http://www.birdfair.org.uk/SHOOTING STARSWant to see a shooting star? Make a note in your diary andwatch out for them on the 11th or 12th of August. The Perseidmeteor shower is guaranteed to put on a good show... weatherpermitting.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/perseids.htmSQUIRRELS AT THE WINDOWYou know that feeling your get when you look out of your windowand see squirrels eating all the bird food. Imagine looking out andseeing squirrels actually stuck on your window!More at: http://www.uksafari.com/greysquirrels8.htmBADGER VIDEO CLIPChris James recently contacted us and kindly sent a short videoclip of a badger which has been visiting his garden, in broaddaylight.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/badgers5.htmThat's all for now. Thanks for reading and until next time...HAVE A GREAT SAFARI.Kind regards,Gary Bradley.UK Safari EditorP.S. Kids, if you go out watching wildlife at night, especiallynear water, tell an adult where you're going, or better stilltake your parent/guardian with you. You might teach themsomething!P. P.S. If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter, pleaseforward it to a friend. They might even thank you for it! Weonly ask that you leave the entire newsletter intact.Any typographical errors in this newsletter are there for apurpose. Some people actually enjoy looking for them and wetry to please as many readers as possible.The disclaimer at: http://www.uksafari.com/disclaimer.htmapplies to this newsletter.© Copyright 2005 by G. Bradley - http://www.uksafari.comNOTE: This is a FREE publication sent ONLY to people who haverequested it. Our r list is NOT made available toanyone. We value every r and respect your privacy.The information we have on file is:Your name: Josephine KebbellYour email: heartworkSent by:UK Safari, 2 Claypits Cottage, Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 8JD, UNITED KINGDOMTo or change r options visit:http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?TEwMLJwMtCwMrBycbOyM

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jo! I really enjoyed reading this!Jo Cwazy <heartwork wrote:

 

===============================================[[[[[[[[[[[ UK SAFARI NEWS - AUGUST ]]]]]]]]]]]===============================================Best Before: 31/8/05Welcome to the August 2005 issue of UK Safari News. Youcan also read this issue online at:==> http://www.uksafari.com/news/200508_sparrows.htmIN THIS ISSUE0) Members Area Password1) On Safari - What's Going Wild in August2) Sponsor Message3) News Headlines4) July Readers Poll Results5) August Readers Poll6) Photo of the Month7) Photo Caption Contest8) Competition: The Origin of the Faeces9) Wildlife Hospital News10) Glow-Worms11) Extra Bits (at no extra cost)Contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives=============================================================0) MEMBERS AREA

PASSWORD========================The Members Area features some interesting factsheets youcan download. To access the Members Area you'll need thismonths ID and password:ID = augustPassword = wildcatMore at: http://www.uksafari.com/members.htm==========================================1) ON SAFARI - WHAT'S GOING WILD IN AUGUST==========================================HUMMING-BIRD HAWK-MOTHSIt's that time of year when people start seeing hummingbirdsin their gardens! Now this sort of thing can happen whenyou eat too many wine gums, but in August it is possible toreally see something which looks just like a hummingbird. It'sactually a moth called a humming-bird hawk-moth. These largeinsects fly in from Mediterranean areas, are often confusedwith real hummingbirds, because they look, hover and soundjust like the real

things.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/hummingbird.htmWILDCATSWildcats will be giving birth to their kittens this month. Therecan be up to five kittens in a litter. They are blind at birth,but have a full coat of fur. Less than a hundred years agowildcats could be found in many parts of Britain. Today onlya few hundred individuals remain in northern Scotland, and eventhey are at risk. Many wildcats have bred with feral domesticcats producing hybrid kittens. If they continue breeding in thisway, true Scottish wildcats as we know them today couldbecome extinct.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/wildcats.htmHOUSE SPARROWSOne classic summer sound to listen out for this month is frantictweeting of flocks of house sparrows. Sparrow populations havebeen in decline for many years, but they're

starting to make acomeback. August marks the end of the breeding season forhouse sparrows, and in late summer young birds, and adults,start to form noisy flocks which move around the localitylooking for food.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/housesparrows.htmEARWIGSThey're normally ground dwelling scavengers, but during thesummer months, as any gardener will tell you, earwigs moveas far away from the ground as they can, and seek out tinycrevices to hide in. They can often be found hiding insideflower heads among the petals.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/earwigs.htmHORSE FLIES Look out for horse flies this month, especially if you're walkingnear water. They like to bite horses and cattle but they'reequally happy chewing on a human. They make a low-pitchedhumming noise when they

fly, so unless you know the soundyou don't always notice them coming. The males are harmlessnectar feeders, but the females give a nasty bite which cancause a painful swelling.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/horseflies.htmROMAN SNAILSIt's thought that the Romans may have introducedthese snails to Britain as a source of food - hence theirname. They are edible, but they are also quite rare,and they take a long time to mature and reproduce, sothey're best left in the wild. Look for them on chalkdownland, especially on damp mornings and evenings.A hot spot for them is the Cotswolds.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/romansnail.htmGRASSHOPPERSAnother typical sound of summer is that of grasshopperschirping away in a meadow. They make the noise byrubbing a row of pegs on their back legs

against theirwings. It's the males who make the noise in order toattract a mate. They lay their eggs in dry soil from nowuntil September, and the nymphs will emerge next May.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/grasshoppers.htmGRASS SNAKESThe grass snake is our only native snake which doesn't givebirth to live young. It frequently lays its eggs in compost heaps,where the extra heat helps to incubate the eggs. There canbe ten or more eggs in each clutch. The round, white eggs areabout 2cms long, and the baby snakes which hatch out in lateAugust are about 15 to 20cms. long.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/grasssnakes.htmHEATHERIt's peak flowering time for heather this month. Vast areasof the British countryside become swathed in beautiful shadesof purple. This floral spectacular is on a

par with the bloomingof the Bluebells in spring, and well worth a trip to your localheathland for a good view.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/heather.htmANTSIn hot, humid weather, ant nests literally erupt with life. Wingedants take to the air in what are known as 'ant weddings'.Thousands of queens and males rise up, sometimes formingdense, smoke-like clouds. They mate in the air, and then dropback down to earth. All the males die soon after mating, butthe females shed their wings and go off to start a new colony.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/ants.htmMOON JELLYFISHSomething that strikes fear into seaside bathers every summeris the sight of jellyfish in the water. The most commonlyseen jellyfish around our shores is the moon jellyfish.Although it has stinging tentacles they are usually

harmlessas they cannot penetrate human skin.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/moonjellyfish.htmWILD ARUMIf you take a woodland walk this month you might notice theshort berry spikes of the wild arum plant. The berries aregreen at first and gradually ripen to a bright orange colour.Although they have an attractive appearance they are highlypoisonous.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/lordsandladies.htmVIPER'S-BUGLOSSThe flowers of the viper's-bugloss are out this month. Theunusual name comes from the old, and sadly, mistaken beliefthat they could be used to cure snake bites. There must bea few country folk with "See I told you it wouldn't work"written on their tombstones.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/vipersbugloss.htm==================2) SPONSOR MESSAGE==================Some of you will have already know, or have heard of ChrisEdwards. He's kindly supplied a number of photos to UK Safariin the past, including puffins, swallows and seals.Chris is a professional wildlife photographer, who is currentlyworking with Billy Shiel MBE to organise some new photographyworkshops around the Farne Islands. Photographers andbirdwatchers now have the chance to go on a 5 hour boattrip for just £20. The trip includes a two hour stop on StapleIsland plus another 2 hours on Inner Farne.Tours can also be customised to suit small groups and cameraclubs. For example you can charter a boat and organise yourown cruise with up to 10 people for £350 a day, or £500 ifyou'd like to have Chris on board to give expert help andadvice. Food can

also be arranged for the trips.More details: Billy Shiel tel: +44 (0)1665 720 308Chris can be contacted on: 077 875 20935=================3) NEWS HEADLINES=================RARE BREEDING BIRDS ON SCILLYThis year three rare breeding birds; the Marsh Harrier, Nightjarand Arctic Tern, have set up their homes in the Isles of Scilly.The Marsh Harrier is a first time breeder within the islandshaving nearly become extinct in the UK during the 60's.The Nightjar has not bred in Scilly since the 1940's, and theArctic Tern has not bred on the islands for at least 30 years.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000023.htmMINISTER LAUNCHES MAJOR NEW POLICY FOR ANCIENT ANDNATIVE WOODLANDSForestry Minister, Jim Knight MP, and Lord Clark, Chairman ofthe Forestry Commission launched a new policy that willradically change the way that

woodland sites and forestsacross England, will be managed. The delivery of the newpolicy will involve a programme of tree felling and thinningin those ancient woodlands converted to plantations in thelast century. This will see millions of conifers and non-nativetrees replaced with native oak, ash and beech.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000024.htmBREEDING BEARDED TITS - ANOTHER FIRST FOR NEWPORTWETLANDSBearded tits have bred at the Newport Wetlands Reserve, thefirst time the bird has bred in Wales since the early 1980's.Tony Pickup, CCW Senior Reserve Manager at the WetlandsReserve said: "The fact that they have bred only 6 yearsafter the reedbeds were created on former industrial land isquite an achievement."More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000025.htmBREEDING BEE-EATERS

DISCOVERED IN UKLocal people in Herefordshire have discovered a nest of bee-eaters, one of Europe's most colourful birds, which havesuccessfully bred hundreds of miles from their normal breedingarea in southern Europe. This is only the fourth time thatbee-eaters have nested in the UK, having made their summerhome in a riverbank at Hampton Bishop, near Hereford and theRSPB is providing wildlife lovers with the chance to enjoy thespectacle.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000026.htmNEW PARASITE IS SERIOUS THREAT TO BRITISH WILDLIFEA new parasite which could kill pet cats and dogs and a rangeof much loved British wildlife has been discovered for the firsttime in Britain warns Cornwall Wildlife Trust. The flatworm,called Pseudamphistomum truncatum, is thought to have beenintroduced by ornamental fish imported from Russia and EasternEurope. Some

escaped from ponds and are now thriving in theSomerset Levels. The worm is passed on when animals, likecats, dogs, otters and foxes eat raw fish which have beeninfected.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000027.htmFIRST PUFFIN CHICK SPOTTED ON LUNDY FOR 30 YEARSA puffin chick has been spotted for the first time since 1972on Lundy island in the Bristol Channel. The young bird wasseen by Ben Sampson, the island warden, who had campedovernight to start watching the puffins at first light. He said:"Four of the six nesting burrows I knew about still appearedto be occupied and I saw a total of nine adults land together.Then, just before seven o'clock, a juvenile bird appeared inthe entrance of one of the burrows, closely watched by itsparent. The youngster had very little, if any, down left andI'm sure it was very close to fledging."More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000028.htmNFU CALL FOR BADGER CULLConservationists today criticised the National Farmers Unionfor demanding badger culling to control bovine tuberculosis."By demanding badger killing, the National Farmers Union isbehaving like a school bully. Unable to win the intellectualdebate to justify localised badger killing, it is resorting toever-nastier tactics by demanding national badger snaringand gassing," said Dr Elaine King, Chief Executive of theNational Federation of Badger Groups.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/news/000029.htm============================4) JULY READERS POLL RESULTS============================Rare birds from abroad can land anywhere in Britain, so lastmonth we asked you how far would you travel to see a rarebird in the UK? Here's how

you voted...A) 5 miles - 41 per centB) 50 miles - 50 per centC) 500 miles - 9 per cent======================5) AUGUST READERS POLL======================Hedgehogs, thrushes, frogs, toads, slow-worms and glow-wormsall eat slugs and snails, and all these of them have been declining.According to "Bio" British gardeners use over 400,000,000,000slug pellets every year.Do you think there's a connection?A) Yes B) No C) Duh!Send your answer by e-mail to uksafariJust put A, B or C in the subject box and hit send. We'll publishthe results in next months newsletter. If you want to send us your thoughts on the subject, pleaseadd them in the body of your message. We'll post them on thewebsite next month.=====================6) PHOTO OF THE

MONTH====================="Mini-Dinosaur?" by Roger WasleyYou can also send this photo as a greeting card.Each month we select our favourite photo from those sentin to us. You can see the "Photo of the Month" at:http://www.uksafari.com/potm.htmIf you've got a good nature photo (taken in Britain) thatyou'd like to share with us, please send it in by e-mail togetherwith details of how you took the shot.Send it to: uksafari========================7) PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST========================The responses we received (the printable ones!) to last month'scaption contest can be found at:http://www.uksafari.com/caption.htmWe're giving the caption contest a break for a while, but if youhave a picture which you think would

make a suitable captionphoto in the future, please send it to: uksafari=========================================8) COMPETITION - THE ORIGIN OF THE FAECES=========================================Nobody got the correct answer to last months competition, sohere's another chance to win.We've put a photo of an animal dropping on the website.All you've got to do is guess "the origin of the faeces" and tellus which animal dropped it.Clue: It's a REALLY small mammal, and it's featured in the mammalsection of the website www.uksafari.com/mammals.htmIt's worth having a guess because there's a prize of two neatbooks to be won; "The Garden Bird Survival Guide" and "TheGarden Wildlife Survival Guide".More at: http://www.uksafari.com/competition.htm=========================9) WILDLIFE HOSPITAL NEWS=========================Do you remember in early July how dry it was. Apart from a fewextreme downpours of rain in the north, the ground was hardbaked. Badgers were having a tough time finding food. Thebulk of their diet is made up of earthworms, and if the groundis too hard they're unable to dig for them. It was around thistime that Folly Wildlife Rescue took delivery of a badger cub.He was in such a poor condition he had to be rushed straightto the vets. He weighed just 1.9kg and was caked in fly eggs.His temperature was so low that it wouldn't register, and hedesperately needed to be rehydrated...More at: http://www.uksafari.com/folly1.htm==============10)

GLOW-WORMS==============Thanks to all of you who kindly sent in your glow-worm sightingsfor the annual survey last month. I also received an interestinge-mail from Tony Lawton, a r living in Dorset, whichreally highlights the declining population of glow-worms in the UK.Back in the 1950's Tony used to live between Wimborne andCranborne. He said there always used to be 50 or 60 glow-wormson a hedgebank close to where he lived. Having seen our surveyhe figured he'd go back and see what the situation was like today.Sadly he only counted three.Undeterred, he remembered a lane he used to cycle down at night,near Witchampton. In 1953 he said you didn't need lights on thebike, because the glow worm light was so good. Back then he usedto count between 1200 and 2000 glow-worms along this 1 milestretch. When he went there on the 15th July there were none.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/glowworms==============11 EXTRA BITS==============FREE MONTHLY PLANNERThere's another free monthly planner to download. You've heardof "Big Cat Diaries", well this is the "Small Wildcat Calendar".More at: http://www.uksafari.com/planner.htmBIRDS OF PREY REHAB SEMINARRaptor Rescue is holding a day-long Seminar at ReaseheathCollege, in Nantwich, Cheshire. This event will feature severalguest speakers and will cover subjects from rehabilitation andveterinary care, to legislation and ringing. It takes place onSaturday 24th September in the College's Lecture theatre.The cost of the day will be £25.00 and lunch is included inthe price. Tickets from: Ian Taylor. Tel: 01298 709959More at: http://www.raptorrescue.org.uk/ BIRDWATCHING FAIRThe 17th British Birdwatching Fair will be held at Rutland WaterNature Reserve from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st August 2005.It's a massive event which combines local and national supportfor international bird conservation.More at: http://www.birdfair.org.uk/SHOOTING STARSWant to see a shooting star? Make a note in your diary andwatch out for them on the 11th or 12th of August. The Perseidmeteor shower is guaranteed to put on a good show... weatherpermitting.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/perseids.htmSQUIRRELS AT THE WINDOWYou know that feeling your get when you look out of your windowand see squirrels eating all the bird food. Imagine looking out andseeing squirrels actually stuck on your

window!More at: http://www.uksafari.com/greysquirrels8.htmBADGER VIDEO CLIPChris James recently contacted us and kindly sent a short videoclip of a badger which has been visiting his garden, in broaddaylight.More at: http://www.uksafari.com/badgers5.htmThat's all for now. Thanks for reading and until next time...HAVE A GREAT SAFARI.Kind regards,Gary Bradley.UK Safari EditorP.S. Kids, if you go out watching wildlife at night, especiallynear water, tell an adult where you're going, or better stilltake your parent/guardian with you. You might teach themsomething!P. P.S. If you've enjoyed reading this newsletter, pleaseforward it to a friend. They might even thank you for it! Weonly ask that you leave the entire newsletter intact.Any typographical

errors in this newsletter are there for apurpose. Some people actually enjoy looking for them and wetry to please as many readers as possible.The disclaimer at: http://www.uksafari.com/disclaimer.htmapplies to this newsletter.© Copyright 2005 by G. Bradley - http://www.uksafari.comNOTE: This is a FREE publication sent ONLY to people who haverequested it. Our r list is NOT made available toanyone. We value every r and respect your privacy.The information we have on file is:Your name: Josephine KebbellYour email: heartworkSent by:UK Safari, 2 Claypits Cottage, Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 8JD, UNITED KINGDOMTo or change r options visit:http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?TEwMLJwMtCwMrBycbOyM

 

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