Bits for Pets Blog

Endangered heathland species in England could become extinct because of the poor condition of their habitat, conservationists have warned.

Natural England says wildlife, such as the stone curlew, nightjar and sand lizard, could disappear if lowland heathland is not protected.

It found all of the 104 sites surveyed were in poor condition, even those which were in conservation schemes.

Heathland is currently a priority for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Expansion of cities

Until about 100 years ago, heathland was a valuable resource for local communities. Trees were felled for fuel, animals grazed the land and the wildlife that favoured such open areas flourished.

Now, due to the expansion of urban areas and arable land, only 60,000 hectares (148,263 acres) remain covered by lowland heathland in England.

But even these do not meet the standards set for protected Sites of Special Scientific Interest, the latest survey for Natural England, the RSPB, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has found.

Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England, said such habitats needed to be protected to ensure the plant and animal species they support were “not lost forever”.

“There is clear evidence that many of the larger heathlands - such as the Devil’s Punch Bowl in Surrey and the East Lizard peninsula - managed for conservation and recreation are in better condition.

“To help restore other sites to these high standards we must ensure that they are properly targeted through stewardship schemes to secure appropriate management.”

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It may come as a surprise to most people that there are any seahorses at all in British coastal waters, and more surprising still that numbers appear to be increasing.

Seahorse experts met in London this month to discuss the apparent population surge in seahorses and their close relative, the pipefish.

The reasons for this increase, described as “rapid and dramatic” is not yet clear and a number of theories have been put forward including a natural population boom or warmer waters.

As with any shift in population, it is also having a knock-on effect upon other species, including sea birds.

They say although there have been changes in water temperature in the North Sea since around 1988, the large numbers of snake pipefish have only appeared in the last four or five years - putting a global warming theory in doubt.

“There is no doubt that numbers of snake pipefish have increased. In the last few years they are just everywhere,” said Professor Mike P Harris of CEH.

“Although climate change may well have had an effect, the jury is, we think, still out on this matter.”

Cindy van Damme of the Netherlands’ Wageningen IMARES - the Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, believes she may be nearer an answer.

She says recent shifts in ocean currents have led to a change in the composition of plankton - it has shrunk.

“Plankton is the major food item of pipefish and sea horses. The mouth opening of this group of fishes restricts the prey size they can handle. We think this mechanism explains the huge increase of snake pipefish. Hence this outbreak may very well last for only a limited number of years.”

However long it lasts, it is impacting startlingly upon pipefish predators - which include everything from mackerel, dolphins, otters and sharks to seabirds.

Although they are eaten by birds such as gannets, kittiwakes and puffins, their spiny, ‘armoured’ forms, like seahorses make them difficult for young birds to swallow and digest - some young birds even choke to death on them.

Pipefish form a distinct family with seahorses (syngnathids) and as the name would suggest, look like straight-bodied seahorses with tiny mouths.

Numbers of the snake pipefish, once rarely seen in northern British waters, now often end up in the region’s trawler nets in vast numbers, say scientists.

Once associated with deep northern waters, they have even been found recently further south by fishermen in the Thames Estuary.

A European team led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) says that the numbers of snake pipefish in British waters has increased more than one hundredfold since 2003.

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The Wildlife Trusts run a special campaign to protect hedgehogs in the wild on Bonfire Night.

The Wildlife Trusts are asking people to look out for hiding hedgehogs before they light fires on Bonfire Night (Monday 5 November).

At this time of year hedgehogs begin to look for places to hibernate and unlit bonfires make an ideal refuge. Hedgehogs numbers are in decline due to a loss of habitat, development pressures, possible loss of food sources due to intensive farming and the possible effects of slug pellets. Hedgehogs have recently joined the red squirrel and bottlenose dolphin on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan list of species in need of conservation and greater protection.

The Wildlife Trusts advise people to help protect hedgehogs by following these guidelines when building a bonfire:

• Build the bonfire as close to the night as possible so there’s less chance of a hedgehog moving in
• Make your pile of material next to the bonfire site and re-build the stack before lighting it
• Search the bonfire for hibernating creatures using a torch and rake before starting the fire
• Move any hedgehogs found to a ready-made hedgehog box or somewhere dry and safe away from the fire
• Before bonfire night make an alternative hedgehog home by raking up grass cuttings or autumn leaves into a pile a safe distance from the fire. Hopefully sleepy ‘hogs will choose to snooze there instead of the bonfire

Morag Shuaib, The Wildlife Trusts’ Wildlife Gardening officer, said:

“To a hedgehog looking for a place to sleep, an unlit bonfire is a ready made nest. We are asking people to give hedgehogs a helping hand by following our instructions and checking any bonfires before lighting them. It only takes a minute to do but can save hundreds of hedgehogs from an unnecessary death.

“Hedgehogs are great friends to gardeners and a natural pest-killer. However, numbers are in decline and we need to do all we can to help them out. Once bonfire night is over why not think about creating a hedgehog haven in your garden? Hedgehogs need garden habitats that mimic woodland edge and hedgerow and will feed on slugs, snails, beetles, worms, and caterpillars. You can provide leafy, twiggy places for hibernation – small piles of logs or leaves are ideal. Avoid slug pellets and don’t keep your garden too tidy!”

The Wildlife Trusts is a wildlife conservation organisation only. Any queries relating to animal welfare such as injured hedgehogs should be directed to your local RSPCA office. Telephone 0870 33 35 999 or visit: www.rspca.org.uk

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society can also provide further advice on caring for hedgehogs and encouraging them in the wild and in gardens: Tel: 01584 890801

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The Forestry Commission is running a special event for dog owners in Devon in a bid to encourage them to use its land more sensitively.

The Commission is working together with the Kennel Club after it was estimated that around 30% of visitors to the countryside bring a dog with them.

The event, to be held at Holden Forest, near Exeter, will include dog agility, obedience and fly ball demonstrations.

There will also be a pooch parade featuring an award for “waggiest tail”.

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A seagull has turned shoplifter by wandering into a shop and helping itself to crisps.

The bird walks into the RS McColl newsagents in Aberdeen when the door is open and makes off with cheese Doritos.

The seagull, nicknamed Sam, has now become so popular that locals have started paying for his crisps.

Shop assistant Sriaram Nagarajan said: “Everyone is amazed by the seagull. For some reason he only takes that one particular kind of crisps.”

The bird first swooped in Aberdeen’s Castlegate earlier this month and made off with the 55p crisps, and is now a regular.

Once outside, the crisps are ripped open and the seagull is joined by other birds.

Mr Nagarajan said: “He’s got it down to a fine art. He waits until there are no customers around and I’m standing behind the till, then he raids the place.

“At first I didn’t believe a seagull was capable of stealing crisps. But I saw it with my own eyes and I was surprised. He’s very good at it.

“He’s becoming a bit of a celebrity. Seagulls are usually not that popular but Sam is a star because he’s so funny.”

A spokesman for RSPB Scotland said: “I’ve never heard of anything like this before.

“Perhaps it tried some crisps in a shiny packet in the street, and was just opportunistic one day at the shop when it saw what was inside.

“As everyone knows, gulls can be very quick and fearless, and clearly this one is no exception.”

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The number of endangered species in Britain has almost doubled in 13 years, according to a major new study.

There are now 1,149 species of plants, mammals, birds and insects, and 67 different types of habitat under threat from climate change and human activity.

Grahame Madge from the RSPB said there must be serious action to restore a “healthy countryside rich in wildlife”.

Among the much-loved species are the skylark, dormouse, red squirrel, grass snake and several species of bat.

The list has been compiled by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) and was the result of two years research by more 500 wildlife experts and a large number of volunteers.

They blame a range of factors including farming techniques and inappropriate rural and urban planning.

The number of endangered habitats has gone up from 49 in the last survey done in 1994. Among those under threat are hedgerows, orchards, pine woodlands, meadows and sand dunes.

Urgent action

The Priority Species and Habitats list also includes 14 kinds of freshwater fish like the common sturgeon and Atlantic salmon, and 18 mammals, such as pine martens and water voles.

But the largest proportion of species are invertebrates like insects and spiders, with more than 400 at risk.

Matt Shardlow, director of Buglife, told the BBC’s Today programme that species like the moonshiner beetle, glutinous snail and Viking sword fly must be protected.

“What we need to do is to address the habitats as well as the species, start to put some of these habitats back into the countryside, get them into good condition so that the species are able to spread and thrive,” Mr Shardlow said.

“Every public office holder has to have a regard for what is on this list and make sure they’re doing their bit to conserve it.”

Researchers looked at the rate of decline of a species, in particular where the UK was responsible for a large proportion of the entire international population.

Quiet countryside

Fifty-nine species and sub-species of birds (up from 27) are endangered, including the lesser spotted woodpecker and the black grouse.

Mr Madge said much of the decline was due to the intensification of farming and the swallowing up of marshes, hedgerows and other areas for agriculture.

“Take the grey partridge - it should be on every farm in Britain. You should be able to walk less than a mile anywhere in the countryside and hear one,” he said.

“It’s a bird that our rural ancestors would have heard every day and now you have to make a real effort to find one.

“That’s why our ultimate aim must be to restore a healthy countryside rich in wildlife.”

UK BAP is a partnership of government bodies and wildlife charities set up after Britain signed the international Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992.

As well as monitoring species levels, it suggests ways to protect them, such as new legislation and physical habitat improvements.

The 1994 report listed 577 species at risk.

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Up to 150 terrapin turtles which have been terrorising wildlife in Hampstead Heath are to be rounded up.

The non-native creatures feed on worms, fish and even ducklings, said rangers in the north London park.

The Heath authorities were planning to airlift them to Italy, but now a private collector from Norfolk has offered to take them.

The invasion of terrapins in the UK has been linked to the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles craze of the early 1990s.

Heavy fine

Originally from America, terrapins are bought as pets and later released into the wild as they can grow up to a foot long.

“They live off the native wildlife, eating worms, fish and some ducklings,” said Rob Renwick, of the City of London Corporation which owns Hampstead Heath.

“It is estimated that there are up to 150 of these non-native species living in the ponds.”

He said there was a £5,000 fine for anyone caught releasing terrapins into the water.

Experts said UK waters were too cold for the terrapins to reproduce but climate change could change that.

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The chaffinch is the most common bird to be seen in Scottish gardens, according to a recent survey.

The study, by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), found that the species visited almost three quarters (72.9%) of Scottish gardens.

This amounted to an average of 5.46 birds per garden.

More than 27,000 Scots took part in the charity’s Big Garden Birdwatch in January, with at least 6.5 million birds being counted across the UK.

The house sparrow and starling also made it into the top three in Scotland, with averages of 5.09 and 3.83 respectively.

However, the study found less songbirds visiting gardens, with blackbirds, song thrushes and robins at their lowest levels for five years.

The decline could be a result of less birds migrating during the mild winter and the abundance of food in the countryside.

The study showed there was also a “significant decline” in the number of greenfinches spotted this year, with the average falling from 2.2 per garden in 2006 to 1.55.

Jonathan Osborne, RSPB Scotland’s Birdwatch organiser, said: “It is great that so many people in Scotland helped us this year by spending that hour looking out for garden visitors.

“The event can only ever be a snapshot, but over the years helps us develop an idea of the state of our garden birds which are an important indicator of the environment we all live in, and how that might be changing.”

The goldfinch entered the study’s top ten for the first time ever.

TOP 10 MOST COMMON GARDEN BIRDS IN SCOTLAND
1 - Chaffinch
2 - House sparrow
3 - Starling
4 - Blue tit
5 - Blackbird
6 - Greenfinch
7 - Great tit
8 - Robin
9 - Dunnock
10 - Goldfinch

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A beetle thought to be extinct in the UK since the 1940s has been rediscovered in south Devon.

The short-necked oil beetle was found by an amateur entemologist during a wildlife survey on National Trust (NT) land between Bolt Head and Bolt Tail.

The beetles were last recorded at Chailey Common, Sussex in 1948.

Up to 40 of the insects, which survive by hitching rides on miner bees as larvae and then eating the bees’ eggs, were found at the Devon site.

The beetle, which gets its name from the highly toxic oil secretions it produces when threatened, is also known as Meloe brevicollis.

The adult beetles, which live for about three months, lay up to 1,000 eggs in a burrow in soft or sandy soil and eggs hatch in the following spring.

Once they have hatched the young larvae crawl up on to vegetation, often lying in wait in flowers, where they hitch a ride on mining bees and are involuntarily taken back to the bee’s nest.

But the flightless creature’s natural habitats and the populations of bees they rely on have been decimated by intensive farming practices.

The NT said the coastal strip of land where the oil beetle was discovered by Bob Beckford had been managed less intensively as farmland, creating a habitat where the beetle could survive undisturbed.

This site will now be monitored and the lifecycle of the beetle examined in more detail so the land is managed in a way that helps the insect flourish.

David Bullock, head of nature conservation at the NT, said: “The discovery of a beetle that was thought to be extinct for nearly 60 years is an amazing story of survival, particularly for a species with such an interdependent lifecycle.

“It’s great that this oil beetle, with its fascinating lifestyle, has survived against all the odds and is back in business on the south Devon coast.”

SHORT-NECKED OIL BEETLE:
Adult beetles are flightless, large and slow moving
The bodies (especially of females) are swollen
The wing cases are short and rudimentary
The young larvae are known as triungulins after their three claws
They then devour the bee’s egg and also the protein rich pollen stores the bee intended to provide for its own larvae.

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Randy toads are being killed in their thousands as they search for their dream partner.

And animal lovers are now setting up a toad lollipop crossing brigade to try to save the creatures.

Amorous amphibians go looking for love at this time of year but vast numbers end up getting squashed under car wheels in the process.

Volunteer patrols are helping the creatures cross roads in safety and wildlife campaigners have pleaded with motorists to stop the courting carnage.

Trevor Weeks, founder of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service, explained hundreds of thousands of toads in the UK cross roads to reach their spawning grounds.

As the ground temperature warms up and the land becomes wetter, loved-up toads come out of hiding and hop across roads looking for a date.

They typically start moving at night when it is damp but not too cold for them.

Male toads often sit on the warm road surfaces and wait for females to hop on their backs and be carried to water.

Mr Weeks explained the problem of toads getting run over was having a major impact on their populations.

One of the danger toad spots is the Litlington and Exceat road near Seaford where hundreds cross from the forest to the flood plains of the Cuckmere River.

Mr Weeks said: “I’ve been doing toad patrols since the early 1990s and when I first started it was estimated that over 10,000 toads cross the Litlington to Exceat road every year.

“However, now the numbers seem to be a lot smaller, probably less than 2,000, but it is difficult to tell.

“Every year thousands are killed on our roads by motorists who probably don’t even notice they are there as they are so small, it is not like they are the size of a fox or badger.”

The East Sussex Wildlife and Rescue Service has joined people from other organisations, including the Sussex Amphibian Reptile Group, to form a toad lollipop crossing brigade.

Mr Weeks said: “Our rescuers will join other volunteers to spend some time helping to pick up and move some of these toads out of the roads to stop them from being run over.

“There is little which can be done to stop them or help prevent them from being killed on the roads, apart from rolling up your sleeves and physically moving them.”

Villagers from Lytlington are going out nightly in Wellington boots, armed with torches and buckets to move the amphibians.

They have also made safety signs warning car drivers of the toad road invasion.

East Sussex County Council has some warning road signs at crossing spots.

Mr Weeks asked motorists to slow down if they see a toad sign, take care and try and avoid killing them if possible.

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