How the birds and the bees help coffee plants: Shutterstock Sipping a coffee on your way to work is a ritual most people take for granted without thinking about how the delicious coffee beans reached their cup. You probably know it comes from tropical regions. But what is less well-known is that coffee is the …
Why it’s crucial to safeguard the ancient practice of finding wild honey with birds: Yao honey-hunters harvesting a honeybee nest in Niassa Special Reserve, Mozambique, where human-honeyguide cooperation still thrives. Photo by Jessica van der Wal In parts of Africa, a small bird called the Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) helps people search for honey. It …
Avian flu has jumped from chickens to wild birds and is spreading fast: Seabirds like gannets appear to be particularly at risk. Coatesy / shutterstock After a series of localised outbreaks in the past few years, avian flu has re-emerged as a major driver of bird deaths across the UK. Until the past few weeks, …
Canaries in the coal mine: why birds can tell us so much about the health of Earth: A Eurasian jay (_Garrulus glandarius_) sighting suggests a productive oak tree is nearby. Andy Jenner/Shutterstock Following a deadly explosion in a Welsh coal mine in 1896, an engineer called John Haldane invented a type of bird cage that …
Check out this Paternoster image: Image from page 10 of “Ornithologia, or, The birds: a poem, in two parts : with an introduction to their natural history; and copious notes” (1829) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: ornithologiaorbi00jenn Title: Ornithologia, or, The birds: a poem, in two parts : with an introduction to their …
Why birds migrate vast distances – and how you can help during their breeding season: Ospreys spend summer in the UK Vlad G/shutterstock Now that spring is in the air, the UK is starting to see its summer visitors arriving. Ospreys are already back in their nests, chiffchaffs are singing their song to re-establish their …
Check out this Paternoster image: Image from page 309 of “The birds of Middlesex. A contribution to the natural history of the county” (1866) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: birdsofmiddlesex00hart Title: The birds of Middlesex. A contribution to the natural history of the county Year: 1866 (1860s) Authors: Harting, James Edmund, 1841-1928 Subjects: …
Here’s how we proved that tropical birds are more colourful – and why colour helps them survive: Green headed tanager in Ubatuba, Brazil Lars Falkdalen Lindahl, CC BY-SA 3.0., CC BY For many of us, the tropics conjure up thoughts of lush vegetation teaming with vibrant and strikingly colourful birds, insects and other creatures. It’s …
Check out this Strand Beach image: Birds fly III Image by Jan R. Ubels Olympus digital camera Image automatically curated and published by www.free-mail.co.za – CLICK HERE to learn more about WP Robot for WordPress. Have you tried: Farking?
Mistletoes, locust bean trees and birds work together in Nigeria’s forest ecology: Mistletoes parasitising African locust bean trees in Amurum Forest Reserve. Abidemi Raji Mistletoes are found in a wide range of forest ecosystems. As parasites, they are a fascinating group of plants. They get their nutrition from host plants and are ecosystem engineers, making …
A nice Paternoster image: Image from page 4 of “A history of British birds. By the Rev. F.O. Morris ..” (1862) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: historyofbritish01morr Title: A history of British birds. By the Rev. F.O. Morris .. Year: 1862 (1860s) Authors: Morris, F. O. (Francis Orpen), 1810-1893 Subjects: Birds Publisher: London, …
A cool Paternoster image: Image from page 50 of “British birds” (1907) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: britishbirds819141915lond Title: British birds Year: 1907 (1900s) Authors: Subjects: Birds Publisher: London, Witherby & Co Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: …
A nice Paternoster image: Image from page 5 of “A practical treatise on British song birds : in which is given every information relative to their natural history, incubation, &c. : together with the method of rearing and managing both old and young birds /” (1824) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: bibliography00deit Title: …
A cool Kings Beach image: Image from page 323 of “Nests and eggs of birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania” (1901) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: nestseggsofbirds03nort Title: Nests and eggs of birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania Year: 1901 (1900s) Authors: North, Alfred J. (Alfred John), 1855-1917 Subjects: Birds — …
A nice Port Elizabeth image: Whale-headed or shoebill stork. 31.01.1964 from 2ft. 1/60 @ f.8. Copy from ‘Living birds of the world’ Africa Image by Mary Gillham Archive Project Port Elizabeth 1960 Image automatically curated and published by www.free-mail.co.za – CLICK HERE to learn more about WP Robot for WordPress. Have you tried: Diving with …
A cool Camps Bay Beach image: Image from page 300 of “Gray Lady and the birds; stories of the bird year for home and school” (1907) Image by Internet Archive Book Images Identifier: cu31924089537843 Title: Gray Lady and the birds; stories of the bird year for home and school Year: 1907 (1900s) Authors: Wright, Mabel …
Birds and bees: why new buildings need to support the natural world: Starlings and other birds like to nest in house eaves. Tony Skerl/Shutterstock Nature can thrive in cities with the right opportunities, and some English councils are working to help develop homes for wildlife within new buildings. New planning laws in Brighton and Hove …
Garden birds are struggling: four ways to help: A house martin visits an urban nest. Savo Ilic/Shutterstock More than a quarter of Britain’s birds are now on the RSPB’s red list, meaning that their numbers are in severe decline. Some of the recent additions to the red list are thought of as common garden birds, …