Author: Luanne Wilkes

News from outside the nest

This week we learned all about…

The importance of protected areas for conserving the planet’s diversity. Many of our reserves are failing to live up to their promised potential through poor management

The strange wasting syndrome that is affecting many important species of starfish and the scientists that are working to manage this problem.

Rehabilitation of sea turtles over 400 miles from the ocean. At the Second Chance Program, located in Pittsburgh, injured turtles are prepared for reintroduction to the wild.

A new theory which suggests that life could exist on planets in the absence of water, thriving instead on supercritical carbon dioxide.

Flying under the influence: A drunk tank for birds, situated in the Yukon territory, opens for business.

And finally…the UK’s first number two bus (quite literally). Powered entirely by human sewage and food waste, this bus is now in service between Bristol and Bath.

New arrivals at the warehouse

This new Programmable Heated Bat Box lets you set maximum and minimum daily temperatures for each month of the year, as well as letting you set up and monitor up to four boxes remotely via an online interface.

The Nest Box Camera Starter Kit contains everything you need to start filming birds in your garden. It includes an FSC timber bird box pre-fitted with a camera and 30m cable. Simply plug into your TV and start watching the action.

The long awaited new addition of Docks and Knotweeds of Britain and Ireland features additional hybrids and adventives, new distribution maps and keys, as well as 67 outstanding illustrations by Anne Farrer.

Animal Weapons by Douglas Emlen lets us take a look at the extreme weapons of the natural world: teeth, horns and claws, alongside the weapons developed by humans since battle began.

News from outside the nest

The Convention on Migratory Species in Ecuador, which closed on Sunday, approved greater protection measures for 31 species. These included the much loved polar bear, currently at risk from a warming arctic climate.

The world’s first solar bike lane, connecting the Amsterdam suburbs of Krommenie and Wormerveer, opened in the Netherlands.

In this documentary by William Douglas McMaster, we learned all about the man that single-handedly created a forest.

A study released this week showed that European bird species are declining at an alarming rate. This is a loss both for our world and in our hearts.

We took a look at the new trend for urban farming projects in Los Angeles.

A new antibiotic found in a mushroom living on horse dung may help to provide valuable information on antibiotic resistance.

And finally…with winter rapidly approaching (for us folk in the northern hemisphere) we discovered the fascinating world of snowflakes.

New arrivals at the warehouse

The Book of Beetles offers glorious lifesize photographs of six hundred beetle species along with distribution maps and other important information for each.

This new Bradt Guide to the Wildlife of Madagascar celebrates the unique fauna of a marvellous island.

These Sapphire ED Binoculars from Hawke Optics are winners of the Best Birding Binoculars 2013 Award.

The EasyLog Mini USB Temperature Logger is pocket-sized and affordable and will log temperatures for up to a month with one battery.

News from outside the nest

This week we learned about PenguinBot, a remote controlled “penguin” used to collect information from micro-chipped birds without the need for the stress caused by contact with human researchers.

We read all about arctic ground squirrels, who bulk up on steroids for their winter hibernation period and have evolved to avoid the negative effects of steroids seen in humans and other mammals.

We pondered the question: Is music governed by biology or culture? following this research showing that the male hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) uses melodies which have the same harmonic intervals used in many of our well recognised music scales -the first time that this has been observed in any animals outside of humans.

Hummingbirds are notoriously beautiful and delicate, so it was intriguing to see a more combative side to these tiny birds and to discover how male aggression has played a role in the evolution of beak shape.

A newly discovered fossil found in Madagascar, described as a huge groundhog-like creature, has provide fascinating insights into early mammalian evolution.

A paper published this week in the journal Science showed us how the Mexican free-tailed bat uses acoustic calls to jam the echolocation of other bats competing for the same prey item.

And finally…zero gravity fun with a GoPro – NASA astronauts submerge a GoPro camera inside a floating ball of water.

New arrivals at the warehouse

Get ready for a brand new year of birdwatching with the Birdwatcher’s Yearbook 2015.

Compact, portable, yet packed with illustrations and information, the Birds of Costa Rica is the only guide you need for this wonderful birding destination.

The EasyLog Professional USB Temperature Logger is a great new addition to the range. This big brother of the EasyLog family is more robust and will last for even longer in the field, recording temperatures of up to 125ºC.

This Double Globe Planetarium is a great way to learn about our solar system. Project planets or stars onto your ceiling and listen along to the commentary. Great for kids (and lots of fun for us adults too).

News from outside the nest

This week we took a Trip Around the World in 92 Minutes with this wonderful collection of images taken from the International Space Station by Chris Hadfield.

From there we took a visual journal on a different scale, and were mesmerised by the winning photos from the Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition.

In Ethiopia, a tree and shrub planting program which has already transformed the landscape is set to continue following a pledge to restore an additional 15m hectares by 2030.

In this fascinating article we learned all about rare, and extremely rare, blood types, and how these affect the lives of patients, donors and surgeons, as well as the scientists that study them.

This new research has shown that bats hang out with their “friends” when roosting in woodlands, and that social groups are surprisingly distinct.

And finally…this image of the sun, taken from NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory spacecraft, helped to get us in the mood for Halloween.

New arrivals at the warehouse

These Zeiss Victory Binoculars are high performance and have a handy one touch rangefinder to measure distance.

The Reconyx UltraFire records 8MP images and 1080p videos. It has invisible night vision illumination and a preview screen, allowing you to view your footage in the field.

News from outside the nest

This week we learned all about the shiny things of the natural world and the underlying structures that create iridescence.

We read about nature’s lovers and fighters: from this fascinating research into the beginnings of sex on earth…to the long drawn out battles occurring between hives of Australian bees.

Providing a new solution for the management of non-native plants, the humble goat has proven to be a great non-toxic approach in the East Coat Marshes of the US and Canada.

We found these rare images of a smallspine spookfish truly bizarre.

It is always fascinating to see the human-like characteristics of our closest relatives, and this new research showing chimpanzees searching for their favourite tool was no exception.

And finally…”A grizzly stole my GoPro!” – This footage from Knight Inlet in Canada made us laugh.

New arrivals at the warehouse

Perfect for Christmas, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 Desk Diary is now in stock.

Two new additions to the range of FSC fold-out guides: Mosses and Liverworts of Woodlands and Mosses and Liverworts of Towns and Gardens

From the keyring sized Micra to the tool-packed Surge, there’s a Leatherman for everyone.

SteriPEN UV water purifiers are perfect for the traveller or field worker.

News from outside the nest

We have been keeping an eye on the webcam at Dorset Harbour following announcements that the largest flock of spoonbills ever to be seen in Britain were sighted on the Brownsea Island Lagoon.

The Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and we were as astounded as ever by the standard of photographs on display.

We read about the plight of the Monarch butterflies, their astounding migrations and the efforts being taken to save them from extinction.

Evolving in leaps and bounds, quite literally; poisonous cane toads in Australia are jumping straighter and farther, allowing this invasive species to expand into new territories at an alarming rate.

We learned some fascinating things about how birds cope with turbulence from an eagle wearing a black box flight recorder.

The beautiful Nature is Speaking series from Conservation International has kept us entranced.

And finally…Raffia the camel became the first animal to be involved with Google Maps in efforts to capture images of the Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi.

New arrivals at the warehouse

The second addition of British Soldierflies and their Allies contains beautiful photographs alongside illustrations of key indentifying features. It also includes the most up to date information on species’ status.

Sex on Earth is a highly readable work that celebrates and investigates the hows and whys of sex on our planet.

Build-in sparrow boxes are now available in a terraced version, providing space for three nesting pairs. Choose from red or blue brick or face them with your own to perfectly match your building.

The Ltl Acorn 6310 is available with a choice of night vision LED types (standard or low glow) and is the latest addition to the range available at NHBS.

News from outside the nest

We watched this inspiring film from Mosaic about the Urban Pollinators Project and learned how our cities may be the last refuge of some of our most vital pollinating insects.

And from the very small to the very large, we witnessed the US government sign a contract which saw debt owed by Indonesia to the United States swapped for rhino protection and conservation measures.

We listened to the great podcast “Costing the Earth” which, this week, looked at the impacts of climate change on small Caribbean Islands and their probability of future survival.

This fascinating research from the University of San Diego on cross-species vocal learning in killer whales showed us how these amazing mammals learned to communicate like bottlenose dolphins.

We were excited by the release of the GoPro HERO4.

And finally, we listened to what would happen if the pattern of birds perched on electrical lines were transformed into musical notes.

New arrivals at the warehouse

The new Spypoint SMART Trail Camera utilises Intelligent Triggering Technology which alters the number of photographs taken or length of video based upon the movement pattern detected – now available for pre-order.

These mobile Dino-Lite digital microscopes provide a portable, computer-free microscopy solution

Twenty-eight years following the first edition, the long awaited second edition of the Birds of New Guinea is now in stock

The latest in the New Naturalist series looks at Nature in Towns and Cities

News from outside the nest

With news that world wildlife populations have halved in the last 40 years, we were keen to find out which British wildlife species have been most affected.

On a brighter note, we learned all about solar power: from the UK’s first floating solar farm, and solar sunflowers to solar powered beer.

We were fascinated by this video of a rare purple siphonophore, discovered by marine biologists in the Gulf of Mexico.

As many of our summer bird visitors leave for warmer climates, we have been keeping an eye on the radio-tagged cuckoos on the fantastic BTO cuckoo tracker and were excited to observe the first arrivals in the Congo rainforest.

And with birds in mind we listened to Mark Avery talk about the last passenger pigeon and autumn bird migrations.

And finally….we ventured to the hedgerows to stock up on home-made sloe gin.

New arrivals at the warehouse

The Ltl Acorn cameras were an exciting addition to our trail camera range.

Now in stereo – the new Batscanner from Elekon.

The Vascular Plant Red List for England presents, for the first time, a comprehensive list illustrating the status of native plants and archaeophytes in the region.

A Feathered River Across the Sky tells the story of how our passenger pigeons became extinct.