Articles by Guest Bloggers - Page 2

‘Free’ pollination by bees and other insects is worth over £400m** to UK agriculture each year but their numbers are in severe decline. This innovative project will engage 260 schools to help transform their grounds into pollinator-friendly habitats.

I signed up to numerous volunteering opportunities simultaneously. With a background in computing, widespread acceptance of my application was not something I expected but ‘giving up’ is not an option in my books.

Orangutans spend a lot of time stationary, but when they move it’s spectacular: they literally bend the trees to their will. The crash of an orangutan traversing the canopy can be heard a couple of hundred metres away. This helps them move more efficiently, preserving energy.

People living in and around the Mara can harm or help wildlife, but current trends on the western edge of the reserve are at a crossroads.

The pond – uneventful, smelly, even mildly-hazardous for dogs and children bounding happily into their murky depths.

What hadn’t been apparent to me was how much of a difference ringing can make to your abilities as a fieldworker and as a biologist, and what an impressive addition the training (or better yet a full license) can be to a CV or application.

Are animals becoming too comfortable with our ever expanding presence? This process has been described by behavioural scientists as habituation.

While those working in cities often can (and should) turn to organised reliable public transport, almost everyone I know living in rural areas relies heavily on their car for the commute, the school run and getting out to visit friends.

Recently news broke that some of the footage in the series was not actually filmed in the wild, this has angered people and led to accusations of the BBC misleading viewers.