The Thames whale - helping save the last 130 western grays

9 February 2012

WWF's 11-metre replica whale was up and down the Thames in central London this week, helping us spread the word about the urgent plight of the critically endangered western gray whale. 

There may be fewer than 130 western grays left. The threat they face right now is from plans for a new (third) drilling platform in their vital feeding and nursing grounds off Sakhalin island in the far east of Russia.

We spent two days on the streets, and river, in central London - in weather sometimes more typical of far eastern Russia - raising awareness of the issue.

We spoke directly to staff at the banks involved in funding the new platform, and made sure they got the message - we want the banks to use their power to do the right thing and help protect these whales. 

Read on:  http://www.wwf.org.uk/news_feed.cfm?unewsid=5670

Freezing lemur found on UK common

Lemurs are usually found on the tropical island of Madagascar so vets were stunned when one of the animals was admitted to hospital, suffering from hypothermia, after being discovered in sub-zero conditions on a common in the UK.

The severely ill ring-tailed primate, who has been named King Julien after the character in the animated film Madagascar, was found on Tooting Common in south-west London on Tuesday night.

He had collapsed in the sub-zero temperatures and was diagnosed with hypothermia, severe dehydration and shock by staff at the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, London.

He was put on a drip and taken to the hospital's isolation unit for close monitoring.

Mark Bossley, Blue Cross chief vet at Victoria animal hospital, said: "We were very concerned about King Julien's health as he was very cold, scared and didn't want to eat.

"But our nurses managed to coax him into taking some drops of honey from a syringe, then he gradually started eating bits of banana and grapes."

The animal charity said there was no way of knowing where the lemur had come from. The creatures originate from the island of Madagascar in Africa and require a special licence to own.

Mr Bossley added: "We mainly treat cats and dogs at the Blue Cross but we do get the odd snake or tortoise, and we have been known to treat chickens, goats and even possums.

"But this has got to be the most unusual animal we've ever taken in. How a ring-tailed lemur turned up in Tooting Common, I'll never know."

The lemur is now on the road to recovery and strong enough to leave the hospital. He will now be transferred to the Specialist Wildlife Services who will try to rehome him.

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/freezing-lemur-found-on-uk-common

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Rare moth spotted during Lambeth wildlife count

Bat populations also thriving August 2011: A rare species of moth that until recently had hardly ever been seen in London has been spotted by volunteer conservationists in Brockwell Park in Lambeth.

The group discovered the rare Jersey tiger moth - which used to be found only in the Channel Islands and the far south of England - while recording local moth and bat populations in Brockwell and Ruskin Parks at night.

Experts believe that brightly coloured tiger moths are gradually moving northwards as the summers become more reliably warm, and they are becoming more common in London.

More than 40 local people volunteered to stay in Brockwell Park on two consecutive nights with local experts and the Friends of Brockwell Park to record the number of bats and moths found there.

BatsIn Brockwell Park at least 14 bats were spotted during the course of the first night, and included common pipistrelle in healthy numbers, as well as soprano pipistrelles and, even more excitingly, Daubenton's bat, which prefers hunting for insects over water.

Most bat activity centred on the park's middle pond which has good habitat structure for these flying mammals being sheltered on either side by trees. Bats are a superb indicator of the ‘ecological quality' of an open space, with each species tending to specialise - a range of species indicates a healthy balance of places to feed and travel, and the success of the park's meadow areas and ponds with 'wild' edges.

This success is also demonstrated by the variety and quantity of moths found next night in Brockwell Park, with 24 different species recorded, including the flame shoulder moth, marbled minor moth and notable sightings of the rare Jersey tiger and small clover case-bearer moths.

Ruskin Park, which contains a similar mixture of ponds and natural wildlife habitats, was also well used by common and soprano pipistrelle bats. A new wildlife-friendly community garden in the centre of the park is also helping to increase the number of feeding opportunities for bats as well as insects like moths on which they feed.

All of the sightings, both common and scarcer species, will be submitted to Greenspace Information for Greater London which collates and makes available information on London's wildlife, parks, nature reserves, gardens and other open spaces.

Donald Campbell from Veolia Environmental Services, which manages both Brockwell and Ruskin Park, said: ‘We're really pleased with the number of moths and bats recorded over each evening. It's great that the residents of Lambeth have this much biodiversity on their doorstep, and we will continue to ensure that all of our parks are a place for both residents and wildlife.'

Iain Boulton from Lambeth Council's Parks and Greenspaces department said: ‘To see a Jersey tiger moth was fantastic. This is an important sighting, which will be recorded and used to monitor the spread of Jersey moths as they apparently move further northwards through the UK. It's also interesting evidence of how our changing climate seems to be having an impact on wildlife.'
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/lambeth-moth.html

Snakes and toads in London

Help record sightings of London's amphibians and reptiles August 2011. Londoners are being urged to record amphibian and reptile sightings across London as part of a new project to raise awareness of the frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards that all call the capital their home.

9 reptiles and amphibians recorded in London
Life isn't easy for reptiles and amphibians in London so the CLARE project has been set up to lend a helping hand. London has a superb diversity of wildlife. Nine of the thirteen British native amphibians and reptiles occur naturally in the capital, and there are even other species (some of which are not naturally found Britain) thriving in small pockets of land in London. Surprisingly, though, information about the distribution of most of these species in London is very poor and this is hampering efforts to conserve them.

This is why Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, has teamed up with the London Wildlife Trust, Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL), London Amphibian & Reptile Group (LARG) and London, Essex & Hertfordshire Amphibian and Reptile Trust (LEHART) with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project will be raising the awareness of amphibians and reptiles in London through a series of events - the first of which is taking place this Sunday at Hutchinson's Bank Local Nature Reserve as part of the Old Surrey Downs.

Sophie Hinton the CLARE Project Officer says: "Amphibians and reptiles are a key part of London's ecosystem but are disappearing from the capital due to the loss of habitats they depend on. Like humans, amphibians are dependent on clean, fresh water and so the declines in their populations reflect the damage we are doing to our environment and should act as a warning to our own survival.

We don't yet know enough about where amphibians and reptiles are living in London and it's only once we've found out where, that we can then identify key areas for their conservation."

Record your sightings
So if you've spotted an amphibian or reptile within Greater London, whether it was in your garden, a park, in the street - the CLARE project partners want to know what, where and when.

Go to www.arc-trust.org/CLARE to find out how to identify amphibians and reptiles and to record your sightings.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/london-reptiles.html

Pelican makes a pal in London park

An unsuspecting visitor to London's St James's Park has made himself a four-foot-tall pelican pal after the sneaky creature perched beside him as he completed a crossword.

Willy the pelican now follows Michael Ellis where ever he goes through the leafy venue.

'The park's been something of a hotbed of pelican activity lately, it would seem, what with the pigeon-eating specimen we stumbled upon last month. '

Is Mr Ellis' face not a picture in this picture? Demotix/Craig Shepheard

The park's been something of a hotbed of pelican activity lately, it would seem, what with the pigeon-eating specimen we stumbled upon last month.

In that instance, the hapless pigeon was minding its own business nibbling some crumbs near a lake in the park when it was scooped up by a hungry pelican predator.

Adults and young children alike gasped as the pigeon tried desperately to escape from its captor's jaws for 15 minutes.

At one point it looked like it was going to break free as the pelican opened its beak, allowing the pigeon to gaze out to the distance.

But the startled creature missed its opportunity and, after running out of energy, was swallowed whole.

Photographer Paul Mansfield, who captured the remarkable scene while on a day trip to the capital with his family, described how visitors in the park willed the pigeon to fight for its life.

'The pelican would gulp and the pigeon would be sucked down and almost immediately the pigeon came up flapping its wings manically,' he said.

'The pigeon was wriggling this way and that, sometimes placing its head outside of the beak.

'The crowd was willing it to escape, with shouts of "Come on, you can do it!".'

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/846255-pelican-makes-a-pal-in-london-park#ixzz14W8D9a6D

Pelican makes a pal in London park

An unsuspecting visitor to London's St James's Park has made himself a four-foot-tall pelican pal after the sneaky creature perched beside him as he completed a crossword.

Willy the pelican now follows Michael Ellis where ever he goes through the leafy venue.

'The park's been something of a hotbed of pelican activity lately, it would seem, what with the pigeon-eating specimen we stumbled upon last month. '

Is Mr Ellis' face not a picture in this picture? Demotix/Craig Shepheard

The park's been something of a hotbed of pelican activity lately, it would seem, what with the pigeon-eating specimen we stumbled upon last month.

In that instance, the hapless pigeon was minding its own business nibbling some crumbs near a lake in the park when it was scooped up by a hungry pelican predator.

Adults and young children alike gasped as the pigeon tried desperately to escape from its captor's jaws for 15 minutes.

At one point it looked like it was going to break free as the pelican opened its beak, allowing the pigeon to gaze out to the distance.

But the startled creature missed its opportunity and, after running out of energy, was swallowed whole.

Photographer Paul Mansfield, who captured the remarkable scene while on a day trip to the capital with his family, described how visitors in the park willed the pigeon to fight for its life.

'The pelican would gulp and the pigeon would be sucked down and almost immediately the pigeon came up flapping its wings manically,' he said.

'The pigeon was wriggling this way and that, sometimes placing its head outside of the beak.

'The crowd was willing it to escape, with shouts of "Come on, you can do it!".'

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/846255-pelican-makes-a-pal-in-london-park#ixzz14W8D9a6D

UK given final warning over London air quality

The UK has been issued a written warning by Europe to clean London's air or face fines of up to £300m


Britain has been given a second and final written warning by Europe to clean up London's air or be taken to the European court of justice and face fines of up to £300m.

The warning, sent today by the Environment commissioner Janez Potočni refers to minute airborne particles known as PM10s which are emitted by traffic and factories and can lead to heart attacks, strokes, asthma and lung diseases. According to the House of Commons environmental audit committee, particle pollution is responsible for over 4,300 premature deaths a year in London at an annual cost of up to £2bn. London's air pollution levels rank as the worst in the UK and also among the worst in Europe.

The EC move follows the start of legal proceedings against the UK in January 2009 for failing to meet air quality standards that came into effect at the end of 2004. The dying act of the last government, on 3 May, was to reapply for a time extension until 2011 to comply with air quality laws for dangerous airborne particles.

Today's decision leaves the problem in the lap of the new coalition government and Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, who has a statutory duty to produce a strategy for improving London's air quality.

Johnson has been heavily criticised by opposition parties for unravelling environment policies put in place by his predecessor, Ken Livingstone, such as his decision to delay the introduction of phase 3 of the Low Emission Zone (Lez), which fines the most polluting vans, and his plan to abolish the western extension of the congestion charge zone by Christmas.

The Lez is designed to cut harmful emissions by encouraging the replacement of high-polluting vans and lorries with new models that meet the required emissions standards. Transport for London has admitted that scrapping the western extension of the congestion charge will result in increased traffic.

Simon Birkett, spokesman for air quality watchdog group the Campaign for Clean Air in London, said that Johnson's draft proposals to improve air quality were "riddled with wishful thinking".

"He continues deliberately to take backward steps on air quality, particularly in respect of transport. In that respect, for example, the removal of the [Western extension of the congestion charge zone] would be a double whammy because air quality will worsen and Transport for London will lose over £55m income."

Johnson told the London assembly last December that any fines incurred if the UK government is taken to court should "not be borne by this city" because he said it was the government's fault that London was not compliant in the first place.

In a statement, Potočni said: "The UK submitted an exemption request for eight zones including the Greater London urban area. However, the commission did not consider the exemption justified, as seven out of the eight zones already complied with the limit values. For the Greater London urban area, the commission considered that the UK had not shown that compliance with the daily PM10 limit value would be achieved by the time the exemption period expired in 2011. The UK has recently sent a further exemption request for Greater London, which is still under assessment. However, given that zones still exceed the PM10 limit values, the commission is sending the UK a final warning. If the UK fails to take the necessary measures to comply with the legislation, the commission could refer the case to the European court of justice.

"Boris Johnson must introduce tougher measures to ensure that all London meets EU air pollution limits, rather than relying so heavily on the government to act", said Jenny Bates, London Friends of the Earth campaigner. "By making London a safer place to walk and cycle and improving public transport, he could get people out of cars and ensure cleaner air for everyone who lives in, works in or visits the capital."

A spokesman for Johnson said last night: "The government made a submission to the European Commission last year seeking additional time to meet limit values. Since then the mayor has published an air quality strategy and the government has re-submitted additional information to the commission. We are therefore confident that these developments will address the concerns that triggered this legal action."

The letter will also force Britain to clean up air quality in Gibraltar, which also regularly exceeds EC maximum levels and is classed by the EC as a British zone.

John Vidal and Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk

Peregrines at the Tate Modern

There are around 12 peregrine falcons in London. This one, hatched on the Tate Modern in 2008, was seen at the Barbican with St Pauls and Tate Modern in the background. Copyright Peter Kenyon.

Make a date with peregrines and the RSPB at the Tate Modern
June 2009. The annual RSPB peregrine watch resumes outside London's Tate Modern gallery next month. Staff and volunteers will breakout the telescopes and binoculars again to bring these amazing birds closer to the public.

RSPB trailer will be set-up every day from midday through to 7pm, starting Saturday 18 June up to and including Sunday 13 September.

3 chicks hatched

The star peregrines, Misty and Bert, have successfully fledged three chicks this year, two females and a male. The chicks will soon be learning to fly and look after themselves.

The birds perch on the raised brickwork near the top of the Tate's iconic chimney. They are creatures of habit and spend hours on the chimney, making it an ideal point to watch them.

200 miles per hour

Peregrines are the world's fastest birds, reaching speeds of up to 200 miles an hour when diving on prey. That's roughly 200 peregrine body lengths per second; faster than a fighter jet with its afterburners on full-blast (150 body lengths p/s)!

London has a dozen peregrines

London now has more than a dozen peregrines that have arrived naturally in the city and decided to stay. Not all have successfully bred this year, and one new arrival is a female peregrine that has identification rings on her legs. This has allowed us to track her back to the south coast where she hatched on a traditional cliff-edge nest in May 2007.

Urban peregrines

Peregrines are now commonly seen in towns and cities across the UK. Other nesting sites include Battersea Power Station, tower blocks in Tower Hamlets, Croydon, Sutton, and in Regent's Park. Cathedrals in Lincoln and Chichester, Cardiff clock tower and Manchester's Arndale shopping centre.

1,500 + pairs in the UK

After a population crash in the 1960s, peregrine numbers have recovered steadily and recent surveys show that there are now almost 1,500 peregrines pairs in the UK. They have traditionally been associated with wild crags or lonely sea cliffs but changing landscapes mean they have adapted to living in more unlikely places.

We'll be asking visitors at our Date at the Tate to show their support for our native birds of prey, by signing a pledge calling for tougher action against those who continue to illegally persecute them

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/london-peregrine009.html