'Extinct' wallaby goes back on show

A wallaby species classed as extinct in the Australian wild until recently has been reintroduced and put back on public show.

The mainland tammar wallaby was saved because a small number of the marsupials were taken to New Zealand more than 150 years ago by former South Australian governor George Grey.

Some of the species were returned to Australia nearly a decade ago and there has been a successful breeding program since at Monarto open range zoo south-east of Adelaide.

Now some of the wallabies have been put on public show at Warrawong Sanctuary in the Adelaide Hills.

Brenton James of the sanctuary says their return to public view is welcome.

"It's really important for these mainlands to be here - they're a local species," he said.

"These guys have come back from the edge of extinction and [it's] extremely fortunate that they were in a island on New Zealand. That's a one-in-a-million chance."

Mick Post also works at Warrawong and is pleased to see the tammar wallabies back on show.

"The breeding program's been really successful. It started back in 2003 and we've done four releases now down to Innes National Park [on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia] ... maybe about 100 to 120 animals down in the wild," he said.

"The population seems to be sustaining itself quite well for the area it's in, so it may well be at the amount of animals we want [there]."

Species saved from extinction

South Australia's mainland tammar wallaby is listed as "extinct in the wild" under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
It was driven to extinction on the mainland due to land clearance and hunting by foxes and cats.
But a population had been taken to Kawau Island in New Zealand in the 1800s. Although the island population is considered a pest species in New Zealand, it provided a source of animals for reintroduction to their native Australian habitat.
Authorities brought 85 tammar wallabies from New Zealand to Monarto Zoo in South Australia in 2003-04.
Monarto Zoo first provided quarantine for the mainland tammar wallabies brought to Australia, then bred the animals for release into the wild at Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula.
- Information from Zoos SA

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-14/wallabies-mainland-tammar-warrawong/3828346

Sussex South Downs is home to 'extinct' bee species

A species of bee which was believed to be extinct in Britain has been found in East Sussex - 65 years after it was last seen.

A study by entomologist Steven Falk shows the solitary bee, Halictus eurygnathus, is at at seven sites on the South Downs.

Mr Falk said many of the species he recorded were rare and some were doing better than expected.

However, others, including one of Britain's largest mining bees, were at risk of losing their habitats.

The study recorded 227 bee and wasp species during more than 100 visits to 15 chalk grassland and chalky heath sites.

The Halictus eurygnathus bee, not seen in Britain since 1946, was found to forage primarily on one type of plant.

Mr Falk said: "I discovered that the main requirement of the bee is an abundance of greater knapweed, which is one of the special flowers of chalk grassland.

"This knowledge should be helpful for the conservation of this species."

Habitat loss
Only two recordings of the Andrena hattorfiana, one of Britain's largest mining bees, were made in the study.

This bee is believed to be vulnerable to habitat loss because it forages exclusively on scabious plants, the prevalence of which has decreased on the South Downs due to grazing.

Mr Falk's report highlights the importance of having wildflower margins in arable fields and blackthorn for bee populations.

Duncan Sivell, from the charity Buglife, said: "This report provides a wealth of information on bees and wasps on the South Downs; species that were thought extinct have been rediscovered, declines in other species have been identified and new behavioural patterns have been recorded.

"These results highlight the importance of survey work, which is badly under-funded."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-15255786

Bittern breeds at Kent's Stodmarsh reserve for first time in 40 years

Best year on record for Britain’s bitterns
October 2011: In the best year for British bitterns since records began, the species has come home to roost at Natural England's Stodmarsh National Nature reserve, near Canterbury.

Staff and volunteers spent an anxious summer watching the adult birds coming and going, but were finally rewarded at the end of August when they saw a female leading three juveniles through the marsh. The youngsters remained on the Reserve for about three weeks before heading for their winter roosts.

Bittern was once extinct as a British nesting speciesBitterns are highly secretive wetland birds and live most of their time within dense stands of reed, making them very difficult to spot. The males have an amazing call where they fill their gullets with air that they release to make a booming ‘song' which can be heard several kilometres away. The bittern has had a rollercoaster history in Britain, as the bird was extinct as a nesting species between 1886 and 1911, when it re-colonised the Norfolk Broads.

Natural England's Kent reserves manager, Becky Plunkett said: ‘It's been terrific to hear the males booming in the long, summer evenings. We've made changes to the way the water levels are being managed and cut back some of the reeds to create areas of young reed growth that the bitterns like.

‘This work has taken place over the last couple of years and it's this year that everything has come together at the right time. Having the bitterns breeding here again is a great reward for the staff and volunteers for all their hard work.'
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bittern-2011.html