Focusing On Wildlife

Great White Sharks in British Waters

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:01:49 GMT

Great white sharks could be "occasional vagrant visitors" to waters around the British Isles, according to an expert. Richard Peirce, chairman of the Shark Trust, said the conditions and availability of prey made British waters an ideal hunting ground for the feared predator. Mr Peirce said: "The real surprise is that we don't have an established white shark population, because the conditions here mirror those in parts of South Africa, Australia and northern California.

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Steller's Sea Eagle Takes "Lunch-On-The-Wing"

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:07:02 GMT

Steller’s sea eagles are native to eastern Russia, inhabiting coastal cliffs and estuaries where they can easily access good fishing territories. They feed primarily on salmon, which they catch by swooping from perches located by the water's edge. Pairs are monogamous and hatch an average of two chicks each season, although crows and martens commonly take both eggs and young birds from the nest. During winter a small number of birds remain in Russia to tough it out, but the majority fly south to Japan.

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How Do Killer Whales Use Stunning Side Effects?

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:07:20 GMT

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are actually the largest species of dolphin. Their dorsal fin can be used to recognise individuals, and in males can measure an incredible 1.8 metres in height. Killer whales are found in every ocean on the planet, and as well as being the most widely distributed, they also hold the title for fastest sea mammal, reaching speeds of up to 55kph. A distinguished marine predator, these strikingly marked killers have even been known to hunt down grey and blue whales.

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Atlantic Spotted Dolphins Communicate to Intimidate

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:12:47 GMT

Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) are acrobatic animals that enjoy riding the bow waves of boats and leaping out of the water. Underneath all this playfulness they are highly intelligent and social animals with complex relationships and behaviours. They will school with spinner dolphins and hunt fish and squid with bottlenose dolphins. The young are born spotless, acquiring the characteristic patterning during weaning. Thereafter the number of spots increases with age. Some individuals are so completely covered with spots they appear white. These dolphins inhabit the warm and tropical latitudes of the Atlantic and are best seen in the crystal clear water off the Bahamas.

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Iberian Lynx 'Not Doomed' by Low Genetic Diversity

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:37:09 GMT

One of the world's most endangered cats, the Iberian lynx, may not be doomed by its tiny population size. About 250 are thought to exist in the wild, putting the species at risk of low genetic diversity and inbreeding. But new research suggests that the lynx has had little genetic variability over the last 50,000 years, and this has not hampered its long-term survival.

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Imperiled Walruses Are Forced to Shore

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:49:20 GMT

As Imperiled Walruses Are Forced to Shore by Melting Ice, the Obama Administration today approved a Bush-era plan to open the Chukchi Sea off Alaska to offshore oil drilling without determining how it will affect Arctic wildlife. At the same time, thousands of Pacific walruses have congregated on Alaska’s Chukchi shore as the sea ice they normally rely upon has disappeared. The migration of the walruses onshore in Alaska is reflective of the rapidly-changing conditions of the Arctic caused by global warmin.

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Forest Elephants Are Running Out of Space

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:56:41 GMT

In the tropics of Central Africa, hunters are finding an increasing number of entryways into once inaccessible terrain. According to a recent study by WCS and partners, the proliferation of these forest access points is pushing the endangered forest elephant to the brink. The study, which appears in the scientific journal Ecological Applications, concludes that the survival of the region’s forest elephants depends on limiting access to their rainforest homes.

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Tracking Migrating Cuckoos Part II

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:47:56 GMT

All of the five birds described in Part I are now in Africa! Four of the birds are south of the Sahara and the remaining bird left the UK on the night of the 22/23 July and is making his way to sub-Saharan Africa. Read the latest news and the individual cuckoos' blogs.

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Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Set to Gain Ground

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:59:51 GMT

In response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed 2,090 stream miles as protected critical habitat for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher. If finalized, today’s proposal would substantially increase protection for the rare bird over a previous designation of 730 stream miles finalized by the Bush administration in 2005 and challenged by the Center.

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Western Bluebird Reintroduction a Success

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:47:34 GMT

A five-year cooperative effort involving several organizations has succeeded in returning the Western Bluebird to Washington’s San Juan Islands. The bird had historically inhabited the islands, but changing land use practices and a paucity of nesting sites meant the species had not nested there for over 40 years.

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Birdsong in the Puerto Rican Rain Forest

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:26:47 GMT

For a totally new audiovisual experience, why not immerse yourself in the Puerto Rican rain forest. The thumbnails below link to nine of the songbird species, which I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph during my visit to Puerto Rico in January 2011. Make sure that your speakers are switched on in order to get the full effect.

Link to full page on FocusingonWildlife.com

Tricolored Blackbird in Steep Decline

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:49:09 GMT

A comprehensive survey of Tricolored Blackbirds in California has confirmed that the population of the species has declined nearly 35 percent in the last three years.

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