Wildlife suffering in heatwaves, say experts

Surrey pond drying out (credit: Anadola)

Wildlife is bearing the brunt of this summer’s heatwaves, experts have warned.

Water voles are being “severely impacted” as chalk streams struggle with extremely low water levels, while historic dew ponds have entirely dried out, according to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT).

Meanwhile, in North Yorkshire, ponds along the entire River Esk catchment have been “unprecedentedly low or dried out”, while woodlands are experiencing drought-related limb drop and early leaf shedding.

Blackberries are ripening early (credit: Lauren Tucker)

Woodland Trust said it had found ripened blackberries in June – more than a month earlier than usual, meaning less fruit will be available in autumn for animals to eat.

This summer is on course to be the http://UK’s hottest since records began states the Met Office, with only average conditions needed for the remainder of August to surpass the record set just last year.

As the dry conditions harden the soil, animals such as earthworms, blackbirds, hedgehogs and moles are struggling to break through it to feed, YWT said.

Rachael Bice, YWT’s chief executive, said: “Increasingly frequent, disruptive and damaging heatwaves have severely impacted both the UK and the continent, impacting the lives of millions of people.”

“However, they are also having a profound impact on all our wildlife, which is struggling to find places to escape the heat and sources of water and food. Our wildlife is having to travel further to look for water, encountering unfamiliar hazards, or struggling to find enough food to survive.” Bice warned the hot weather would have an impact “far into the winter months”. She said: “Fruiting trees and shrubs such as crab apple and blackberry are already ripe, or shedding poorly formed fruit, which will impact winter migrant birds that arrive looking for these important food stores.” Even if rain arrives soon, there will be lasting damage, according to Bice. “Severe drought impact on trees lasts for years, and species like butterflies might struggle to find enough plant matter to support future generations of caterpillars,” she said.

Excessive heat and drying wetlands on the continent have also driven some species further north. Bolton-on-Swale Nature Reserve in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is currently hosting one of the UK’s largest flocks of black-crowned night herons – a rare visitor to Yorkshire.

The Norfolk Hawker dragonfly has been seen at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, in South Yorkshire, for the first time. Bice said YWT’s reserves – and wildlife – are “barely getting a break”, and she urged landowners to come together to create whole wildlife areas and “wild corridors”. Bice said “careful and dedicated” management can help mitigate the impact of hot weather. At Potteric Carr Nature Reserve near Doncaster, staff have recorded up to six juvenile bitterns from three nests – the best breeding success ever recorded on-site, and the goal YWT set when it started restoring the reserve for nature in the 1960s. The site has remained damp throughout the heatwave, providing a vital space for wildlife. Bice added: “We’ve been managing wetland nature reserves like Potteric Carr, Askham Bog, and North Cave Wetlands for decades, from planting new reedbeds to clearing out new scrapes and pools, and in some cases manually adjusting water levels to make sure they provide the best-possible habitat for wildlife.”

RSPB conservation officer Mike Pilsworth said: “Birds are really suffering.” He said putting out a bowl of water could make all the difference.

Scientist’s lifelong obsession with mystery of elusive ‘pink zebra’ seaweed

The Great Barrier Reef might be the world’s most famous underwater ecosystem, but hidden in UK waters lies an ancient marine world you may not have heard of.

Known as maerl beds, these carpets of coral-like seaweed create some of the richest habitats in the sea.

And 40 years ago, while studying one such bed for her PhD, Prof Christine Maggs found a fragment of pink-striped seaweed living on maerl she had never seen before.

The discovery would become a lifelong obsession and a decades-long scientific puzzle.

 

 

Photo: pink seaweed Francis Bunker

Full story on this link>> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrxepy3vn3o

AI-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk

For many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlines. The western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, was spotted in a seaside town in north Wales in June, and widely celebrated on birding forums.

But a new scourge is threatening to disrupt the fun: AI slop.

 

 

‘Nobody is falling for a toucan sighting in Siberia’ …
This image is AI-generated, using ChatGPT. Illustration ChatGPT

Full story >> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/20/ai-slop-manipulated-fake-images-birds-citizen-science-aoe

Young white-tailed eagles released on Exmoor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: White Tailed Eagle: Clare Bullock

Six young white-tailed eagles have been released at a national park, the first to be introduced there after they disappeared 200 years ago.

The birds were released on Exmoor by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, as part of a project to restore the area’s biodiversity.

Up to 20 additional young birds will be introduced in the area over the next three years.

Angela Eagle, environment secretary for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, said the return of the “majestic” species showed the government’s “commitment to reversing the decline of nature and protecting it for generations to come”.

The project started in 2019 on the Isle of Wight and since then, 45 white-tailed eagles have been released from the population.

In 2023, the project celebrated the first white-tailed eagle chick to be born in the wild in southern England since 1780.

Now it is being extended to include Exmoor, which was chosen after tracking data from released eagles showed the area had often been visited by several of the birds.

Experts say the national park’s coastline offers the birds ideal foraging opportunities, including an abundance of fish.

Zoe Smith, from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: “We’re restoring a native species that should be here and has been removed from the landscape.

“We have a lengthy consultation process before we’re granted a licence.”

She added that the scheme only removes one chick at a time from nests, and the birds are checked for bird flu before they are released.

Full story>> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74g0jz3d4yo