Issue March 2017 - BBC Wildlife Magazine (2024)

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BBC Wildlife Magazine is a celebration of the natural world, featuring all the latest discoveries, news and views on wildlife, conservation and environmental issues. With strong broadcasting links, authoritative journalism and award-winning photography, BBC Wildlife Magazine is essential reading for anyone with a passion for wildlife who wants to understand, experience and enjoy nature more.

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In This IssueWelcome...There was a lot of excitement in the BBC Wildlife office when we heard from Shetland-based naturalist and tour guide Brydon Thomason about the recent amazing encounters he and his colleagues Richard Shucksmith and Peter Hunter had with five humpback whales off the Scottish coast. We were close to our press deadline, with a lot of pages finished, but when we saw the superb pictures and read the account we had to pull out all the stops to make space and share the story (p46). The fact that the trio’s encounter later resulted in a first for Britain made it all the more thrilling. The second exciting event to occur in the preparation of this month’s issue was the arrival of the Blogger of the Year Award results from our…2 min

In This IssueContributorsNICK BAKER Naturalist and TV presenter Nick is thrilled by life’s minutiae. In his new column he discusses barnacles. “Never is the excitement as great as when the surprises are close to home,” he says. See p11 GRAHAM APPLETON Writer Graham shares the joy of recapturing the sound of birdsong with his new hearing aids. He says, “The full richness of a robin’s song immediately brought a smile to my face.” See p30 HELEN PILCHER Helen had her preconceptions about earthworms smashed after spending time with a worm expert.“They’re not boring and brown,” she says.“Earthworms are the unsung superheroes of the animal kingdom.” See p38…1 min

WildBLOWING IN THE WIND“TWO BUD-LIKE, RED FEMALE FLOWERS AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THIS GOLDEN RAIN.” Glowing with a stirring of early spring sunshine, hazel catkins dance on the breeze and shower sparks of pollen into the sky. At the same moment, two bud-like female flowers, their vivid red tufts visible in the top-centre of Valter Binotto’s award-winning image, await the arrival of this life-generating golden rain. Hazel is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers are found on the same plant, although pollen must be transferred between different trees for fertilisation to take place. The male catkins, or inflorescences, hang like clusters of catatonic caterpillars from mid-February (or earlier in more sheltered, lowland areas), appearing ahead of leaves, so the wind can disperse the millions of microscopic pollen grains more easily. Recent research…1 min

WildUK HIGHLIGHTS• SPARROWHAWK DISPLAY FLIGHTS These stealthy hunters usually keep a low profile, sticking close to cover as they stalk their feathered prey. But in early spring sparrowhawks engage in aerial acrobatics above newly selected nesting territories. To assert their claim to the area, birds soar and wheel overhead on outstretched wings, then swoop and climb again before ending the show with a spectacularly steep dive. These rollercoaster displays are performed by both sexes, but being 25 per cent larger than the males, females are more visible, and are often mistaken by eager birders for goshawks. TOP TIP Spot displaying raptors by scanning the skies above woodland on still, sunny afternoons. • BLACKTHORN SPRING SNOW When blackthorn bursts into life at the beginning of March, turning whole hedges white with blossom,…3 min

WildALSO LOOKOUT FOR…BOMB SITES A small species of the Bombus genus, early bumblebees have distinctive ginger tails and one or two yellow bands around their shaggy-haired bodies. Those seen in gardens this month are queens foraging or prospecting for suitable nest-sites – compost heaps and old birds’ nests may be used. OLD YELLER The brimstone is the longest lived of our native butterflies and can survive for up to 11 months. Adults on the wing in March emerged last August then hibernated through the winter. Bright, sulphur-yellow males (females are paler) are often seen flitting along roadside verges from now until June. SIGNATURE SONG They might be beaten back to Britain by sand martins or wheatears, but chiffchaffs are the first of our spring arrivals to sing. Their eponymous, two-tone chime is…1 min

WildHidden BRITANACORN BARNACLE Have you ever considered barnacles other than when one skins your knees or makes you dance painfully, barefoot across intertidal rocks? These little crustaceans get ignored by most of us. If we see them at all, they’re out of the water and closed up – a small, mysterious capsule of calcium that gives away few clues as to what actually lives inside. Within each tiny turret is an intertidal survival specialist able to tough out the harshest of conditions, by trapping a bubble of seawater in its fortress of perfectly interconnecting plates when the tide retreats. Superficially, a barnacle looks like a limpet; many mistakenly think that they are molluscs. But look closely at barnacles underwater and you’ll see something that no mollusc has: jointed legs. Next time…3 min

Issue March 2017 - BBC Wildlife Magazine (2024)

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