Wildlife and bird watching in the South West of England
County by county
Recent South West news
- Great white egret nests in Britain for the first time
- North Atlantic right whale spotted off Cornwall?
- Peter Hain resigns as shadowm minister to promote Severn Barrage
- Wet weather delaying and confusing butterflies
- Avocets breed at Slimbridge for the first time in recent history
- Butterfly Conservation launch appeal to acquire important butterfly site
- Wild cranes feeding at Slimbridge
- Hereford bird hide destroyed by vandals
- Surge in dolphins killed as bycatch off Cornwall
- New wetland being created near Salisbury
- Purple heron spotted in Devon
- Wildlife at risk as drought spreads
- Cornwall - Scilly wildlife watching cruises
- Drought conditions playing havoc with bluebell season
- Heath Fritillary bouncing back in Cornwall
More South West news
- Oil beetle populations in decline – Help with the UK survey
- UK’s largest new wetland to be created in Somerset
- UK government announces 12 large scale 'wildlife zones'
- Dorset heathland wildlife saved from housing development
- Building a new home for Somerset’s bitterns
- DNA tests confirm presence of a fox, not big cats at deer carcass in Gloucestershire
- Pigeon fanciers investigated by police for Peregrine persecution
- High-tech camera monitors eels as they set off on 3,000 mile journey
- Badger kill zones revealed
- DNA tests could confirm big cat presence in Gloucestershire
- Hundreds of seabirds caught in Cornish fishing nets in just one day
- 3400 whales, dolphins and porpoises stranded in UK 2005 - 2010
- Good year for dragonflies and damselflies
- Great bustard sightings – Have you seen one?
- Wiltshire reserve digs deep for wildlife
Great white egret nests in Britain for the first time Natural England have confirmed that the great white egret - a species of heron - has nested for the first time in Britain. Whilst Wildlife Extra is always happy to hear good news, there is often double standards used as organisations decry climate change, but welcome some of its consequences.
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North Atlantic right whale spotted off Cornwall?Sightings of a large whale off the Cornish coast near Lizard Point are causing a stir amongst scientists who say it could have been a North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered species in the world.
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First record of a Dwarf sperm whale in UK watersA small whale spotted in Mounts Bay next to the Cornish town of Penzance is thoughtto have been a dwarf sperm whale - tropical/subtropical species that has never before been recorded off the UK coast.
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4 Goshawks poisoned in DevonDevon and Cornwall Police and the RSPB are appealing for information after four goshawks and one buzzard were found dead in woodland to the west of Exeter.
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Fierce fire destroys Upton Heath wildlifeOn what will be remembered as a black day for wildlife, an estimated one third of one of the most important wildlife sites in England was devastated by fire. Dorset Wildlife Trust's Upton Heath nature reserve, recognised internationally for the extreme rarity of habitat and wildlife, was engulfed by the biggest heath fire in decades just at the peak of the bird and reptile breeding season.
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21 Fin whales spotted in Irish SeaOne of the largest ever known gatherings of Fin whales in British waters has recently been observed in the Celtic Deep, 50-70 nautical miles off the coasts of north Cornwall and south west Pembrokeshire.
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Severn Barrage abandonedA barrage like the one proposed between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare would not only destroy huge areas of estuary marsh and mudflats used by 69,000 birds each winter and block the migration routes of countless fish, but, as confirmed by this report, it would dramatically increase risk of flooding to residential properties.
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21 Cranes released onto the Somerset LevelsSo, the day in question finally arrived and it was time to release the cranes. Although it was a bit more blustery than we might have liked, we decided that, because of the nature of the release site and the bird's clear attachment to their grey suited parents and release site, things would be ok.
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Mega rare white-tailed plover turns up at WWT Slimbridge
With only a handful of records in the UK ever - one of which at WWT Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire in 2007, WWT Slimbridge has just confirmed the sighting of a white-tailed plover on the reserve in Gloucestershire.
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Sperm whale sighting off Torbay, South DevonObservers were surprised to see a large whale very close to the shore off Torbay in South Devon. It was identified as a Sperm whale, the largest of all the toothed whales.
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Four Great bustard chicks hatch in the wild in the UKOne of the most spectacular birds on the planet, the Great Bustard looks set to consolidate its return to the UK with the news that four chicks hatched so far this year and that there are 4 confirmed nests.
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75 starlings die in mystery crash landing Mystery surrounds the death of 75 starlings which crashed to the ground and died on a single driveway in Somerset.
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Huge Fin whale strands in CornwallThe body of a huge whale has been found on the north coast of Cornwall; The Cornwall Wildlife Trust believes it to be a Fin whale, which had been reported floating close to the shore off Pendeen.
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Are Sea eagles coming back to Suffolk? Vote on what you think should happenIn any debate about conservation, it is always important to discount 10% of the arguments at either end of the range, as some people will support all conservation, no matter what the cost or practicalities, and others would complain about spending 5 Euros to save the last elephant. Somewhere in the middle is a rational debate and, usually, the right answer.
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Basking shark strands in CornwallA young basking shark, which stranded on a beach in west Cornwall in August, was the first of its kind in England to be examined by veterinary pathologists. At over four metres long, the fish was so huge it wouldn't fit on the examination table and was too heavy to be weighed on their scales.
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The First Great Bustard chicks hatch in the UK for 177 yearsFor the first time since 1832, the Great Bustard - one of Europe's most threatened birds - has nested in the UK with two separate females successfully hatching chicks.
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UK Seahorse tagging project at Studland Bay in DorsetSince the discovery of Seahorses at Studland Bay, the site has proven to be internationally important and has thrown up some amazing surprises. The bay has a surprising concentration of Seahorses; with more than 40 in recorded in 2008. This density has made it a site of international importance as nowhere else in the British Isles, or indeed for that matter in the world; except the Rio Formosa in Portugal is there this concentration of Seahorses.
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Unusual whale and dolphin wash up on the Scilly IslesTwo highly unusual marine mammals, a Sowerby's beaked whale and a Risso's dolphin, have been washed up on the western shores of the Isle of St Agnes within days of one another.
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Mass dolphin stranding in Cornwall - at least 26 dolphins deadOn Monday 9th June, 26 common dolphins stranded and died near St Mawes in Cornwall.
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Lyme Bay Reefs devastated.
Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques.
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Basking shark sighting and a code of conduct
With the recent surge in basking shark sightings off the UK coast, especially Cornwall and the Isle of Man, the Marine Conservation Society has devised a code of conduct as to how to behave when near the sharks, whether in a boat or swimming (not advised). More.Lyme Bay Reefs devastated by fishing.
Lyme Bay Reefs devastated by fishing.
Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques. To see the full story, and to see a video of the destruction, Click here.
Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques. To see the full story, and to see a video of the destruction, Click here.
Seashore safaris
Best activity book of the year
Summer is here, we have warm weather, and the beach is beckoning. A swim, build a couple of sandcastles, a bit of beach cricket, but what to do next?
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Large blue butterfly ‘open day’
On Sunday 20 June staff and volunteers will be showing visitors round taking them to the best places to see these little blue beauties during their short life.
Where to watch birds in Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight. 4th Edition
This is an updated guide to the best birding spots in the areaRead full review »
Urban foxes in Bristol
I have been photographing urban foxes in Bristol for over 6 months now; what started off as a chance encounter has become an obsession for me and has changed my feelings and attitudes towards urban foxes forever.Click urban fox to read more
Great British Marine Animals - 3rd Edition
Many people think of the waters around Great Britain as cold, grey and fairly lifeless. This book will put you right (though noone can argue about the water temperature).Read full review »
Wildlife of the Jurassic Coast
If you are visiting the southern coast of England, anywhere between Exmouth and Swanage, and you are vaguely interested in wildlife, you should get your hands on this book.Read full review »
