Tag Archives: predator

Stowaways in potted plants

Posted on April 18, 2014 by argylesock

Potted plants can seem so benign. Beautiful, fascinating, good to grow and give, but they may carry invasive species which are not benign. Tom Bawden at The Independent tells us about invasive species reaching Europe, including the New Guinea flatworm … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, horticulture, money and trade | Tagged alien species, America, Argentine ant, arthropod, Asia, Asian hornet, beetle, biosecurity, coleopteran, Europe, flatworm, garden, harlequin ladybird, herbivore, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, invertebrate, ladybird, landscape, lepidopteran, light brown apple moth, lily beetle, mollusc, moth, native species, New Guinea flatworm, New Zealand flatworm, oak processionary moth, pest, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, predator, rosemary leaf beetle, slug, snail, Spanish slug | 5 Comments

Poisoning rare birds

Posted on April 3, 2014 by argylesock

In one area of the Scottish Highlands, somebody has been poisoning buzzards (Buteo buteo) and red kites (Milvus milvus). Police are searching for the criminal.

Posted in ecology | Tagged bird, bird of prey, buzzard, Europe, law, native species, poison, predator, rare species, red kite, vertebrate | 14 Comments

Tyto alba

Posted on April 2, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on The Naturephile:
A few posts ago in ‘The Owl and the Woodpecker‘ I mentioned that a pair of robins may have started getting fruity in my garden as early as the begining of January. And then last…

Posted in ecology | Tagged barn owl, bird, bird of prey, birdwatching, breeding, bromadiolone, child, conservation, difenacoum, education, Europe, law, native species, nest, pesticide, poison, predator, rare species, vertebrate, wildlife | Leave a comment

Save Britain’s Barn Owls

Posted on March 31, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on Green Living London:
A petition has been launched to save Britain’s Barn Owls, which are dying off in their thousands. The changing climate and a loss in their natural habitat is part of the picture, but these iconic…

Posted in ecology | Tagged alien species, anticoagulant, barn owl, bird, bird of prey, bromadiolone, conservation, difenacoum, Europe, mammal, native species, pest, pesticide, poison, predator, rare species, rat, rodent, vertebrate, wildlife | Leave a comment

Rookes, Crowes and Choughes

Posted on October 31, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on The Naturephile:
‘If men had wings and black feathers, few of them would ever be clever enough to be crows’ Henry Ward Beecher Clergyman, wit and abolitionist I’m incarcerated at home at the moment, having been laid…

Posted in agriculture, ecology | Tagged bird, bird of prey, carrion crow, chough, conservation, corvid, food security, history, hunting, land use, law, pest, predator, raptor, red kite, rook, shooting, vermin, vertebrate, wildlife | 4 Comments

Has the red kite become a pest?

Posted on October 30, 2013 by argylesock

Here in Britain the red kite (Milvus milvus) was hunted almost to extinction. In the 16th century it was classed as vermin, supposedly a threat to agriculture. A few centuries later, along came gamekeepers whose job was (and still is) … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology | Tagged bird, bird of prey, child, conservation, earthworm, game, history, livestock, native species, pest, pet, poultry, predator, raptor, red kite, reintroduced species, rodent, shooting, vermin, vertebrate, wildlife | 13 Comments

Leave Them Bee- The Honeybees That Fearfully Avoid Hornets

Posted on October 4, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… Don’t scare the bees! We need pollinators for crops and wild plants. There are many pollinating insects but one of those is the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). There are many kinds of hornet too, including the Asian hornet … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology | Tagged apiculture, arthropod, Asian hornet, behaviour, entomoculture, honeybee, hornet, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, pollination, predator, research | 1 Comment

The advance of the Asian hornet creates a buzz in the UK media

Posted on September 17, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… Here’s another threat to the honeybee (Apis mellifera). The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is now established in France and no doubt, it’ll soon reach the British Isles. The article I’m reblogging here includes info on how we can … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, miniculture | Tagged alien species, apiculture, arthropod, Asian hornet, entomoculture, honeybee, hornet, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, predator | 2 Comments

TED Weekends dives into the deep sea

Posted on June 2, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… This talk about sea creatures is wonderful!

Posted in fish | Tagged bioluminescence, camouflage, deep sea, ecosystem, predator, sea, shellfish, wildlife | 1 Comment

Buzzards and pheasants again

Posted on May 31, 2013 by argylesock

A year ago here in England, our Government considered whether to protect farmed pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), an alien species reared for shooting, from native buzzards (Buteo buteo). This would have been done by trapping buzzards and destroying their nests. Really, … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology | Tagged alien species, bird, bird of prey, buzzard, conservation, game, native species, nest, pheasant, politics, predator, raptor, shooting, vertebrate, wildlife | 1 Comment