THE SEA IS A DAZZLING TURQUOISE, CHISELLED rough then smooth by a stiff warm breeze blowing up the English Channel. As I sit in the long grass surrounded by flowers nodding chaotically in the gusts and eddies blowing up the cliff face, I have to admit I'm pleased with the results of my bird survey. It means the first stage of my GCSE geography project, The Avian Diversity of the White Cliffs of Dover, is complete.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Taylor-Jones is a wildlife film-maker and presenter. He has a passion for UK wildlife, enjoying working on the BBC’s Springwatch, The One Show and Countryfile.
Fulmars, kittiwakes, swallows, jackdaws, kestrels – they and many more have been spotted and recorded in my small, well-worn and smudged red notebook. I’ve worked hard at this project, and enjoyed every minute.
That day was 30 years ago now and I remember it well. Sadly, I never kept the notebook to remind me of the full list of that summer’s sightings. However, standing on the very same cliffs in July 2023, there have been some additions to the local birdlife that I never would have believed possible.
In the 1980s, I wouldn’t have been able to list raven or peregrine, yet both have returned following a process of natural recolonisation. These are very special birds and a good-news story for the area. But there’s another species making a comeback that’s even more special. It has been missing for centuries and has needed a huge helping hand to find its way home. It’s the red-billed chough, or simply the chough.
The chough is a hugely symbolic bird for Kent. Legend has it that the bird’s distinctive red beak and feet came from dabbling and paddling in Archbishop Thomas Becket’s blood, following his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2023 من BBC Wildlife.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2023 من BBC Wildlife.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food
Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.
Female of the Species - Zebras - A strong sisterhood is key to staying safe
Zebras are masters of confusion. Their collective noun is ‘a dazzle’, which is fitting since their bodies and behaviour have been surprising scientists for centuries.
See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.
The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.
Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
Metamorphosis: a life-changing event
WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
New series for BBC One: Asia
Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
SNAP-CHAT
Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed
VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
