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Nature Watch

Nature Watch

Luki finds the first Orchids!

Published in Nature Watch

Luki is one of Hvar's happiest dogs, and one of Hvar's greatest nature-lovers. On March 15th, he sniffed out early orchids not far from Vrboska. 

Orchids, 15th March 2020.
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Hvar's Springtime Treats

Published in Nature Watch

Sunshine, mild weather and some occasional outbursts of rain are bringing Hvar's spring on at great speed.

Gomiljasta perunika
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Saving Wildlife and Biodiversity: Looking to the Future

Published in Nature Watch

Your support is needed! November 2019 saw the launch of the European Citizens' Initiative petition under the title 'Save Bees and Farmers'. Please sign it, if you haven't done so already.

Saving Wildlife and Biodiversity: Looking to the Future
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Dragonflies and Damselflies

Published in Nature Watch

These delicate-looking, exquisite creatures play an important part in the natural chain. They are especially useful to humans because of their voracious appetite for mosquitoes and other biting insects such as midges. While they feast greedily on their preferred prey, they are totally harmless to humans.

Emperor Dragonfly
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Birdwatch, June - July 2019

Published in Nature Watch

Steve Jones of Dol recounts his observations during June and July 2019, a mixture of some disappointments balanced by unexpected joys, including a couple of bird rescues!

Pygmy Cormorant
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Dead bats in Pitve, July 2019

Published in Nature Watch

Two dead bats lying close together on their doorstep were a sad surprise which greeted a couple in Pitve on the morning of July 24th 2019.

Colony, pipistrelli kuhlii.
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Eco Environment News feeds

  • Reef revival: Fiji's corals bouncing back after ruinous cyclone

    Cyclone Winston devastated vital coral colonies off Fiji, but four years on, the reefs are alive again, teeming with fish and colour

    In the immediate aftermath of the strongest cyclone to ever make landfall in the southern hemisphere, reefs across the Namena reserve and Vatu-i-Ra conservation park off Fiji were reduced to rubble.

    Tropical Cyclone Winston struck Fiji on 20 February 2016, causing devastation on land and underwater. Winds of up to 280km/h claimed 44 lives, leaving more than 40,000 homes damaged or destroyed, and storm surges smashed reefs in their path. Winston caused US$1.4bn in damage, the most destructive cyclone ever in the Pacific.

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  • Cows might fly: Ireland to jet calves to Europe to cut travel time

    Expanding dairy herds have seen surplus male calves shipped to the continent for veal, but there is unease over welfare conditions

    Irish authorities have announced plans to fly unweaned dairy calves from Ireland to other EU destinations from May, in an effort to address growing unease about the length of the journeys made by thousands of animals shipped each year to mainland Europe.

    The Irish government has been subject to sustained scrutiny over live calf exports and the decision to experiment with flights, which will significantly cut travel time, comes as a European parliament committee of inquiry examines alleged failures across Europe in enforcing rules on protecting transported animals.

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  • The week in wildlife – in pictures

    The best of the week’s wildlife pictures, including a peacock in flight, otters crossing the road and kittiwakes in Newcastle

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  • Country diary: a natural amphitheatre allows birds to perform

    Knotbury, Staffordshire: A snatch of robin song, the cry of a raven a mile off, and the mating calls of red grouse punctuate an otherwise still, wintry day

    After the long snow-lined and sunless days, the world seemed suddenly released. The airwaves were full of reports of record temperatures, friends’ first sightings of butterflies and pictures of daffodils. Here, however, over the hill from Flash – England’s highest village (461m) – there may have been sunshine but the landscape felt locked in winter.

    The bowl in which Knotbury hamlet lies is a place comprised of three sepia tones. There is the plush suede of old molinia and mat grass, into which are stretched swatches of soft rush and wider patches of brown-black heather. The walled pasture in the bowl bottom adds a single note of primary colour, but even then it’s still the wan green of dried herbs.

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  • Great apes given Covid vaccines after outbreak at San Diego zoo

    Move follows eight gorillas testing positive for coronavirus at the zoo at the start of 2021

    Nine great apes have been given an experimental Covid-19 vaccine at San Diego zoo after an outbreak in a troop of gorillas there in January.

    Five bonobos and four orangutans became the first great apes at an American zoo to receive jabs against the disease in January and February.

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  • Wisdom the albatross, the world's oldest known wild bird, has another chick at age 70

    The remarkable bird has outlived mating partners, and even the biologist who first placed a band on her in 1956

    At 70 years of age, Wisdom the Laysan albatross has hatched another chick.

    Regarded as “oldest known wild bird in history”, Wisdom has outlived previous mating partners as well as the biologist Chandler Robbins, who first banded her in 1956.

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  • EU accused of ‘neocolonial’ plundering of tuna in Indian Ocean

    Indian Ocean states say EU pushing weakest conservation efforts for yellowfin tuna while EU ‘distant fleet’ hoovers up the most fish

    The EU has been accused of “hypocrisy and neocolonialism” for proposing insufficient measures to tackle overfishing of yellowfin tuna, while being the largest fisher of the prized species in the Indian Ocean.

    Smaller than its Atlantic and Pacific bluefin cousins, the yellowfin tuna is one of the ocean’s fastest and strongest predators. Also called ahi tuna, this species is massively overfished in the Indian Ocean – so much so that supermarkets and brands including Tesco, Co-op and Princes recently took the surprising step of joining scientists and environmental groups to call for tough action to rebuild the $4bn population.

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  • Boris Johnson failing on UK plan to reach net zero, say MPs

    Public accounts committee report says despite green rhetoric, government policy is falling short

    Boris Johnson has failed to set out a plan for the UK to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions despite the government’s green rhetoric, a committee of MPs has found.

    Ministers are failing to instruct their departments to take the net zero goal into account when setting policy, there has been little coordination between central and local government on achieving emissions reductions, and the public has not been engaged, the public accounts committee said in a report published on Friday.

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  • Country diary: our evening walk is serenaded by the curlew's vibrato cry

    Langstone, Hampshire:Many species of wader feed at night, and although we can’t see them, we know we are surrounded

    Prior to the construction of a wooden bridge in 1825, the precursor to the present-day concrete structure, the only land link from Langstone to Hayling Island was via a causeway exposed at low tide. One evening, we decided to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, and struck out along this route, which is three-quarters of a mile long and known locally as the Wadeway.

    Archaeological investigations carried out in 2005-06 determined that the hard-surfaced track is medieval in date and was probably laid during the early to mid-14th century, most likely in response to sea-level rises and storm surges.

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  • People wasting almost 1bn tonnes of food a year, UN report reveals

    Food discarded in homes is 74kg per person each year, with problem affecting rich and poor countries

    People waste almost a billion tonnes of food a year, a UN report has revealed. It is the most comprehensive assessment to date and found waste was about double the previous best estimate.

    The food discarded in homes alone was 74kg per person each year on average around the world, the UN found. In the UK, which has some of the best data, the edible waste represents about eight meals per household each week.

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