Firefighters save bird stranded on Cardiff temple roof

"Firefighters using an aerial ladder have rescued a small garden bird, stranded on top of a Sikh temple in Cardiff."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18527375

Wales Coast Path

"The Wales Coast Path is 870 miles long and while some rare souls may choose to walk the whole path, for the majority of us, the beauty of the path is that you can simply walk whichever section(s) that appeal. Much of the path is within easy reach of our coastal towns and cities so access to the path is remarkably easy. Why not visit Explore the path to find a section that suits your requirements."

http://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk

Snowdonia Society

"The Snowdonia Society would like to see a National Park in which the unique and irreplaceable qualities, on which the economy depends, are proudly protected by thriving and cohesive communities that have adapted to climate change"

http://www.snowdonia-society.org.uk/

Giants in the Forest

"Giants in the Forest combines art, technology and the natural environment; encouraging more people to visit forests and to enjoy art in non-traditional settings. Giant organic heads have been seeded and suspended in woods across Scotland, England and Wales. Here, they will hang; growing and changing with the seasons."

http://www.giantsintheforest.com

Aberbargoed Grasslands nature reserve due to open

"A "green oasis" is due to open in the heart of a former mining community.

Aberbargoed Grasslands in Caerphilly county will be officially designated a National Nature Reserve (NNR) by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18438452

Owl leaves imprint on Kendal woman's window

"The bird had apparently crashed into the window of Sally Arnold's Kendal home, leaving the bizarre image - complete with eyes, beak and feathers.

Experts said the silhouette was left by the bird's "powder down" - a substance protecting growing feathers."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-14111152

Orangutan spotted fishing with spear-like stick

"Apparently this male Orangutan had seen local fisherman with spears in the Gohong River. Attempting to emulate the fishermen, this Orangutan hangs off some overhanging branches, thrashing about the water striving to spear passing fish. Although the method required too much skill for him to master, he was later able to improvise by using the pole to catch fish already trapped in the locals’ fishing lines."

http://bentlyr.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/orangutan-spotted-fishing-with-spear-like-stick/

The cultural life of whales

"Whales are not only the largest animals that have ever lived – they are also among the most intelligent, and yet we still know very little about them. New research, however, suggests that sperm whales at least use sophisticated communication techniques to develop distinct and separate cultures. "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/30/whales-philip-hoare-hal-whitehead

Crows tell the world who's bad

"If you've ever wondered what crows are saying when they caw at a perceived threat from the treetops, here is a sample: "I'm telling on you!" By watching who their neighbours and parents scold, one group of crows has learned to recognise and scold a dubious human."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20624-crows-tell-the-world-whos-bad.html

The Only Immortal Animal on Earth

"Have you ever wondered what would happen if our life cycles were reversed, that is if we were born old and died young? Well, there’s one animal that comes close and has achieved immortality in the process, just to top it off. Meet the Turritopsis nutricula, a small saltwater animal or hydrozoan related to jellyfish and corals. "

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/only-immortal-animal-on-earth/20087

Nabokov Theory on Butterfly Evolution Is Vindicated

"And in a speculative moment in 1945, he came up with a sweeping hypothesis for the evolution of the butterflies he studied, a group known as the Polyommatus blues. He envisioned them coming to the New World from Asia over millions of years in a series of waves. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/science/01butterfly.html?_r=2

Love your Cardiff park

"Cardiff abounds with green spaces. These treasured parks date back as far as medieval times and are havens for wildlife and people alike. They are an essential part of the city and play a vital role in our everyday lives.

Home to a wide variety of wildlife including woodpeckers, kingfishers, egrets, bats, hedgehogs and squirrels; and host to concerts, festivals, art, sports and picnics – Cardiff’s parks are teaming with life all year round."

http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/2010/08/02/love-your-cardiff-park/


http://www.flickr.com/groups/1458200@N20/

Autumn Spectrum

http://jpgmag.com/photos/2725315

An Answer to the Meaning of Life

"The well-intentioned dolts putting a price on nature are delivering it into the hands of business. "

"Picture, for example, a planning enquiry for an opencast coal mine. The public benefits arising from the forests and meadows it will destroy have been costed at £1m per year. The income from opening the mine will be £10m per year. No further argument needs to be made. The coal mine’s barrister, presenting these figures to the enquiry, has an indefeasible case: public objections have already been addressed by the pricing exercise; there is nothing more to be discussed. When you turn nature into an accounting exercise, its destruction can be justified as soon as the business case comes out right. It almost always comes out right. "

http://www.monbiot.com/2011/06/06/an-answer-to-the-meaning-of-life/

Nature 'is worth billions' to UK

"The UK's parks, lakes, forests and wildlife are worth billions of pounds to the economy, says a major report.

The health benefits of merely living close to a green space are worth up to £300 per person per year, it concludes."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13616543

All the Way Down

"But yesterday we found something else – a turtle, exhausted and barely able to stay afloat any longer, supporting a frog on its back while a spider clung to the frog’s head to avoid drowning."

http://www.darrenhoyt.com/2008/09/01/all-the-way-down/

Barking cat caught in the act

"Quite simply it's a video of cat barking like a dog. Doesn't sound like much right? But the weird thing is the way the camera stalks up behind the cat, whose already in a window barking like a maniac, and as the camera comes nearer the cat notices it and immediately starts moaning like a cat again."

http://www.asylum.co.uk/2011/06/22/video-cat-barking-like-dog-caught-in-the-act/

Are the wild horses of the American west native?

"THE wild horses of the American west should be considered a native species as fully deserving of protection as elk or antelope, even though they are the descendants of domestic livestock introduced by European settlers. Or so claim animal rights groups."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028174.300-are-the-wild-horses-of-the-american-west-native.html

Comment: "If all humans living in the American west cannot prove they are 'native' to the land, then they are a nuisance that needs to be dealt with severely. Why is it that EVERY OTHER species must prove its indigenous nature in order to gain some ground for survival while human numbers are exploding everywhere, migrating worldwide, usurping space from indigenous species?"

Dragonfly

"They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant".  The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly

http://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwas_y_neidr

Save our forests: sign the petition now

"The government is planning a massive sell off of our national forests. They could be auctioned and fenced off, run down, logged or turned into golf courses and holiday villages. "

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests#petition