If this article is to be believed a dairy farmer in Somerset has introduced waterbeds for his cows because it helps improve the quality of the milk. Cows at Brue Valley Farms not only have specially designed rubber beds filled with water but are also able to listen to classical music in the milking shed. The farm concentrates on what is best for the cows treating them as individuals and it appears the end result is a better quality dairy product, their Farmhouse Cheddar which is made with the creamy milk.

Researchers have discovered a new species of frog in Borneo. The frog which has been named Microhyla nepenthicola is only one centimetre long making it Asia’s smallest. It lives in the Nepenthes ampullaria plant which it uses as a habitat. The plant lives off decomposing organic matter which collects in its pitcher shaped cavity, and it is this cavity that the tiny frog uses to lay its eggs and hatch its tadpoles.

Airport officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand were surprised when they found a drugged tiger cub inside a suitcase. The cub which as first glance looks like a stuffed toy was found in a woman's suitcase. It is thought she was trying to smuggle the animal into Iran. The tiger was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration after its ordeal but it appears to be recovering well. The woman is likely to face up to four years in prison and a large fine for wildlife smuggling charges.

If this article is to be believed then you can tell whether a wasp is angry or not by looking at its face. Apparently the more aggressive wasps have black markings on their faces. The more black markings a wasp has the more aggressive it is likely to be. Dr Tibbetts from the University of Michigan made the discovery whilst she was looking at why wasps have highly patterned faces. She found that other wasps are less likely to approach those wasps with the most painted faces and likened the wasps markings to the animal version of a karate belt. I’m not entirely sure it is an effective method of finding out whether a wasp is likely sting you, I don’t think I would fancy getting close enough to be looking at its face.

This colourful looking insect is a hedychrum niemelai wasp or cuckoo wasp. It is classed as a nationally scare species which is restricted to southern England. This one was pictured on Whitmore Common in Surrey and is the first time the species has been found there. It certainly is more much more attractive than the average wasp I am used to seeing in the garden.

We are lucky that we have lots of wildlife in our garden. I do my best to encourage more and tend to leave wild areas for the birds as well as leaving quite a lot of the fallen fruit on the floor for them to eat. I also tend to put food out for  them and am often surprised by the birds that come to the bird table. We have groups of crows and starlings that visit regularly but I was recently surprised by this group of jays that visited as I have never seen them in such large numbers. In all there were seven birds but they didn’t all land to feed.  I was, however, able to get a few pictures of some of them. Click on the images for bigger versions.

A scheme to reintroduce beavers to Scotland appears to be meeting with some success as the first beaver kits have been born in the wild. It is thought the kits are around 8 weeks old and belong to two different family groups. 11 Beavers in total were released into the wild as part of a scheme to reintroduce them. They appear to have settled in well with two beaver kits an encouraging sign for the species.

Sainsbury’s are launching new eco friendly milk bags and jugs as an alternative to plastic bottles. The move comes as they try to reduce the carbon footprint of milk consumption. They have partnered with Dairy Crest to launch the products which should soon be on sale. They will start by stocking a whole milk bag which will be followed by semi skimmed and skimmed milk bags next year. The new product contains 75% less plastic than the plastic bottles and they take up less space when disposed of. The product is also 6p cheaper to buy. There have been reports that some customers have found them difficult to use and have experienced leaks and spills but it will be interesting to see if people switch from plastic bottles. Tesco are also planning to launch a similar product in their stores.

21 Cranes will soon be released into the wild in an effort to reintroduce them into the British countryside. The bird has been absent from Britain for around 400 years with the last known sighting back in 1583. In April a clutch of eggs was shipped in from Germany and hatched at the Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. The birds have been put through a realistic upbringing programme which has included being taught how to avoid predators. They have now been released into a temporary enclosure and are due to be released into the wild next month. The birds have been fitted with GPS satellite tracking devices so that they can be monitored after release to see how they get on.

The National Trust has recently launched a bid to buy a stretch of coastline in Wales. The coastline which is part of the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd will cost around £3 million. A fundraising appeal has been launched to try and raise the money so that the site can be protected. Under the plan a new visitor centre would be built but the land would be protected from other developments. The National Trust have said that if successful it will ensure the protection of endangered wildlife, flora and fauna as well as the local way of life.

This is interesting its a new solar cell technology which has recently been developed by a Norwegian company. The company EnSol AS have created a unique patented film which can be coated onto glass and walls to turn them into power generators. The film which they hope to release commercially by 2016 effectively means that you would be able to turn a window into a solar power generator. It is likely to be much cheaper than conventional devices and it is thought the coating could be built into windows and other building materials as part of the manufacturing process. It certainly sounds interesting but I wonder how much more expensive it would be to replace your windows with these. If the price were not a concern I would certainly consider it.

According to this article the Swallowtail butterfly is starting to make a comeback in parts of Norfolk. The butterfly was once common across the Norfolk Broads but has declined in the last 100 years. It’s recent success has been put down to an increase in milk parsley which is a favourite food of the Swallowtail caterpillar. This is largely down to fen management and efforts to clear scrub which was invading the habitat. Since the programme began the butterflies have been seen in much greater numbers than ever before.

The first global sea census has been carried out by scientists. The census which was designed to find out many fish there are in the sea logged 230,000 species. The ten year study was carried out by 360 scientists and has recently been published. The team counted the different plants and animals in 25 different regions. The results showed that around half of the world’s marine species are crustaceans and molluscs with whales, sea lions, turtles and sea birds making up less than 2%. The survey highlighted major areas of concern for conservationists, showing that stocks of fish and crustaceans are now only 10-15% of what they used to be. The Mediterranean, Gulf of Mexico, Baltic and the Caribbean were the most under threat mainly from increased pollution and overfishing.

According to this article there have been an increasing number of incidents where people have been bitten by the Blandford fly. Dubbed the superfly by the article it seems it likes nothing better than to eat human blood. The problem is that the bites are prone to becoming infected and many victims end up having to seek hospital treatment. The fly normally only lives near streams in rural southern England, however, the popularity of garden water features mean it is moving into towns and cities and having more contact with humans. Despite its tiny size it seems the creature can give a very nasty bite with usually results in large swellings. I just hope they stay away from me, I have enough trouble with adverse reactions from regular mosquito bites without something else wanting my blood.

An otter that was thought to be extinct has been caught on camera in Malaysia. The hairy nosed otter which was thought to be extinct in Malaysia is thought to be Asia’s rarest otter. The otter which gets its name from the long hairs at the end of its nose has not been seen in Malaysia for more than 100 years. This one was photographed by a remote camera in Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah, Malaysia in 2008. It has taken some time to confirm that it was indeed the rare otter but the photo has raised hopes that there might still be time to save the creature.

According to this article it is possible to reduce the fat content of milk by changing what the cows eat. Fifty farms across Britain are currently testing out a new feed which claims to reduce the saturated fat content of milk by between 10 and 15%. The claims have been backed up by Reading university and it seems the feed also helps to reduce the carbon footprint of milk because the cows burp less methane.

Dairy cows are usually fed on grass during the spring and summer but during the winter are fed a diet of silage supplemented by feed such as rapeseed or soya. This winter diet increases the saturated fat content of the milk. The new feed, however, is made from a strain of linseed with high levels of omega 3 similar to those found in grass. This reduces the saturated fat content down to 55 or 60% of the total.

It seems more testing is needed before the product will be on shelves but if trials continue to go well we could soon see an altogether healthier pint of milk on sale in the supermarket.

According to this article cases of poisoning of Scottish birds of prey at are the highest level for 20 years. This is despite efforts by the Scottish government to tackle wildlife crime. Conservationists are calling for tougher laws to help combat wildlife crime after the RSPB revealed a record number of poisoning cases against birds such as golden eagles and red kites last year. One idea is to make grouse moor owners legally responsible for attacks on birds of prey that happen on their estates. There were 46 proven poisoning incidents last year including the deaths of two golden eagles, four red kites, 21 buzzards and a sea eagle. The problem is caused by some gamekeepers targeting birds of prey because they eat game birds kept for private shooting.

A Dutch insect specialist has suggested that we should start eating insects in order to feed the world’s growing population. Marcel Dicke has claimed that insects are not only an ecologically sound alternative to meat but that they are also tasty. Figures show that it takes 10kg of feed to produce just 1kg of beef, 3kg of pork or 5kg of chicken. The same amount of feed, however, can sustain 9kg of locusts. Insects also have the advantage of producing less waste than mammals so are kinder to the environment. They are also rich in protein, amino acids, iron and vitamins. I’m not sure I will be putting a locust burger on my BBQ in place of beef one, although I will try most food once so won’t rule out a few crispy locusts.

If you haven't done so already there is still time to take part in the Big Butterfly Hunt. It takes place between the 24th of July and the 1st August and is aimed at providing information on the decline of butterfly species. All you need to do is to go to the website, download the handy butterfly chart to help you in indentifying and recording the butterflies that you have seen. They just find a spot to watch them for 15 minutes and record which butterflies you see.

According to this article Waitrose has been named compassionate supermarket of the year. Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have also won awards for improving the lives of farm animals. The awards were presented by Compassion in World Farming at their Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards. Waitrose scored best on issues such as overall well being of animals, stocking densities and the freedom of animals to express natural behaviour. Sainsbury's was named the Best Volume Supermarket and also won a Good Chicken award. Morrisons won the award for the Most Improved Supermarket whilst the Co-op and M&S also won Good Chicken awards.

This unusual red squirrel was spotted in New Abbey near Dumfries by wildlife photographer Mick Durham. Unlike most other red squirrels this one has a unusual white stripe on its tail. Apparently this type of colour variation is quite rare so this ring tailed squirrel could be one of a kind.

According to this article red squirrels are dying due to bacteria which is linked to people feeding them. The problem is caused by human bacteria being passed on from people who leave food out for the squirrels. The bacteria is found naturally in humans but has been found in lesions on 11 dead squirrels in the Isle of Wight and Jersey in 2007 and 2008. The Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre in Cornwall has advised people to wear gloves or wash their hands when putting out food for squirrels.

If this article is correct then as many as 25% of flowering plants could face extinction. That’s according to scientists who say one in four species is under threat of becoming extinct including some which may not have been discovered yet. The research which was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B follows similar studies which say that one in five of all mammals, nearly one in three amphibians and one in eight birds are in danger of being wiped out completely. The study first looked at the number of flowering plants and the rate that new species are being discovered. From this they concluded that on top of the 352,282 species of known plants there are potentially between 10 and 20% more yet to be discovered. They then took into account the threats facing plants species such as habitat loss, development, groundwater and pollution. From this they concluded that between 27 and 33% of all flowering plants will be threatened with extinction.

This cute little guy was spotted by a dog walker who found him on a nature reserve. Faye Sweeney picked him up to move him off of the path and realising the toad had an extra leg took a few photos of it. According to the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust who are mentioned in the article toads with extra limbs are not common and this is the first example they have heard of.

According to this article a solar powered plane has completed a 26 hour flight. The plane which is an experimental solar powered aircraft flew through the night using solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the sun has set. It was piloted by former jet pilot Andre Borschberg and the 26 hour flight is currently the longest and highest recorded by a solar powered plane. The team behind it now hope to build a more advanced model of the plane and aim to circumnavigate the globe by 2013.

If you like me have arrived home from a day in London to find when you blow your nose it is full of dirt, then you might wonder whether it has any long term effects. According to this article it does, and it could be responsible for 4,267 early deaths. A study commissioned by the Mayor Boris Johnson has looked at pollution levels and air quality in London. It found that Bryanston and Dorset Square were the most polluted, followed by Marylebone High Street and the City of London. It also found that outer London had the most early deaths linked to pollution due its higher population. The figures amount to five or six deaths a year in central London (due to their low population)  and around 12 people a year in areas like Penge, Bromley and Beckenham.

According to this article some rare moth caterpillars have been found in Deal in Kent. The Sussex Emerald moth was previously only found at one site in Kent so this second breeding site is encouraging. The moth which is a protected species is also found in Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, East Sussex and Essex.

The Woodland Trust has launched a campaign to plant more trees in the UKs towns and cities. They say that the decline of tree cover in urban areas needs to be reversed and point out that planting more trees has been shown to improve air quality, reduce ambient temperatures and benefit peoples health. The trust estimates that 80% of the UK population live in urban areas but less than 10% have access to local woodlands. They hope to plant 20 million native trees every year to try and reverse this. The trust also says that trees play an important role in preventing flash floods as they help to absorb ground water and reduce the volume of rainfall hitting the ground.

According to this article the large blue butterfly could soon be seen in the Cotswolds. The butterfly has recently been saved from the brink of extinction by a project which has reintroduced it to areas of Devon and Somerset. The ecologists involved now hope to reintroduce to the Cotswolds and will release hundreds of caterpillars at two secret locations next month. The butterfly went extinct in Britain in 1979 but has been brought back by collecting eggs from Sweden and releasing caterpillars. There are now thriving populations in over 30 locations. Next month caterpillars will be collected from these sights with a view to releasing them in the Cotswolds, something which should double the population if successful.

In an effort to reintroduce sea eagles to Scotland 19 chicks have been flown in from Norway. They are being kept in a secret location until they are strong enough to fledge and be released. The programme to reintroduce the sea eagle began four years ago and so far there have been over 2,000 sightings of the birds in Scotland. It is thought there are now 46 breeding pairs in the area and around 200 individuals. The project has met with resistance from farmers and crofters who accuse the birds of stealing lambs and chickens but a recent report suggests the eagles have a minimal impact on lamb deaths. The Scottish Environment Minister believes the scheme is important to restore biodiversity and increase tourism.

A breeding programme aimed at returning giant tortoises to Galapagos appears to have been successful. The species was on the brink of extinction but after being reintroduced to Española, the southernmost island there is now a population of more than 1,500. Numbers of the tortoise dropped to a population of just 15 in the 1970s. Since then hatchlings have been reintroduced to the wild and a recent expedition has shown recently hatched tortoises and adults born on the island.

According to this article a pair of purple herons have bred in the UK for the first time. The RSPB have been watching the birds in the Dungeness peninsula in Kent and have now confirmed that they are raising chicks in their nest. The birds usually breed in southern Europe although small numbers do visit Britain every year.

According to this article a raccoon has been seen in the North East of England for the first time. The raccoon was spotted in a garden in County Durham and caught on Wildlife Trust cameras. The species is not native to the UK and more commonly found in North America. It is thought this one may have escaped from a zoo or from someone's house.

Scientists from Dundee University are conducting a study into the decline of honey bees. They hope to find out whether pesticides are harming the brains of the bees and whether it damages their navigation and foraging skills. The scientists will work with the Scottish Beekeepers Association to radio tag bees as part of a three year study. The bee population has fallen by 15% in the last two years something that could impact on food production as bees are vital crop pollinators.

According to this article a study has proved that chimpanzees expand their territory by attacking and killing their neighbours. According to the study groups of aggressive chimpanzees will invade their neighbours territory to obtain more resources or mates. The study was carried out in Uganda over a ten year period. During this time scientists recorded 18 attacks and found signs of three others. The attacks were carried out by a large male dominated community of chimps at Ngogo in Kibale National Park. In one case the aggressive males attacked a group of females from another group killing an infant that one of them was carrying and trying to take another from its mother. It is not clear whether the behaviour is an effort to acquire land or mates, however, the aggressive chimpanzees eventually began to occupy the area where most of the attacks had taken place expanding their territory by more than a fifth.

According to this article Redback spiders from Australia are invading parts of the UK. The headline here does seem a little sensationalist as it appears the “invasion” is more than a dozen spiders that have been found inside a parts crate near Preson, Lancashire. A source told the Sun (hence the sensational headline) “It was like a scene from a horror film. There were these tiny black spiders with a red stripe down their back running around a container of parts from Australia. It caused a major panic.” It seems some of the spiders may have escaped into surrounding fields and there are worries they may start breeding. It is hardly an invasion at the moment, however.

According to this article parts of Cumbria could soon be hearing natterjack toads again. Natterjack toads disappeared from the area over a century ago but tadpoles were reintroduced three years ago. It now appears the reintroduction has been successful as strings of spawn have been found for the first time.

Landowners in Cornwall are calling for grey squirrels to be culled in order to help red squirrels return to the county. Red squirrels were once native to Cornwall but have not been seen there since 1984. However, they have been wiped out due to a virus which is carried by the non native grey squirrels. Under the scheme grey squirrels would be culled using poisoned food and trapped in later stages of the project. It is hoped that red squirrels could then be reintroduced to selected areas.

A conservation project to reintroduce the great bustard to the UK appears to be meeting with some success as four chicks have hatched this year. The great bustard was hunted to extinction in 1832 but was reintroduced to Salisbury Plain six years ago. This is the second year that the birds have bred successfully in the wild so looks encouraging for the return of the species. The great bustard is the world’s heaviest flying bird according to this article, weighing up to 44lb and measuring 3ft tall. It is its size that made it such an easy target for hunters and so led to its extinction. The current project to reintroduce the species was launched in 2004 with birds being hand reared in Russia before being released in the UK. So far 104 birds have been released with seven known chicks being hatched so far.

According to this article a device will soon be available that will allow people to charge their mobile phone whilst cycling. The phone manufacturer Nokia has designed the device which connects to a dynamo. It charges when the wheels turn and comes with a phone holder that straps to the handlebars. To charge the phone you would need to cycle at around four miles an hour. The faster you cycle the more charge your battery will get. Cycling at a speed of 10 miles an hour for 10 minutes would give about 28 minutes of talk time or 37 minutes on standby. The kit will be on sale by the end of the year.

An expert has managed to breed an elm tree that appears to be resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Dutch elm disease has been responsible for wiping out around 25 million trees across the British countryside. Paul King noticed a few survivors amongst the affected trees when clearing diseased trees in 1977, however, and took cuttings from them. After many years of research he has now managed to grow more than 2,000 healthy elm trees from the original tree. It seems that the cuttings all have the same resistance to the disease as the original parent tree. This could mean that the indigenous species may now be able to be returned to woodlands.

This lovely looking creature is the caterpillar of a the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly. The caterpillar is only a few inches long but uses it’s unusual markings to make itself look like a snake and thus deter predators. This picture was taken in the US by wildlife biologist Jonathan Mays.

According to this article the large blue butterfly population in the UK appears to be doing well. The butterfly became extinct in Britain in 1979 but has since been reintroduced in 2000. Surveys of the National Trust site at Collard Hill last summer found that numbers were up by 22% from 2008 and it is thought record numbers will emerge this year. Whilst this is good news for the large blue many other once common species are still in decline. David Attenborough has recently launched a campaign to save Britain's butterflies that are threatened with extinction. One way you can help is by taking part in the Butterfly Conservation's the Big Butterfly Count which takes place from the 24th July to 1st August and should help to get a better idea of the state of Britain's butterfly population.

This huge 250lb catfish was recently caught in Italy. It measures 8.2ft long and weighs over 250lbs making it the biggest freshwater fish caught in Europe. It was caught by angler Roberto Godi who needed the help of several other fishermen in order to lift the fish onto a weighing frame.

This interesting picture was taken at a cemetery in Southend and shows a plague of caterpillars. According to the article the caterpillars have covered the area with their web like nest. It is thought the nest contains several thousand of bird cherry ermine moth caterpillars. When they are fully grown they will emerge from the next as white moths with black dot markings.

According to this article this could be Britain’s biggest wasps nest. The size of a double mattress it was found in the attic of a pub in Southampton. It measured 6ft by 5ft and was around 15 times bigger than the UK average. Apparently it would house up to half a million wasps. The nest was removed by a pest controller who cracked open the top and squirted the colony with a powerful insecticide.

Parrots in Australia have been falling out of trees with symptoms similar to drunkenness. Birds have been struck down with a mystery illness. They show signs similar to human drunkenness, losing all coordination before passing out. They then cower in their cages when they wake up and recover. The problem appears to be seasonal with most of the lorikeets recovering within a few weeks and falling ill again the same time the following year. So far nobody is sure what is causing the mystery illness although it is thought it might be down to a plant that they are eating.

According to this article the British Veterinary Association and the Animal Welfare Foundation have called for a band on imports of terrapins and turtles. The Environment Secretary is being urged to deal with the problem as terrapins and turtles that have been dumped in ponds and lakes are threatening native habitats. The veterinary profession is now suggesting that imports of such animals should be banned. Currently around six million reptiles were imported into the EU every year. The article also points out that reptile rescue centres are inundated with requests to find homes for the creatures and that people are now just dumping them in lakes and streams when they find they don’t want them anymore.

A giant anteater has recently been born at a zoo in the Isle of Wight making it the first to be born in the UK and only the 6th to be born in Europe. The baby was born at Amazon World in Sandown. There are currently only 104 giant anteaters in captivity in Europe and the creatures are classed as near threatened on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature red list.

According to this article a rare butterfly has been successfully reintroduced to Cumbria. The marsh fritillary used to be widespread across the country but loss of habitat led to the population dying out in 2004. A project to return them to the area was started in 2007 by Natural England and Butterfly Conservation. Thousands of butterflies were released in secret locations and have now made a comeback at four sites where they are thriving.