BBC wildlife 2014
SUMMER SPECIAL June 2014 Volume 32 Number 7 Discover the most amazing amphibians on the planet FEATURING CAN ZOO CUBS SAVE WILD TIGERS? 4 Build a pond 4 Dragonfly ID 4 Be a wildflower expert 4 Best cameras BIG CAT CONSERVATION FANTASTIC FROGS NEW LOOK LEAR’S MACAW Beautiful, blue and back from the brink STAG PARTY How YOU can help UK’s biggest beetle O Extreme parenting O Ballistic tongues O Weird reproduction O Deadly toxins O Visible kidneys CHRIS PACKHAM “Why I had to confront Malta’s bird hunters” [...]... experiences “RECONNECTING WITH NATURE SOUNDS SO EASY JUST GO OUTDOORS AND PLUG INTO THE GREAT GREEN THERAPY MACHINE.” June 2014 RICHARD MABEY is one of Britain’s best-loved nature writers and has written for BBC Wildlife since 1984 Hear his Mabey in the Wild series at www .bbc. co.uk/radio BBC Wildlife 29 K cross the U 8 Stores a • rs for 75 yea tablished • Es e pricing Competitiv • & advice nowledge • Expert... involved in the riskier tasks of prey capture and handling SOURCE Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology LINK http:/ /bit.ly/1fLWKTM June 2014 + RESEARCHERS! Don’t miss out – Camera-Trap Photo of the Year 2014 closes on 30 June See www discoverwildlife com/competitions BBC Wildlife 27 You’ll need: Spotting scope Notebook Patience Eyes of a hawk Time almost stands still when you’re in the awe-inspiring surroundings... tail Female: may have blue, green, brown, violet or pink markings JOIN OUR NEW FORUM! Share your photos and wildlife experiences on our website You can now talk directly to BBC Wildlife Magazine readers and staff at www discoverwildlife.com/forum NEXT MONTH’S WILD CHALLENGE: DAYFLYING MOTHS June 2014 Emperor dragonfly Four-spotted chaser Azure damselfly ANAX IMPERATOR LIBELLULA QUADRIMACULATA AESHNA CAERULEA... summer moths lured to light They fly until August, but are scarcer in the north June 2014 OFoxgloves have wide-lipped flowers for bumblebees to land: watch their long tongues reaching inside for the nectar ORichard Comont works for Bumblebee Conservation Trust Read his blogs at www discoverwildlife.com/localpatchreporters BBC Wildlife 15 If there’s no home for nature There will be no evening starling chatter,... to see more wildlife hile many people are tucked up in bed asleep, the nocturnal landscape comes alive Venturing outside during the summer months, especially beneath clear skies and the light of a full moon (see p17), can lead to extraordinary encounters with wildlife “Experiencing nature in the dark gives you the chance to focus on the wildlife you can see and hear,” says naturalist and BBC producer... 84010 or visit rspb.org.uk/homes The RSPB is a registered charity in England & Wales 207076, in Scotland SC037654 WILD JUNE TEAM WILDLIFE RE PORTER SALLY HUBAND SHETLAND Our 20 Local Patch Reporters are BBC Wildlife readers aged 10–64 Follow their diaries at www discoverwildlife.com/ localpatchreporters S “During a scan of a small beach I spotted a cetacean vertebra among the rocks It’s larger than... allotment I lifted old carpet we had been using to suppress weeds, and the sun shone on some huge snails I made a linocut of them.” + If you’re a wildlife blogger, visit www.discoverwildlife.com/forum to share your updates – highlights will feature in BBC Wildlife NIGHTWATCH JUNE GLOWWORM DISPLAY Robert Canis/FLPA On warm nights in June and July, female glow-worms (actually beetles) light up like tiny... right?! “PROVIDING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN IS LAUDABLE, BUT RELYING ON THEM TO SAVE THE PLANET IS UNFAIR.” June 2014 Former Goodie BILL ODDIE OBE has presented natural-history programmes for well over 10 years He appears in the current series of Springwatch on BBC Two BBC Wildlife 31 Don’t miss Attenborough’s Fabulous Frogs due later in the year The incredible world of frogs They sing, dance,... soils exposed to the full force of the wind It is one of the smallest woody plants in the world June 2014 Crosswort flowering in Deep Dale, Derbyshire Looking across Llyn Idwal, the most southerly location to search for arctic–alpines O Find more at www.plantlife.org.uk/ wild_plants/important_plant_areas BBC Wildlife 21 WILD JUNE Head out after dark and you’ll be amazed how many species you can hear and,... by stealth BEST SPOT RSPB Ham Wall Somerset BBC Wildlife 13 Ben Hoare’s INSTANT naturalist Essential fieldcraft, skills and knowledge you need to discover the natural world 10 EASY STEPS TO IDENTIFY WILDFLOWERS otany is in decline in British universities – botanists joke that they’re more endangered than the plants they study – and I’m amazed at how many keen wildlife watchers can name only a few dozen