wildlife scottish wildcat

YOUR WILDEST YEAR HOW TO TAKE STUNNING NATURE PHOTOGRAPHS DO IT THIS WEEKEND 4 See urban otters 4 Garden insect safari 4 Spot mountain hares BE A GARDEN BIRD EXPERT Understand the behaviour of common winter visitors ESSENTIAL GUIDE Domestic or wildcat? Expert ID guide p47 January 2014 Volume 32 Number 1 Make this your next wildlife adventure TRACKING WOLVES IN SPAIN THE MOUSE THAT HOWLS AT THE MOON PLUS 6 other mini mammals with amazing superpowers 17 ways to discover more in 2014 How do you save a species when no one agrees what it is? HOT TOPIC WILDCAT SCOTTISH A QUALITY OPTICAL EXPERIENCE Don’t just see the Purple Sandpiper Achieve extreme, super-telephoto photography of the highest quality when you digiscope with Kowa spotting scopes. Combine your DSLR, compact camera or even iPhone with our FBTZUPVTFEJHJTDPQJOHBEBQUFSTBOEPVSQVSFnVPSJUFDSZTUBM TSN-880 series scopes to produce simply exceptional images. The telephoto power of Kowa . Capture the moment in breathtaking detail. Kowa Optimed Europe Ltd, Sandhurst House, 297 Yorktown Road, Sandhurst, Berkshire, GU47 0QA | Tel: +44(0)1276 937 021 | www.kowaproducts.com WELCOME BBC Wildlife January 2014 ON THE COVER THIS MONTH 3 Scottish wildcat in a captive- breeding programme at Aigas PHOTOGRAPH BY LAURIE CAMPBELL INSET Rick & Nora Bowers/Alamy This month’s Portfolio photographer Eric Médard wasn’t expecting to capture this mouse in midair. New Year resolutions tend to be a joyless tick list of abstinence and avoidance, in the hope of achieving some very unlikely outcomes. But we reckon there’s a better approach: one that guarantees you will enjoy, experience and see more wildlife than ever before. It’s the strategy that our writer Amy-Jane Beer took when she decided to discover exactly what was on her doorstep (p58). She gave up the internal-combustion engine and plans for exotic travel in favour of developing a deeper appreciation of her local patch. On p66 you’ll find another 16 resolutions for 2014 that are designed to help you become a better naturalist, and understand the wonders of wildlife that most people miss. And if this issue inspires you to take up the challenge, we’re searching for readers to get involved in an exciting project that will appear in the magazine later in 2014 – see p65 for details. We look forward to hearing from you! Welcome Matt Swaine Editor matt.sw aine@immediate .co.uk GET OUT AT NIGHT TO EXPERIENCE NATURE IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY. See p27 OUR WILDLIFE MONTH BEN HOARE Ben reports on the battle to save Scotland’s last wildcats. “The million-dollar question is, how do you stop them interbreeding with feral tabbies and pet cats?” says Ben. See p44 BBC WILDLIFE TEAM HENRY NICHOLLS Henry is a science journalist and writes the blog Animal Magic. He says, “It’s easy to overlook small mammals, yet they boast some astounding adaptations.” See p76 CONTRIBUTOR AMY-JANE BEER Amy started her career studying sea urchins, but now enjoys whatever wildlife comes her way. “The most thrilling discoveries have been those on my doorstep,” she says. See p58 DAVID TIPLING David visited northern Spain to try to photograph Iberian wolves. “Attitudes are finally changing towards the species,” he says. “I saw a lot of hope for its future.” See p80 Eric Médard WHAT WE’VE LEARNED THIS ISSUE CONTRIBUTOR Why not try this CONTRIBUTOR Pen-tailed tree shrews have chronic levels of alcohol intake but show no ill e ects See p77 10% is the proportion of body weight that a wren can lose overnight See p99 amplify their calls Spix’s disc-winged bats use unfurling foliage like a megaphone to See p73 contents JANUARY 2014 4 January 2014 BBC Wildlife FREE ONE- MONTH TRIAL ON BBC WILDLIFE SEE P36 SPECIAL OFFER 44 SCOTTISH WILDCAT We head to Scotland to meet the conservationists looking for the best way to preserve our native wildcat. WILD 10 C SPOT MOUNTAIN HARES PLUS Falkland penguins, springtails, purple sandpipers, beechwoods, real Christmas trees and night-sky watching. 14 C GARDEN INSECT SAFARI Can you find them all? 20 C SEE URBAN OTTERS The best UK sites to visit. 27 P O R T F O L I O NIGHT-TIME WILDLIFE Our expert shares the secrets of nocturnal photography. 44 C SCOTTISH WILDCAT How do you save a species when we can’t agree what it is? 55 C TAKE STUNNING NATURE PHOTOS Tips from 2013’s Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year. 58 C YOUR WILDEST YEAR Explore your local patch, dig a pond, stand up for a local cause: resolutions for 2014. 73 C BE A GARDEN BIRD EXPERT Everything you need to know about winter visitor behaviour. 76 C MOUSE THAT HOWLS AT THE MOON PLUS Six other mini mammals with amazing superpowers. 80 C TRACKING WOLVES IN SPAIN Discover how to make this your next wildlife adventure. 39 NEW THREAT TO TIGERS Is a disease pushing tigers into conflict with humans? PLUS New sea-squirt discovery and armadillo research. 42 25 YEARS AFTER EXXON VALDEZ What have we learned and what new threats to our seas have emerged? AGENDA REGULARS FEATURES Yo u r e s s e n t i a l m o n t h o f w i l d l i f e News, conservation & analysis 23 R I C H A R D M A B E Y A BRUSH WITH NATURE The New Forest offers a vision of how land could be used. 25 BILL ODDIE WILD AT HEART The men’s loos at Addis Ababa’s airport: perfect for birding. 72 BBC WILDLIFE READER OFFER Hand-picked images that you can order for your home. 87 TV REVIEWS A new BBC series on Brazil’s wildlife. 91 BOOKS Giraffes, penguins, sharks and golden eagles. 106 CROSSWORD Can you beat our setter’s challenge? 122 TALES FROM THE BUSH Swimming with the sardine run in South African waters. 73 BE A GARDEN BIRD EXPERT Understand the behaviour of winter garden visitors. 5 January 2014 BBC Wildlife YOUR BBC WILDLIFE 80 TRACKING WOLVES IN SPAIN Enjoy this amazing wildlife experience in northern Spain. HOW TO GET IN TOUCH Subscription enquiries and back issues: wildlife@servicehelpline.co.uk Editorial enquiries: wildlifemagazine@immediate.co.uk App support: immediateapps@servicehelpline.co.uk Subscription enquiries and back issues: 0844 844 0251 Editorial enquiries: 0117 314 7366 Subscription enquiries and back issues: BBC Wildlife Magazine, FREEPOST LON16059, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8DF Editorial enquiries: BBC Wildlife Magazine, Immediate Media Company, 9th Floor, Tower House, Fairfax St, Bristol BS1 3BN GET INVOLVED! We love hearing from our readers. Visit www.immediateinsiders.com/register, and we’ll be in touch to ask you about the magazine and other relevant issues. facebook.com/WildlifeMagazine twitter.com/WildlifeMag 109 YOUR PHOTOS Gemsbok in Namibia, gentoo penguins and orphan common seals. 103 YOUR LETTERS Turtle eggs in Ghana, red kites in a wolf park and plankton blooms. 97 DO ALL CRABS WALK SIDEWAYS? 27 NIGHT-TIME WILDLIFE Discover the detective skills needed to take these amazing shots. 66 16 WILD RESOLUTIONS They’ll make you a better naturalist – guaranteed! PLUS How bats use leafy megaphones, the UK’s heaviest spider and pasta- eating magpies. 58 YOUR WILDEST YEAR Spend a year exploring your local patch and sign up to a new project with BBC Wildlife. Cats: Laurie Campbell; marten: Eric Médard; Amy: Dave Willis; wolf: Andoni Canela; illustration: Shelly Perkins; po nd di pping : Pau l Ha rr is/2020VISION/NPL; or yx : Sophie Pee k; c rab: Graham Eaton/NPL November 2013 6 BBC Wildlife January 2014 7 BBC Wildlife wild january species & habitats | your local patch | things to do Rock stars ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN Britain’s overseas territories are home to more threatened bird species than all of mainland Europe. Over a quarter of the world’s southern rockhopper penguins, classed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, breed in the Falkland Islands. “Rockhoppers adore bathing,” says Sarah Crofts of Falklands Conservation. “Birds returning from fishing trips waddle straight to rockpools, or climb up to a freshwater waterfall like this one on Saunders Island, for a wash and preen. We’re about to start a satellite- tracking study to see where the penguins fish at dierent times of year, to work out if they might be aected by oil exploration in the area.” E Discover more at www.falklandsconservation.com Photo by Will & Matt Burrard-Lucas November 2013 8 BBC Wildlife WILD JANUARY January 2014 9 BBC Wildlife Spring -lo aded SPRINGTAIL The tiny arthropods called springtails use a catapult-like appendage called a furcula to spring away from threats. But they trump that with another adaptation that makes them among the few animals that can survive on land in Antarctica, says entomologist and BBC presenter Ross Piper. “Springtails produce a mix of cryoprotective alcohols and sugars – often termed ‘natural antifreeze’ – that allows them to function in temperatures that would see other invertebrates, and humans, grind to a halt,” explains Ross. Springtails are common, too – turn over a rock or log in your garden and chances are some will be clinging to its underside. You’ll have to look carefully, though – at only 1–3mm long, they’re easy to miss. E Ross Piper’s encyclopedia Animal Earth (Thames & Hudson) is out now. Photo by Matt Cole November 2013 10 BBC Wildlife Vanishing act MOUNTAIN HARE Mountain hares eke out a living in the Scottish Highlands and England’s Peak District. They dig hollows in which to shelter from icy winds and, as they hunker down in their white winter coats, can vanish in front of your eyes. In recent years they’ve also been disappearing from uplands in eastern Scotland, though the reason for this decline isn’t entirely clear. Hares are culled on some grouse moors here, with the stated aim of reducing transmission of the viral disease louping ill to the gamebirds. But hare populations also fluctuate naturally in many regions, possibly due to variations in prey density, leveret survival and parasite loads. Find out more in our Q&A section on p97. by BRETT WESTWOOD BBC Radio 4 presenter and naturalist Don’t miss Winterwatch Returning on 20–23 January 2014 WILD JANUARY Photo by Andrew Parkinson/Getty [...]... woodpile in your garden and see what moves in www.rspb.org.uk/ advice/gardening/deadwood.aspx Q Read our tips for attracting beetles www.discoverwildlife com /wildlife- gardens KEY OCommon and widespread OLocal: easy to see in some spots OScarce: searching needed 14 BBC Wildlife Up to 11mm Fast-moving Grey, brown or even orange, often with dark stripe January 2014 MUST-SAVE SPECIES MUST-HAVE someone you love... before diving back into cover British weasels retain their russet-and-cream coat throughout winter FIND OUT MORE Q Learn to identify Britain’s small carnivore species at www.discoverwildlife.com/british -wildlife Gardenwatch Four wildlife highlights to spot on your home turf this month plant of the month GROUNDSEL Weasel: Ernie Janes/naturepl.com; 1 Steve Round; 2 Laurie Campbell; 3 Damian Waters; 4 Alex... this Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve has peregrines and stunning waterfalls 3 GILFACH FARM, POWYS Otters are lured here in late autumn by the prospect of returning salmon 4 SHAPWICK HEATH, SOMERSET This National Nature Reserve in the Somerset Levels has regular sightings 5 BLANDFORD FORUM, DORSET Otters here used to be as approachable as in Thetford, but sightings have reduced recently 2 1 3 4 5 BBC Wildlife. .. too So if you can bear the thought, spare the hoe BBC Wildlife 17 WILD JANUARY edited by Ben Hoare features editor, wild@immediate.co.uk species & habitats | your local patch | things to do Watch the heavens at a ‘star party’, here in Hertfordshire And don’t worry – you don’t need a telescope this big to join in WHAT TO DO IN ONE SEE THE WINNERS OF WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Breathtaking images... the genet looked up at just the right time to allow me to get this photograph January 2014 BBC Wildlife 29 WHAT A MOUTHFUL Nocturnal photography requires good naturalist skills and detective work to decide where to place your cameras and sensors You can use data from websites to work out where you’ll see wildlife in the daytime But at night you need to create your own data by looking for tracks and... row are a clear indicator, and when you think that you have managed to find their perch, you just position the camera and hope for the best 32 BBC Wildlife January 2014 PORTFOLIO INFRA-RED BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY G My interest in documenting nocturnal wildlife began 25 years ago with an image of a badger outside his sett, but my approach to photography has developed enormously since then This shot... is leaving a spraint on a rock FIND OUT MORE You can see more of Eric’s spectacular photos, including shots of his resident tawny and barn owls, in a gallery on our website: www.discoverwildlife.com January 2014 BBC Wildlife 35 FREE ONE-MONTH TRIAL of the digital edition ... registered in England number 1081247 and in Scotland number SC039593 and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England number 4016725 Panda symbol © 1986 WWF World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund) ® WWF registered trademark VAT number 733 761821 ANG015027 WILD JANUARY by Derek Niemann nature diarist and author species & habitats | your local patch | things to do WE AS EL Tunnel terror... PLANES are now bedecked with baubles – round seed clusters that will hang from long stalks all winter These trees are non-native hybrids of the oriental and the American plane, so they support little wildlife, but grey squirrels sometimes eat the seeds Britain’s beechwoods produced a bumper harvest of beech nuts, or mast, this autumn BE EC H WO ODS Fruits of the forest Bob Gibbons S G SWEET CHESTNUT... and to this day are mostly found in warmer parts of southern England Their nuts are a staple of Yuletide stuffing, often falling from the trees while still in their prickly, hedgehog-like cases 12 BBC Wildlife troll through our beechwoods and you should feel a lovely crunchy carpet underfoot It’s made of beech nuts and is particularly thick this winter Every few years, several of our tree species produce . to See p73 contents JANUARY 2014 4 January 2014 BBC Wildlife FREE ONE- MONTH TRIAL ON BBC WILDLIFE SEE P36 SPECIAL OFFER 44 SCOTTISH WILDCAT We head to Scotland to meet the conservationists. 2014 BBC Wildlife YOUR BBC WILDLIFE 80 TRACKING WOLVES IN SPAIN Enjoy this amazing wildlife experience in northern Spain. HOW TO GET IN TOUCH Subscription enquiries and back issues: wildlife@ servicehelpline.co.uk Editorial. best UK sites to visit. 27 P O R T F O L I O NIGHT-TIME WILDLIFE Our expert shares the secrets of nocturnal photography. 44 C SCOTTISH WILDCAT How do you save a species when we can’t agree