14 November 2011 Last updated at 03:22 Share this page by Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature the birds sift through the mud for their food and seem to use their unusual bill as a shovel Conservationists have brought one of the world's most threatened bird species to the UK in order to start a captive breeding programme. The 13 spoon-billed sandpipers arrived in the country on Friday, 11 November. They were taken to the [...]
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27 October 2011 Last updated at 01:19 Share this page by Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC Nature In one season, 1,500 seal pups will be born on the Farne Islands In 1951 a small organisation called the Northumberland Natural History Society took an interest in the hundreds of grey seals that lolled on the tiny beaches of the Farne Islands off the north east coast of England. Every year the seals would crowd ashore and [...]
Name Status Details Actions Otter In the 1970s, otters were on the brink of disappearing from the British countryside. But this year it was announced that the freshwater-dwelling species had returned to every county in England. Their recovery has been attributed to bans on pesticides in the 1980s and improvements in river water quality. Habitats have been identified and improved with the creation of log piles and artificial "holts" – otter homes. Tunnels have been [...]
8 September 2011 Last updated at 03:28 Share this page By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature Males spend their lives drinking and looking for mates Bumblebee males head for the hills to find mates, according to scientists in Scotland. Researchers made the discovery while investigating how bees are distributed across their habitat. The behaviour, called "hilltopping", has been observed in butterflies in the past, but not in bees. Little is known about how bumblebees find [...]
24 June 2011 Last updated at 02:51 Share this page Wildlife, smartly recorded Modernity is often the enemy of conservation, as our 21st-Century lifestyles put ever greater pressure on the natural world. But some modern inventions may also hold the key to saving species in the future. On Friday, scientists at the Zoological Society for London (ZSL) announced the launch of a new "bat phone" – not a superhero's tool but a smart phone app [...]
Archive – Alan Shearer in action for England at Euro ’96 Former England captain Alan Shearer has held talks with Cardiff over succeeding Dave Jones as boss of the Championship club, BBC Sport Wales understands. The ex-Magpies manager, 40, is the latest name to be linked with the club. Another former Newcastle boss, Chris Hughton, is also believed to have been on Cardiff's shortlist along with Watford boss Malky Mackay. Ex-West Brom manager Roberto di [...]
14 June 2011 Last updated at 19:15 ET Share this page by Katherine Sellgren BBC News education reporter Pupils from independent schools and grammars were twice as likely to take three "facilitating" A-levels Pupils at comprehensives in England are losing out on elite university places after being "mis-sold" lesser A-level subjects like film studies, an MP says. Elizabeth Truss says they are being encouraged to study subjects that are not acceptable to top universities but [...]
By Frank Keogh BBC Sport at Royal Ascot Date: 14-18 June Coverage: Major races live on BBC TV, BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live; reports and live text commentaries on BBC Sport website Fantasic Frankel outsprints rivals Frankel retained his unbeaten record but had to work for victory in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. The brilliant 2,000 Guineas winner looked set for another cosy success before appearing to tie up [...]
14 June 2011 Last updated at 09:13 ET Share this page Paedophile Nigel Leat buries his head during police interview Concerns had been raised about the behaviour of a primary school teacher two years before he was arrested for abusing the children he taught. Nigel Leat, 51, was jailed indefinitely on Tuesday after filming himself sexually abusing children at Hillside First School, Weston-super-Mare. A colleague of Leat's raised concerns about his behaviour but this was [...]
14 June 2011 last updated at 13:19 ET Share this page Dr Williams said there had been extremist atrocities already, especially in Egypt The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that there are extreme forces at work that have turned the Arab Spring into a "very anxious time" for Christians. Dr Rowan Williams told the BBC that the vacuum left by the end of autocratic regimes was being filled by extremists. He claimed there had been [...]
