Have you noticed some of the amazing insect life living around us this summer? Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology has been keeping a photo diary of insects this year. Here it continues with some lovely metallic insects, a stone-like bush cricket, and some fabulous action shots: You can see more of Bill’s photographs on the blog: An Insect A Day for bee … Continue reading An Insect A Day Part 11
Did you know it was International Owl Awareness Day on Tuesday 4 August? To celebrate this week, here are some of the owls you might be lucky enough to see in the UK. These are truly fascinating animals, with some amazing adaptations for their way of life. So let’s go explore these night-time wonders… Silent Flight Have you every listened to the sound of a … Continue reading Owls
Roz Wade, Learning Officer at the Museum, writes: It is always fun watching the birds coming to the bird feeders in the garden. We find the fat blocks prove particularly popular. It is lovely to see the robins and blue tits taking a morsel of food, particularly now with new fledglings come to feed, but I get particularly excited when a nuthatch comes to visit. … Continue reading Nuthatch, Sitta europaea
Sara Steele, Museum learning assistant says: With 400,000 named species of beetle found across the world and over 4,000 species in the British Isles, beetles are a diverse bunch even among invertebrates. They come in all shapes and sizes, from long and thin soldier beetles to rounded ladybirds. This diversity points in part to their distribution; being found in every habitat except the sea and … Continue reading Basking Beetles
Did you know it is Dragonfly Week this week? An initiative by the British Dragonfly Society, you can find fun online activities and inspired by these beautiful insects on their website: https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/what-we-do/outreach-projects/dragonfly-week/ If you are looking for an introduction to dragonflies and damselflies look no further. For Zoology Live this year, local dragonfly expert Duncan Mackay put together a beautiful film of some of our … Continue reading Dragonfly Week
Are you looking for a wildlife project for the summer holidays? Why not have a go at making a wildlife film? Here is Ellie Bladon, a researcher from the Department of Zoology, with her top tips on making a wildlife film on a budget. If have access to a smart phone or digital SLR camera, you have equipment suitable for making a short film for … Continue reading Make a Wildlife Film
Have you been following the insect photo diary of Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology? Here it continues with beautiful butterflies, unusual moths, and surprising flies. You can see more of Bill’s photographs on the blog: An Insect A Day for bee fly, orange tip buttefly and parasitic wasp. An Insect A Day continues for scorpion fly, shield bug and click beetle. An … Continue reading An Insect A Day Part 10
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Zoology Live iRecord challenge. We asked you to send in wildlife sightings from where you live and we received over 100 entries, which included 86 different species. Our involvement with national insect week clearly struck a chord as 79 of these species were minibeasts and the most common sightings were hoverflies. We also had sightings of … Continue reading Zoology Live: your sightings on iRecord
Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology continues his insect photo diary with soe wonderful portraits of damselflies, a bush cricket, and images of predation in action as a spider and a robber fly feast on hoverflies. You can see more of Bill’s photographs on the blog: An Insect A Day for bee fly, orange tip buttefly and parasitic wasp. An Insect A Day … Continue reading An Insect A Day part 9
Kate Howlett, NERC-funded PhD student says: Back at the end of May, I set myself the challenge of taking part in the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild initiative, so for every day in June I chose a ‘random act of wildness’ to complete. In a nutshell, I’m happy to report that all the hype and positive effects are true. I’ve spent a beautiful month, over … Continue reading Reflections: Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild
Join our Curator of Insects, Dr Ed Turner, as he explores the wildlife in his garden after the sun has set. Want to find out more about nighttime wildlife? Watch our Zoology Live broadcast with moth expert Annette Shelford and bat expert Henry Stanier: And find more activities related to nighttime wildlife on our post about Day 5 of Zoology Live. Observe the moths in … Continue reading Garden Wildlife After Dark
Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology continues his insect photo diary with a beautiful longhorn beetle, a selection of fascinating flies, and a wonderfully camouflaged caterpillar. You can see more of Bill’s photographs on the blog: An Insect A Day for bee fly, orange tip buttefly and parasitic wasp. An Insect A Day continues for scorpion fly, shield bug and click beetle. An … Continue reading An Insect a Day Part 8
Did you take part in our Zoology Live 2020 event on iRecord? Have you thought about taking part in a wildlife survey as a citizen scientist? Museum Research Assistant Matt Hayes takes a deep dive into the world of citizen science, discussing how it benefits our understanding of the natural world, and how you can get involved: What is Citizen Science? Citizen science is the … Continue reading Citizen Science
All animals need water to survive. Some live in the water itself whilst others need it to drink and wash. Sadly, ponds in the UK have been disappearing and wildlife relying on a supply of still, freshwater has been suffering as a result. If you can add a mini pond to our garden or even just a bowl of water, this will help a lot … Continue reading The Animals that Visit my Pond
Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology continues his insect photo diary with a portrait of a beautiful pearly lacewing, butterflies, damselflies, hoverflies and more. You can see more of Bill’s photographs on the blog: An Insect A Day for bee fly, orange tip buttefly and parasitic wasp. An Insect A Day continues for scorpion fly, shield bug and click beetle. An Insect A … Continue reading An Insect A Day Part 7
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