In a Puffin of Smoke?

The Farne islands, off Northumberland, have along been a favourite location to view Puffin colonies. There is now, however, serious concern, that if trends continue, these birds will disappear entirely from this location (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/24/fears-puffins-die-out-farne-islands-numbers-plummet). Workers have tentatively linked the bird's rapid decline to climate change (which would re-locate their normal diet of sand eels) but other factors like taking the sand eels to make fertiliser for agriculture or to feed salmon in Scottish salmon farms may also play a role. Even marine plastic litter can find its way into the equation as this is sometimes fed to chicks.

School Days and Life?

We didn't have to concern ourselves about the issue in my days (we probably would have been in blissful ignorance, anyway) but recent studies have shown that the levels of harmful particulates are actually higher in London class-rooms than they are outside in the 'fresh air' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/24/air-pollution-worse-inside-london-classrooms-than-outside-study-finds). These are largely generated by traffic from diesel burning cars in the vicinity (although brakes and tyres also produce these items). It is remarkable that not more than been done to reduce exposure to these health-threatening (along with nitrous oxides), especially in developing children who can be very susceptible to environmental contaminants. This appears to be in spite of warnings about the illegality of current levels of air pollution. One possibility is to fit class-rooms with air filtration systems.

Butter-fingers

The UK only has around 50 species of butterflies (including the Dark green fritillary above) and, after a number of hard years, some are in rapid/terminal decline. There have been the odd success in re-introduction (notably the Large blue from Swedish specimens) but they require careful habitat management along with potential breeding specimens. The latest attempt concerns the Chequered skipper that people are attempting to re-introduce from Belgium into Rockingham forest in Northamptonshire (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/17/back-from-the-brink-chequered-skipper-butterfly-takes-to-english-skies-again). I appreciate that the workers wanted to take specimens from roughly similar habitats as the woodland rides they were going to but they could have used Scottish bugs.

Seeing the Changes 1301

Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) blooms in Loughor.

Anthropogenics?

In biomass terms humans are pretty puny, accounting for only 0.01% of living things but our impact has been extraordinary (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study). Reportedly, 36% of current mammals are humans, 60% are domesticated beasts such as cows, sheep and goats and only 4% (and reducing) are wild species. The situation, in the case of birds, is only slightly less extreme with 70% being poultry (mainly chickens) and 30% being wild avian species. The extinction-impact of humans is evident in the fact that we have already eliminated more than 80% of all wild animals and 50% of plants. We are clearly on a par with the meteor strike that accounted for the dinosaurs.   

Seeing the Changes 1300

The Dog rose (Rosa canina) is in bloom in Loughor.

Seeing the Changes 1299

Visited, in Loughor, by a Small phoenix (Ecliptoptera silaceata) moth.