Buglife, the Invertebrate Conservation Trust, has reported that England's largest population of freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) has been devastated by lowered water levels.
aSometimes things work out just fine if you leave them to the last minute; generally they do not. Today, however, was the former. I had my biggest ever NARRS reptile count - 87 common lizards and one slow-worm - in two hours walking round Redhill Common in Bournemouth, Dorset, at the very tail end of the season. Talk about leaving it late though...
For many years now, chytrid fungus has been devastating amphibian populations around the world, and caused the extinction of some species. Global concern has grown as more species head towards extinction, particularly in the tropics, but also in temperate latitudes. An ongoing research project conducted by the Institute of Zoology, London, is receiving fresh impetus this year with the employment of researcher Freya Smith to examine the spread of chytrid in the UK, and on the possibility of our amphibians being adversely affected by it.