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Tonya Lopez, Kyiv (2025)

27/11/2024

Loved-up owls 'move in together' at nature reserve

Everyone knows the plot. Boy meets girl. They date. And then they move in together and live happily ever after.

Except at Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve in Earley, Berkshire, the characters in the love story are a pair of tawny owls.

Affectionately named Romeo and Juliet, the couple's romance began when they started calling to one another from their separate owl boxes on opposite sides of the nature reserve.

And now they have been pictured snuggled up together in one box, with hopes their next chapter could see the arrival of some owlets.
Mr Brown said park rangers teamed up with tree surgeons in September to reinstate owl boxes that had fallen into disrepair.

Nine days later, their "first inhabitant" - a male tawny owl - moved in, followed by a female across the reserve.

"They then started calling to one another," said Mr Brown.

"At the beginning of November one of our residents comes running up to us with a picture on his phone... of both the owls in the same box."

He said the team was "over the moon", especially because it happened so quickly.

Mr Brown said the reinstatement of the owl boxes was just one project being rolled out across the nature reserve in efforts to improve habitat and biodiversity.

The owl activity was "really good feedback", as it showed they were creating a healthy environment with the right balance of natural factors and human interaction, he said.

And he added that he hoped the future would bring even more exciting developments for Romeo and Juliet.

"From what I gather, they go into their mating pattern and then in spring you start to see the offspring," he said.

"We are very hopeful for that... there's never any guarantees in nature but fingers crossed we will get lots of little owlets a some point."

21/10/2024

Sydney reopens beaches after tar ball mystery

Beaches in the Australian city of Sydney have reopened for swimmers after being closed earlier this week when thousands of mysterious black tar-like balls washed ashore, prompting health concerns.

Officials say tests found the balls to be formed from chemicals similar to those in cosmetics and cleaning products but it is still unclear where they came from.

Eight beaches including Bondi - the city's most famous - were closed and a massive clean-up ordered amid fears the black deposits were toxic.

New South Wales's Environment Minister, Penny Sharpe, said investigations were continuing to establish the source of the pollution and who was responsible.

The state's maritime authority said the balls were not highly toxic to humans but should not be touched or picked up.

"Based on advice from the Environment Protection Authority, we can now confirm the balls are made up of fatty acids, chemicals consistent with those found in cleaning and cosmetic products, mixed with some fuel oil," said New South Wales Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings.
The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said laboratory testing was continuing, to try to determine where the balls came from, Reuters news agency reports.

"It is still somewhat of a mystery and may take a few more days to determine origin," said EPA Executive Director Stephen Beaman.

The tar balls were "not harmful when on the ground but should not be touched or picked up", Mr Hutchings was quoted as saying by Australian broadcaster ABC.

"If you see these balls, report them to a lifeguard. If you or your family accidentally touches one, wash your hands with soap and water or baby oil."

05/10/2024

The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was not alone

The huge asteroid that hit Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was not alone, scientists have confirmed.

A second, smaller space rock smashed into the sea off the coast of West Africa creating a large crater during the same era.

It would have been a “catastrophic event”, the scientists say, causing a tsunami at least 800m high to tear across the Atlantic ocean.

Dr Uisdean Nicholson from Heriot-Watt University first found the Nadir crater in 2022, but a cloud of uncertainty hung over how it was really formed.
Now Dr Nicholson and his colleagues are sure that the 9km depression was caused by an asteroid hurtling into the seabed.

They cannot date the event exactly, or say whether it came before or after the asteroid which left the 180km-wide Chicxulub crater in Mexico. That one ended the reign of the dinosaurs.

But they say the smaller rock also came at the end of the Cretaceous period when they went extinct. As it crashed into Earth's atmosphere, it would have formed a fireball.

“Imagine the asteroid was hitting Glasgow and you’re in Edinburgh, around 50 km away. The fireball would be about 24 times the size of the Sun in the sky - enough to set trees and plants on fire in Edinburgh,” Dr Nicholson says.
An extremely loud air blast would have followed, before seismic shaking about the size of a magnitude 7 earthquake.

Huge amounts of water probably left the seabed, and later cascaded back down creating unique imprints on the floor.

It is unusual for such large asteroids to crash out of our solar system on course for our planet within a short time of each other.

But the researchers don’t know why two hit Earth close together.
The Nadir asteroid was about the size of Bennu, which is currently the most hazardous object orbiting near Earth.

Scientists say the most probable date that Bennu could hit Earth is 24 September 2182, according to Nasa. But it is still just a probability of 1 in 2,700.

There has never been an asteroid impact of this size in human history, and scientists normally have to study eroded craters on Earth or images of craters on other planets.

To further understand the Nadir crater, Dr Nicholson and team analysed high-resolution 3D data from a geophysical company called TGS.

Most craters are eroded but this one was well-preserved, meaning the scientists could look further into the rock levels.

“This is the first time that we've ever been able to see inside an impact crater like this - it’s really exciting,” says Dr Nicholson, adding there are just 20 marine craters in the world but none have been studied in detail like this.

30/09/2024

UK to finish with coal power after 142 years

The UK is about to stop producing any electricity from burning coal - ending its 142-year reliance on the fossil fuel.
The country's last coal power station, at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, finishes operations on Monday after running since 1967.
This marks a major milestone in the country's ambitions to reduce its contribution to climate change. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel producing the most greenhouse gases when burnt.
Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said: "We owe generations a debt of gratitude as a country."
The UK was the birthplace of coal power, and from tomorrow it becomes the first major economy to give it up.
"It's a really remarkable day, because Britain, after all, built her whole strength on coal, that is the industrial revolution," said Lord Deben - the longest serving environment secretary.
The first coal-fired power station in the world, the Holborn Viaduct power station, was built in 1882 in London by the inventor Thomas Edison - bringing light to the streets of the capital.
The growth of renewables has been so successful that the target date for ending coal power was brought forward a year, and on Monday, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, was set to close for the last time.
Chris Smith has worked at the plant for 28 years in the environment and chemistry team. She said: "It is a very momentous day. The plant has always been running and we've always been doing our best to keep it operating....It is a very sad moment."
Lord Deben served in former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's government when many of the UK's coal mines were closed and thousands of workers lost their jobs. He said lessons had to be learnt from that for current workers in the fossil fuel industry.
"I'm particularly keen on the way in which this Government, and indeed the previous Government, is trying to make sure that the new jobs, of which there are very many green jobs, go to the places which are being damaged by the changes.
"So in the North Sea oil areas, that's exactly where we should be doing carbon capture and storage, it's where we should be putting wind and solar power," he said.
Although coal is a very polluting source of energy, its benefit has been in being available at all times - unlike wind and solar which are limited by weather conditions.
Kayte O'Neill, the chief operating officer at the Energy System Operator - the body overseeing the UK's electricity system - said: "There is a whole load of innovation required to help us ensure the stability of the grid. Keeping the lights on in a secure way."
A crucial technology providing that stability Kayte O'Neill spoke of is battery technology.
Dr Sylwia Walus, research programme manager at the Faraday Institution, said that there has been significant progress in the science of batteries.
"There is always scope for a new technology, but more focus these days is really how to make it more sustainable and cheaper in production," she said.
To achieve this the UK needs to become more independent of China in producing its own batteries and bringing in skilled workers for this purpose, she explained.

13/09/2024

Scuba diving marine biologists visit Alderney

A group of UK marine biologists are visiting Alderney for a research trip, to improve the island's ecological records.
Twenty-seven members from the Porcupine Marine Natural History Society (PMNHS), arrived on the island on September 12, for a one week stay supported by the Alderney Wildlife Trust.
The marine environment in Alderney is still largely undiscovered, and the field trip will investigate under-recorded marine habitats and species, through a variety of methods including diving.
Dr Mel Broadhurst-Allen, living seas coordinator said: “We are thrilled that the society has chosen Alderney for their annual field-trip.
"Knowledge of our marine environment is growing, but having a group of independent experts visit our shores will certainly enhance the island’s evidence base substantially."

19/08/2024

'Stunning' burial chamber unearthed on Dartmoor

Archaeologists have unearthed a "stunning" Bronze Age burial chamber on one of Dartmoor’s most isolated hills.
Experts discovered a stone-built box, sometimes known as a cist, at Cut Hill during a three-day dig earlier this month.
Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found inside suggests the chamber, used to bury the dead during prehistoric times, is about 3,900 years old.
Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), which led the project, said the discovery was prompted by reports of a feature being visible in the peat.

The authority said the find has parallels to the cist unearthed at Dartmoor's Whitehorse Hill in 2011, which uncovered items including cremated human bone, a woven bag and amber beads.
Excavation director and archaeologist, Dr Lee Bray said: "We were all pretty speechless when we lifted the capstone and looked inside.
"Not only is the cist bigger than we expected, but it contained multiple pieces of wood that appear to have been deliberately shaped and cut.
"This prompts more questions - could the wood have been an object that was dismantled and deliberately placed inside the grave? If so, what was it and who did it belong to?"
Dr Bray said there was every chance the chamber could contain further objects and artefacts once the team explores further.
"It’s a stunning discovery with the potential to be every bit as fascinating as the finds at Whitehorse Hill," he added.
DNPA said the cist will now undergo further excavation.

07/08/2024

Wildlife trust says new pub is 'missing link'

A nature charity that bought a pub to attract more people to its reserve said its opening weekend was a success with queues of customers waiting to be served.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) purchased the Pleasure Boat Inn in Hickling in 2023 and found a manager to run it.
Trust chief executive Eliot Lyne said the venue provided "a great opportunity to talk about nature to people who might otherwise not come to one of our sites".
"We recognise that we're in a nature crisis and what we're doing as a broader conservation sector isn't working as well as it could do, because we're not really speaking to to everyone who we could do," he added.

Rick and Felicity Malt have been hired to run the Pleasure Boat and already manage two other Norfolk pubs.
Mr Malt said: "It’s great to be in partnership with Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
"We are looking forward to developing our offer in harmony with their values, including providing people with a warm welcome to Hickling Broad and Marshes to enjoy the area and learn about its special wildlife."
The NWT said it purchased most of the other land around the pub in 2017 and the pub was the "missing link" to realise its vision for wildlife and people locally.

25/07/2024

Fallen stock rules being reviewed, minister says

A review of the Isle of Man's regulations on fallen stock is underway, the environment, food and agriculture minister has confirmed.
However, Clare Barber MHK said the risks to humans and other animals would have to be "carefully considered" before any changes could be made.
It follows a call for permission to bury carcases on private land by the Manx National Farmers' Union after recent price increases for lost stock disposal which it said were "unrealistic" .
Ms Barber told the House of Keys any changes posed "a significant risk" by potentially compromising the island's "ability to trade animals products".

The Department of Infrastructure's animal waste section holds an exclusive contract to collect and dispose of dead animals from Manx farms.
Increases in the costs for the disposal of fallen stock were implemented at the start of July, with the price for the collection of a bull jumping by 185% to £152.70.
The government previously said processing plant price rises were "considered an appropriate measure" as it faced an "average annual net loss of just under £500,000 over the past five years".
Health risks
Jason Moorhouse MHK asked Ms Barber if there was "any possible solution" to the issue as "real frustration" was being felt in the farming community, with some members continuing to withhold payments to the plant in protest.
Ms Barber said current legislation did not allow for stock that had died for reasons other than slaughter to be buried on farms "except under exceptional circumstances".
She told members the process posed risks to human and animal health from diseases such as foot and mouth disease and bovine tuberculosis.
The minister said a review had begun to ensure the island's regulatory framework on fallen stock was "as resilient as possible" and would also take into account "any other practices and regimes that might exist in other jurisdictions".

11/07/2024

Primitive wild goats put on rare breed list

Goats living in a wild herd in the UK have been added to a watchlist of rare breeds.
The Cheviot goat's population - estimated at just 450 - centres on a group in the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland.
It is considered an "authentic remnant" of Britain's original primitive goats and has now been added to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) watchlist to support its conservation.
Of the estimated 450 Cheviot goats left - including those held by private breeders and for grazing schemes - only 86 females produced offspring in 2023, the RBST said.

According to legend, the goats of the Cheviot Hills originated when the monks of Lindisfarne abandoned their monastery in 875AD.
As they herded their livestock along the way, the goats were too feisty to control and were left to roam in the area, the charity said.

Found in College Valley, Newton Tors and Yeavering Bell, the College Valley Cheviots are left as a completely wild herd with minimal intervention.
Christopher Price, chief executive of the RBST, said: "They are a crucial link to the UK's original primitive goats that were so relied upon by generation after generation, from the Bronze and Iron Ages, through medieval times and up to the smallholders of the 19th and early 20th centuries."
He added that without the isolated feral College Valley Cheviot herd, these genetics would have been lost "irretrievably".

The Cheviot is considered excellent for conservation grazing - the practice of using livestock to graze land in ways that specifically support wildlife and habitats.
Shirley Goodyer, from the British Primitive Goat Research Group, said: "We have been striving for a long time to maintain the genetic integrity of this historically well-documented herd which displays all the phenotypic characteristics expected of our ancient British Primitive goat."

18/06/2024

Work begins to reduce canal sewage spills

Yorkshire Water has launched a £2m project to reduce sewage overflowing into the Huddersfield Broad Canal when it rains.
Work includes the construction of a new surface water sewer and redirecting highways drains.
It is expected the project, due to be completed by November, will reduce spills into the canal by 61%.
Yorkshire Water project manager Omair Khan said the scheme was just a "small part of a £180m investment" across the region.
'Keep disruption to a minimum'
The new surface water sewer, constructed on green space on Oak Road, Bradley, will also take rainfall from the roofs of nearby properties.
The surface water and rainfall will be discharged directly to the watercourse without being combined with waste water.
Earlier this year, a new sewer was built in Ilkley to halve the amount of waste flowing into the River Wharfe during heavy rainfall.
Part of the River Wharfe was granted official bathing water status in 2021.
The 2,739 ft (835m) long pipe cost £15m and took 16 months to build.
In Bradley, a section of the road has had to be closed because of the new works, with diversions in place.
Mr Khan said: "Traffic islands will be removed to allow two lanes on Bradley Road to minimise disruption during the work and will be reinstated once complete.
"Additionally, some of the work will require traffic lights but we and our contract partners will be working quickly to keep disruption to a minimum."
He added: "We have also submitted plans to Ofwat to invest more than £1bn to further reduce overflows across the region between 2025 and 2030.”

05/06/2024

Council votes unanimously 'no confidence' in Thames Water

A council has voted “no confidence” in a water company due to the condition of the River Thames.
Henley Town Council voted in what is believed to be one of the first votes of no confidence against Thames Water.
Campaigners say the “rivers are choking in faeces” and water companies need to be held “accountable for this unacceptable dumping of sewage.”
A spokesperson for Thames Water said they have planned “a major upgrade of the Henley sewage treatment works, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2026.”
Earlier this year, rowers took part in the boat race between Oxford and Cambridge in London but they were told not to enter the Thames after high levels of E.coli were found.
Mayor of Henley-On-Thames and town councillor for Fairmile, Rory Hunt said he has lots of friends involved in rowing and swimming clubs across the area and he has heard of the “terrible conditions they have faced with our waterways.”
He said: “Our waterways are being spoiled by sewage dumping and something urgent needs to be done.”

Laura Reineke from Henley Mermaids said they have campaigned for the last two years and said “it’s imperative that we push this epically mismanaged water company to clean up its act.”
She said: "The effects of sewage dumping on our rivers is devastating."
Jim Snelling from Henley Boat Company said the discharge into the River Thames that he has seen is “absolutely disgusting.”
He said: “We have lots of stats, figures and facts but our children are getting ill we saw this last year.
“We’ve got world class Olympians training and we encourage them to get into the river, to get fit and to enjoy the environment when our rivers are like this with sewage.”
“We are a big tourist attraction, with the Regatta, and our stretch of the river is polluted,” he added.

Kate Aldridge, chair of Greener Henley said: “Our community faces severe challenges, particularly with our quality and management of our water.”
She said: “Our rivers, once the life blood of our community, have been choked and fouled with sewage, this is not just an environment issue, it’s a public health crisis and a blatant disregard for our communities wellbeing.
“Thames Water has repeatedly failed to meet its obligations resulting in the pollution of our precious rivers and streams.”
Deputy Mayor, councillor Tom Buckley said: “I think the public has made it quite clear that we have a river that is not fit for use.”
He added: “Thames Water has a responsibility to this town and every other town and it’s up to them to try and deliver good quality service… we have to look at Thames Water and say they are not doing good enough for us in this town.”

21/05/2024

Guernsey bathing water quality improved last year

The quality of Guernsey's bathing water improved last year continuing an "upward trend", according to the States of Guernsey.

Inspectors check 13 beaches around the island for harmful bacteria once a week over the summer, with the beaches being rated based on the last four years' readings.

All but one of Guernsey's beaches was rated as "excellent" or "good", with the remaining being rated "satisfactory".

Environmental health said water quality can be affected by many factors including "weather, pollution, marine litter and microplastics" and can change "over the course of a day".

It said water quality could affect marine life as well as "people’s day at the beach".

Although not an EU member, Guernsey follows the union's bathing water legislation as best practice and the rankings are based on the EU's scale of "poor" to "excellent".

Since Guernsey first calculated the four-year record in 2017, six beaches have improved while no beaches have been classed as "poor" in the past five years.

The States said it expected to publish the results of the first weekly samples for 2024 soon.

Tonya Lopez

27/11/2024

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