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GWCT's Megan Lock lets us into the migratory life of the Spotted Flycatcher. They are one of the later spring migrants, arriving in the UK from Africa in late April or early May and then leaving around August to September. Read more here

A recent case study from Working for Wildlife describes how, working alongside the local fire service, Matthew Bushby is using prescribed burning to reduce the risk of wildfires in the Mourne Mountains AONB. Click here to read the case study

Spotted on the GWCT blogs: Natural England have reported another increase in the number of breeding hen harriers in England, with 31 breeding attempts, 24 of which were successful, fledging 84 chicks. These numbers are the highest recorded in recent times and Natural England have published a new blog providing an update on the status of the work being conducted under the Hen Harrier Action Plan, of which the GWCT are partners. Part of the Hen Harrier Plan is a five-year trial of brood management, in which eggs of nesting hen harriers are reared in captivity and released as adults. This year two nests were used - one in North Yorkshire and one in Lancashire – with all eight chicks successfully reared and released as fledglings. This builds on the eight brood-managed birds from 2020. Six of these survived their first winter, and five attempted to breed this year, of which four were successful.

GWCT's Megan Lock spots the ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis ignita), perhaps one of the UK’s most beautiful tiny insects, barely 10mm in length with its bright red, blue, green and bronze metallic colours, which can be found across the UK from April through to September. Read all about it here

Conservationist IAN COGHILL blasts back at eco-activists led by TV's Chris Packham who are threatening the future of a wonderfully wild part of Britain's landscape. Read more here

Dr. Jen Brewin, Science Writer for the GWCT discusses news from the GWCT Scottish Demonstration Farm at Auchnerran who have recently reported this year’s unusually high rates of predation on lapwing nests by badgers. Click here for the full article

The majority of our 250 bee species are what we call solitary bees, and these vitally important insects are split into distinct groups such as mining bees, cuckoo bees, leaf-cutter bees and mason bees. The latter group, the mason bees, are often observed buzzing in a cloud around brick and stone walls and buildings. Click here to learn more about these bees.

By James Swyer, GWCT Head of Press & Publications “What is not clear is that banning driven grouse shooting would be good for the environment: in fact, I think that, on balance, it would be harmful”, said Tom Hunt, MP for Ipswich as he drew Monday’s Westminster Hall debate on the future of driven grouse shooting to a close. Across an hour and a half, members of Parliament shared their views on the Wild Justice petition to ban driven grouse shooting. Read the whole story here

Jess Brooks, Advisory to the GWCT lets us into the secrets of the parasitic Toothwort. Looking like a stack of vertebrae protruding up through the woodland soil, toothwort is one of our most fascinating and unique woodland flowers. Read all about it here

Spotted on the GWCT Blog recently: Those watching BBC Breakfast News yesterday would have rightly been excited to see a report on the bog restoration project undertaken by Forestry England in Northumberland’s Border Mires. For many viewers, the segment’s provocative title - Why cutting down trees can be good for the climate – might be the first time they had given thought to the idea of alternative land uses. Read the full article here

The largest and fastest of our swimming crabs, the velvet crab has specially adapted paddle-shaped back legs allowing it to propel through the water at speed, and it is covered in velvety, downy hair. Read more here

Spotted on the Working for Wildlife site: the story of how Terry Mills transformed his Ceredigion farm into a habitat haven. "After travelling the narrow, winding pass through the wild beauty of the Cambrian Mountains in Ceredigeion, you descend into the magical landscape of the broad Teifi river valley. At its centre, encircled by hills, is the vast wetland of Cors Caron, the largest raised bog in Britain. Its unusual topography of scrub on wet peatland built up over 12,000 years is reminiscent of Arthurian legends, and its remoteness provides a rare tranquillity......" Click here to read more