This video by Michael de Vries is about a male black woodpecker feeding its chick, near Ede, the Netherlands.
Black woodpecker feeds chick, video
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Daily Archives: May 14, 2012
Fish species new for Sweden
From the University of Gothenburg in Sweden:
New species of fish in Sweden
May 14, 2012
This is a reticulated dragonet, a new species in Sweden, well-camouflaged against the seabed in the Väderöarna. Credit: Photo: Lars-Ove Loo.
Reticulated dragonet have been found in Väderöarna – “Weather Islands” – off the west coast of Sweden. It is not often that a new species of fish is discovered in Sweden.
Lars-Ove Loo is the underwater photographer who has captured the fish on film. He saw it while making an inventory ahead of the creation of a new nature reserve in the islands. This was in August 2010, 19 meters below the surface of the sea south of Lyngö in the southern Väderöarna (58° 32.554′ N, 11° 05.373′ E).
Reticulated dragonet (Callionymus reticulatus) is similar to its more common Swedish relatives the common dragonet and spotted dragonet. The male reticulated dragonet is just 11 cm long and the female 6.5 cm long. It has three spines on its gill cover, whereas the other two species have four. Its snout – the distance from mouth to eye – is somewhat longer than its eye is wide.
Reticulated dragonet is found from the Weather Islands in the north down the coasts of the southern North Sea, in the Irish Sea, from southwestern Ireland down to Portugal, and in the western Mediterranean. It has been found both in shallow waters and at depths of up to 110 metres.
It is unusual for a new species of fish to be discovered in Sweden. There are now an estimated 265 species of fish in the country, of which just over 200 dwell in the sea.
Migratory birds and lice, new research
This video is called WWT: The Spoon-billed Sandpiper expedition so far.
From the University of Gothenburg in Sweden:
Hitch-hiking with birds for life
Although chewing lice spend their entire lives as parasites on birds, it is difficult to predict patterns of lice distribution, new research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reveals.
Researcher Daniel Gustafsson has studied chewing lice on sandpipers around the world and investigated how host birds’ migration patterns affect louse distribution and reationships.
With no wings and very small eyes, chewing lice are, by and large, helpless away from their host.
Daniel Gustafsson has studied species of chewing lice that live on the birds’ wings and compared them with species that live on their body feathers.
“Given that chewing lice are almost totally dependent on direct contact between two birds to spread, lice that sit on birds’ wings should find it easier to use occasional contact between two hosts to spread than those that sit closer to birds’ bodies,” Daniel Gustafsson says.
Unexpected results
But contrary to expectation, it would appear that body lice can spread more easily than wing lice, even though they live on parts of their host that less frequently come into contact with other birds.
“This is surprising as body lice should be more limited to one particular species of bird,” Daniel Gustafsson says. “The real opportunities for spreading should be between parents and their offspring in the nest, or between adult birds during mating.”
Genetic and morphological data from two different genera show complicated patterns.
“Wing lice from small bird host species are found on more host species than those that parasitize larger bird host species,” Daniel Gustafsson says.
Genetically almost identical
Another unexpected result is that the body lice on almost all sandpipers worldwide, with the exception of those on dunlins and ruffs, are genetically almost identical.
“Sandpipers are incredibly mobile,” Daniel Gustafsson says. “They breed around the Polar Circle but fly to the tropics during the Arctic winter, following specific migration routes known as flyways.”
He has studied sandpipers in Sweden, Japan, Australia, and Canada.
When sandpipers migrate, they do so in enormous flocks, often tens of thousands strong and containing several different species. These winter flocks should offer excellent opportunities for the lice to spread as the birds often stand in tight groups at high tide and at night.
“But it would appear that several factors other than geography play a role, including the size of the host bird,” Daniel Gustafsson explains. “Specific rest and wintering environments probably play a role, too, as some of the host birds that generally winter in fresh water localities carry species of wing lice that differ from those that live on bird species that are mainly found on the seashore.”
Common on mammals
Some chewing lice have also been found hitch-hiking on louse flies, which are related to deer flies. In such cases they attach themselves to the louse flies’ legs and abdomen.
Other chewing lice have been seen to switch between host ducks by walking on the water surface.
Chewing lice are common in birds and most groups of mammals. There are two species that live on humans: pubic lice and head lice.The thesis has been successfully defended.
A study of the genetic heritage of avian feather lice indicates that their louse ancestors first colonized a particular group of birds (ducks or songbirds, for example) and then “radiated” to different habitats on those birds – to the wings or heads, for instance, where they evolved into different species. This finding surprised the researchers because wing lice from many types of birds look more similar to one another than they do to head or body lice living on the same birds: here.
Bumblebees most visible Dutch bees
This video is called Giant honey bees – Life in the Undergrowth – BBC Attenborough.
Translated from Dutch Vroege Vogels radio:
Earth Bumblebee wins bee count weekend
May 14, 2012 11:46
The earth bumble bee is the most counted species during the first nationwide bee count weekend. That was announced this Monday by the VARA radio / TV program Vroege Vogels. In total, more than 1300 bees were counted. The earth bumblebee was seen in more than 200 gardens.
Bumblebee
The bees’ top-5 is surprisingly dominated by bumblebees. Second is the tree bumblebee, followed by the garden bumblebee and the common carder-bee. In fifth place only, we find the honeybee. Beforehand, it was expected that the tawny mining bee and the red mason bee would end up higher than now, place 6 and 7. The organizers KNNV, EIS-Netherlands and the Bees Foundation are pleased with the results.
First time
The first national bee count weekend was on 12 and 13 May. Hundreds of participants sent their reports of their own garden, balcony or park …
Dutch wild bees: here.
Gardens in poor neighbourhoods are better for bees than those in richer suburban areas, research has revealed: here.
Related articles
London anti-NATO protest, 19 May
This video is called Women Say No to NATO: 1 : The Story : London 20 Nov 2010.
This video is Part 2.
From the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Britain:
NO TO NATO: Protest at the US Embassy on the 19th May
Don’t Attack Iran – Troops Out of Afghanistan – No Intervention in the Middle East
1pm, Saturday 19th May
US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London W1A 2LQ
Called by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Stop the War Coalition
Email ben.folley [at] cnduk.org for more information
With protests planned outside the 25th NATO summit in Chicago, a big No to NATO rally in solidarity with them will take place outside the US Embassy in London on 19th May.
The NATO Heads of Government are officially due to discuss the ‘capabilities it needs to defend its population and territory and to deal with the challenges of the 21st century’.
In reality the summit will discuss the ongoing occupation of Afghanistan, drone attacks on Pakistan and potential interventions in Syria, Iran and elsewhere.
Make sure you’re there to show your solidarity with the planned protests in Chicago and to demand an end to NATO’s self-appointed police force of the world.
*Join the Tweet-out this Thursday*
On Thursday 17th May there will be a coordinated ‘Tweet-out’. We’ll use this to release the joint statement on NATO that we’ve put together with the US antiwar movement. We’ve lined up several supporters with big twitter followings, but we need as many people as possible – whether your followers number tens or thousands – get involved.
Join the Tweet out next Thursday, starting 1pm.
The hashtag is #May19No2Nato.
Do start using this hashtag from now as well as on Thursday.
See also here.
USA: FBI harasses anti-NATO activist in Utah. Agent asks about upcoming protest against NATO summit in Chicago: here.
Spanish anti-austerity fight
The European financial crisis is worsening amid doubts over the Spanish banking system and concern over the prospect of a Greek withdrawal from the eurozone: here.
This video is called #12M 12 May 2012 – We will Rise Up!! – 12 May 2012 Global Action.
By Alejandro López in Spain:
Mass protests in Spain mark indignados anniversary
14 May 2012
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in mass demonstrations in more than 80 cities and towns throughout Spain Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the eruption of the indignados or 15-M movement.
One year ago, thousands of youth occupied public squares in 162 towns and cities around Spain protesting unemployment, the corrupt political system and government austerity measures imposed by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). Since then, conditions of life have only gotten worse.
In just the first three months of the year, 365,900 people lost their jobs. Unemployment now stands at 24.4 percent of the active population. Youth unemployment is at 50 percent, the highest figure of the 17 countries in the euro zone.
The current right-wing Popular Party (PP) government has so far imposed austerity measures totaling €50 billion (US$64 billion), a labour “reform” facilitating sackings and an increase in the VAT. Regional governments have continued the offensive against health care and education.
Last week the government announced the partial nationalization of the country’s fourth largest bank, which holds €32 billion in distressed property assets. It also declared an independent audit of all of Spain’s banks in an attempt to restore confidence and stave off a possible collapse.
Under these conditions, the government mobilized 2,000 riot police in Madrid alone to prevent protesters from setting up camps as they did last year.
In Madrid tens of thousands marched from different neighbourhoods into the centre of the city. Some columns had started to march a day before from the towns in the outskirts of the capital. No exact figures are known. The regional government said that there were 30,000, but the main square, Puerta del Sol, holds 40,000 and was full to overflowing. Adjacent streets were also full.
According to the Diagonal newspaper:
“The four blocks [of protesters] of the Madrid demonstration had to advance the arrival time by an hour to the Puerta del Sol to make way for people waiting in the plazas of Atocha, San Bernardo, Cibeles and Ópera. The demonstration in Sol lasted until the early hours of the morning.”
The protesters occupied Sol and ignored the midnight deadline to disperse, shouting, “No, No, No, they don’t represent us.”
It was only at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, when the great majority had left, that the police violently dispersed the remaining demonstrators, making 18 arrests. Shouts could be heard against the police saying, “Now they are blue, before they were grey.” This was in reference to the National Armed Police created by the fascist regime of General Francisco Franco.
In Barcelona the regional police estimated 45,000 attending the demonstration. However, according to Directa there were at least 136,000 and a maximum of 155,000 protesters.
The most widely heard chants were directed against the banks, the monarchy, police repression and the cuts in health care and education. There were also chants for the liberation of trade unionist Laura Gómez, in prison for strike actions during the last general strike.
Despite immense pressure the leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), Alexis Tsipras, refused to join or support a ‘grand coalition’ government at a meeting on Sunday afternoon called by the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 