FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Eagle Owl (Belfast Telegraph - More info >> ) Vandals have damaged enclosures at an animal sanctuary in County Antrim, releasing birds of prey into the wild. It happened at the World of Owls Centre in Randalstown Forest. It houses 55 birds, 12 of which are now missing. There are fears the escaped birds could starve, as most of them have been raised in captivity and have never known life in the wild. Efforts are being made to locate the 12 missing birds and police are appealing for information. The netting on many of the enclosures has has been cut open and rolled back by vandals, allowing the birds to escape. The sanctuary is located in Randalstown Forest, County Antrim (BBC) After staff at World of Owls appealed for help on Tuesday afternoon, volunteers began to arrive at the sanctuary to mend the enclosures. However, sanctuary staff have warned the public that if they spot birds of prey in the area, no attempt should be made to captur...

By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News, Valencia, Spain Guillemot eggs have special structures on their shells that make them self-cleaning, according to new research. Guillemot (BBC) The study began after scientists noticed the liquid-repelling properties of a batch of eggs that had water spilled onto them. Further analysis revealed tiny cone-shaped structures on the eggs' shells were responsible for this property. The findings were presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Valencia, Spain. Dr Steven Portugal from the Royal Veterinary College in London who conducted the research told BBC Nature that the project started with a "minor spillage" in the lab. "I accidentally spilled distilled water over a batch of eggs," Dr Portugal recalled. "And I noticed that the eggs from the guillemots stood out in terms of how the water droplets reacted on the surface. "They formed little droplets - th...

The White-throated Needletail on the Isle of Harris, by David Campbell An enthusiast who travelled to the Western Isles to view a rare bird has told of his "dismay" after watching it fly into a wind turbine and die. The white-throated needletail, which breeds in Asia and winters in Australasia, was spotted on Harris. About 30 birdwatchers travelled to the island to see the unusual visitor, which has only been recorded five times in the UK since 1950. However, they then saw it die after colliding with the wind turbine. Birdwatcher David Campbell, from Surrey, told the BBC Scotland news website that the incident took place late on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Campbell, who is now making his way home to south east England, said: "We just watched the whole thing with dismay." He added that on a previous bird watching trip he had seen a migratory wryneck hit by a train. A relative of the common swift, the white-throated needletail is s...