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From Dusk UntilDawn

ExperiencePhoto SequenceNew in scienceNight-timenavigation

Urbanfoxes

Nocturnalmoths

The eagles of the night

Feature

Editor in Chief: Roz Evans

Creative Director: Emma Simpson-WellsSub-Creative Directors: Georgia Cass & Andy Jackson

Picture Editors: Samuel Jay & Charlotte Sams

Great thanks for input and ongoing advice is owed to: Felix Smith, Feargus Cooney, Owen Greenwood, Jennifer Weller, Matt Bjerregaard and Claire Young.

Gemma Malenoir is a 20 year old student, studying in her third year of BA (Hons) Marine and Natural History Photography, at Falmouth University, Cornwall. Check out her work at: www.gemmamalenoir.carbonmade.com

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We’re looking for a new team to join Life, so here’s a massive thank you to everyone who

A big THANKS!

The third issue of Life is themed ‘Dusk until Dawn’. These times are to me, some of the most exciting to experience wildlife. When I can make it out of bed in time for dawn, the chorus of birds chattering and singing above me makes the wrestle with my tiredness all worth it. As sun sets, some of the most secretive animals come out of their day time hiding places. Foxes and badgers can be seen by the lucky, and bats’ sonar can be heard with a handy bat detector. The time between dusk and dawn is fascinating too. Whilst most of us are tucked up in bed asleep, many animals are exploiting this quieter period, with multitudes of adaptations allowing them to use the darkness to their advantage. From this issue, many of the original team, including myself, are ‘phasing out’. We’re looking for new team members – see the careers section for more information on how to get involved. Whilst some of us will still be involved in the next issue, we’ll be taking less on, so we’d like to thank

few issues so warmly. We’ve had an amazing time making it and we hope that it continues from strength to strength!

Enjoy! Roz Evans, Editior in Chief

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FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

Also keep an eye out for our new website www.lifenaturemagazine.co.uk ...coming soon!

From Dusk Until Dawn...

Contents

4 Image of the issue

Exeter Research

6 Garden snails go viral

New in science

8 Iron beaks and magnetic eyes10 Swiftly rising at dawn and dusk

Evolution

12 Coevolution of bats and moths

Photograph sequence

of the issue

14 Moths at twilight

18 Ageing badgers

Experience

20 Eagle owls up close

Feature

22 Urban foxes

Opinion

24 Light pollution25 An Exeter SWAN

News & Reviews

26 News & events

Careers

28 Careers & volunteering

30 Mammal tracks ID

Image of the Issue: Tim Hunt, www.timhuntphotography.co.uk

EXETER RESEARCH FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

Speedy snailsshot to fame

he lungworm species Angiostrongylus vasorum, is a type of parasitic

foxes. It causes illness in dogs and if left

untreated, it can be fatal. It is suspected

that the larvae are inadvertently ingested

by canines through consumption of these

unappetising gastropods from grass or

on chew-toys; the lungworm life cycle

completes when eggs are passed from the

dog in fecal matter ready to be taken on

by the intermediary garden hosts once

again. The research commissioned by

Bayer as part of their ‘Be Lungworm

Aware’ campaign aimed to understand the

distribution, movement and habits of snails

within a typical garden environment in

order to develop better protection for dogs

from this now endemic problem.

Over 450 snails were collected on the

Penryn campus or within 30km of the

surrounding area. They were numbered,

then either marked with UV paint or

their shell. Those from campus had their

initial collection location GPS tagged to

see if they were able to return ‘home’ at a

later date. The snails were then released at

dusk from one location and a professional

time-lapse photography and a UV cannon.

Measurements were taken every 30 minutes

to determine the distance and direction

of the snails movement, with further data

collected over the ensuing hours and in

the following weeks. The visual results

were stunning; see the video on YouTube

under ‘Lungworm snail experiment’. More

interestingly, insights into their speed and

distribution became apparent. With speed

records for land-snails only previously

found within the Guinness Book of

World Records, the team discovered that

snails move at a blistering pace… of

approximately 32cm per hour, with top

speeds of 100cm per hour. Okay, so it may

not be blistering but it’s faster than it seems

when watching these slippery invertebrates

snail can easily cover the entire distance

of the average UK garden in one night,

mate, or seek refuge inside a pet’s beloved

squeaky toy.

After releasing the snails at dusk, they

of the study and it was within this time

frame that the greatest speeds were

recorded. It’s possible that keeping the

6

T

On a chilly night in May, in the walled garden at the Penryn campus, the temporal and spatial movements of garden snails were recorded by University of Exeter undergraduate researches, led by Assosiate Professor of Ecology Dave Hodgson. The study reached international fame and became a youtube sensation, thanks to the glowing garden snails that took part.

EXETER RESEARCH FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUEIm

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be due to the onset of daylight hours

stimulating the snails to retreat into their

shells to avoid predation or dehydration

and thereby slowing down in the morning.

Interestingly, a small number of snails

moved at much greater speeds than others

and were more likely to create their own

of other snails showed preference to

crawling upon slime already laid down

by another. Exploratory behaviour was

noted across the group, pointing towards

a preference for snails to hide at the base

of trees, in long grass, or near to a water

source – indicating that it is important to

be aware of outside water sources that your

dog drinks from, or long grasses that it

explores. Snails were often seen to change

direction often, meaning the average

garden could harbour hundreds of possibly

infected snails. Very few snails

‘returned home’, not being

recorded back at their initial

collection site. A lack of

returning snails may not put

paid to the homing instinct

were encountered relocating

snails in daylight and rapidly

growing foliage.

The study went viral and

appeared in 32 UK national

newspapers and magazines,

155 national and international

TV and radio stations, 276

news websites, reaching global

audiences in the millions; the

last count on YouTube showed

more than 43,500 hits!

We aren’t advocating

eliminating all snails from your garden,

but be aware of what your dog is picking

up, and check their toys and bowls for any

signs of snails. Clean these items often,

and don’t leave them out overnight for

inquisitive snails to hide underneath. Pick

up your dog’s poo – if a dog is infected,

you might not know it, and leaving poo

can help the spread of the lungworm.

Moving forward with the observations

7

Written by Linday Leyden, Alumnus

at The University of Exeter, Cornwall

Campus.

Dr Hodgson’s favourite

moments from the media

frenzy include:

1. Whilst being interviewed on BBC

Breakfast being asked by a viewer

whether snail slime was hallucinogenic

and whether she should take her snail-

licking daughter to hospital.

2. Seeing a German newspaper with

the headline “Schnelle Schnecken!”

3. Earning a Drivetime car sticker from

Simon Mayo’s Radio 2 show.

made so far, Dr. Hodgson hopes to look

into the re-use of slime trails by snails to

minimise energy costs, and to look into the

the mucus itself. Watch this space. Slowly.

CAREERS THE WEIRD & WONDERFUL SUMMER ISSUE

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NEW IN SCIENCE FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

9

Exploitation of the darkest hours has led to a huge range of adaptations designed to increase an animal’s ability to

navigate at night. Purely nocturnal creatures tend to sport more obvious adaptations to living in darkness; the giant eyes of the bush baby are a prime example. However, for those who need to be active night and day, migrating birds for example, the transition can be tricky.

Initial research suggested that birds, such as homing pigeons, use landmarks imprinted

Other birds like European robins are known to use a combination of landmarks and the position of the sun and stars as a guide. Recent studies have had some fascinating insights into how birds on the wing navigate at night. It has now been suggested that the retinas in the eyes of migratory birds are in fact able to not only detect light, but

wintering and breeding grounds. Such an anatomical feature requires incredible levels of sensitivity and detection of light at low levels, and unfortunately, doesn’t come with a simple explanation. How can the retina detect the magnetic pull of the earth? Two main theories have developed.

Light-dependent navigation

One such theory involves blue-light-sensitive photoproteins known as cryptochromes. Some scientists believe these molecules to be key in the detection of the earth’s magnetic

magnetoreceptors at a bird’s disposal. The cryptochromes, of which birds are known

send the information along ganglion nerve cells to the brain, where it can be processed into directional information that the bird can respond to. These ganglion cells have been found to be particularly active in migratory birds such as garden warblers and European robins when tested under moonlight-strength white light. Although this ‘compass’ is dependent on the presence of light, it is extremely sensitive and has been found to function at light intensities equivalent to that of a ‘partly clouded moonless night’. Impressive, when you consider your

unfamiliar, lightless expanses.

In addition, an area in the front of the brain, known as ‘Cluster-N’ has been shown to be highly active when birds are orientating through night-time migration. The light-dependent information is transmitted from the retina in the eye to Cluster-N, which is activated under low light intensities. Studies on European robins have shown that deactivation of this cluster renders their magnetic compass useless.

Magnetite-based navigation

Another theory on the ability of migratory birds to navigate at night involves iron deposits, found in the upper beak of several bird species. The migration distance of these birds range widely from year-round residents such as pigeons, to long-distance trans-equatorial migrants like garden warblers, and it is therefore thought that iron deposits will occur in most bird species. The iron-rich mineral structures were initially thought to act literally as magnets, with the metal aligning with the magnetic pull of the earth. This information was thought to then be relayed to the brain by the trigeminal nerve; a primary nerve connecting the face and brain. Despite this, experiments severing the trigeminal nerve found that the birds’ sense of

recent experiments have severed the nerve and subsequently relocated the birds up to 1000km east of their original starting point. This study showed that cutting the

their sense of location; birds would continue as if they had never been moved, and end up lost, rather than readjusting their course. It seems therefore that the iron-deposits

‘compass sense’ - sense of direction, of a bird,

their sense of location.

Neither of these theories provides a complete explanation of how birds navigate at night. As with many aspects of biology, it is likely that no one theory can explain all of the variation in the adaptations that we see. Essentially it seems probable that both the light-dependent and magnetite-based theories work together; depending on the light available both mechanisms will work to send directional information to the brain, with the iron-based clusters only activated at low light intensities.

So next time you’re following your Sat-Nav in the dark, or wandering home from the pub late at night, spare a thought for these

miles a year whilst using nothing but their fantastically clever, built-in GPS.

Magnetic eyes and iron beaks:

N

The avian eye and the magnet effect

retina

optic nerve

iris

lens

cornea

Directional information provided by

the bird’s eye by chryptochromes. It is thought that light absorption generates

radical pairs within chryptochromes in the retina which are determined by molecule orientation in relation to the

Georgia Cass, Alumnus of the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus

The earth’s

gives migrating birds their sense of direction, or ‘compass sense’.

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Finding your way in the dark is always a challenge. Whether you’re a bat catching insects in a dense tropical rainforest, or a badger digging your sett in an English woodland, sensitivity in darkness is essential to your survival.

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ou’ve probably seen swifts darting around our summer skies and heard their loud screaming calls in

the evenings and early mornings, these elements are all generally part of social

that towards the end of these night-time ‘screaming parties’, swifts climb

originally assumed the ascent was to locate

sleep, but developments show that swifts do not appear to select optimal wind-

Additionally, a secondary, identical ascent has been discovered at dawn, when they

So what is this costly climb all about?

would you do to get a better look at where you are? Climbing a tree would give

true of swifts? Adriaan Dokter and his team decided it was time to answer these

Swiftly rising at dusk and dawn

NEW IN SCIENCE FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

Doppler weather radars are typically used to measure the movements and intensity

birds leave characteristic signatures from

allowed Dokter to investigate the timing

altitudes in order to uncover the purpose

at twilight, isochronally from sunset and

According to Google, twilight is a cult vampire-romance novel, but in its original context it’s a rather unique and useful

no longer visible in the sky at dusk, or just before it becomes visible at dawn, sunlight still scatters through the upper atmosphere, illuminating the lower for a

of illumination provides crucial cues for a

cover, the nocturnal to start foraging and even for zooplankton to alter their position in the water column to account for

however, hold potential for more than an

landscape features, light polarization and stars makes it an information rich period of time, with the visual cues of both day

Unable to link the height of the ascent to environmental parameters, Dokter suggests that these ascents are akin to looking up

Emma Simpson-Wells, Alumnus of the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus.

the weather forecast online before deciding

create their very own weather forecast and map linked to distant landmarks, helping them to locate suitable areas for foraging or sleeping and to navigate within them

to accurately assess weather conditions where you are currently and where you will be in the next few hours is clearly very useful when relying heavily on a diet

When whizzing around as swiftly as a swift, building a picture of the best directions prevents them from travelling

needs just two trips to higher altitudes to get a good look around, leaving more

navigate when their sight is hindered by darkness, and you may remember the dung beetle’s nighttime escapades using the milky-way as a compass from the

with discoveries like these pushing the boundaries of animal senses beyond our

Dokter and his team have plans to more closely link individual behaviour with the daily variation in visibility in order to better understand the vertical movement

Swi!s can create their very own weather

forecast linked to distant landmarks, helping them to locate suitable areas

for foraging.

An ascent at dusk to locate optimal sleeping

altitudes now seems unlikely; an identical ascent happens again

at dawn.

Y

Common swifts (Apus apus) rarely settle on the ground. So rarely, that their family was named ‘apodidae’, from the ancient Greek ‘without feet’.

are rapid and constant. It is therefore vital for their survival to gather as

Without Google maps and the weather forecast on your smart phone, how would you understand the day ahead?

Moths:by Laura Richardson

White ermine (Diaphora mendica) – This moth was found during

one of EcoSocs Moth Monitoring mornings and was a highlight

for all. One of the most glamorous looking of all the moths, it is

as if it is wearing Cruella Deville’s coat. During the early hours of

the morning moths are docile creatures and are only fully active

once they are warmed. They achieve this quickly by shivering

Puss moth (Cerura vinula) – For this photograph I chose a low angle to put me on the same level as the

moth and put two of its best features in the frame; puss moths have incredible, long, furry legs that stretch out in front of them when they rest on branches. The fur that covers them is what inspired their cat-like name. The second feature shown is the

sometimes potential mates.

Poplar hawkmoth (Laothoe populi) - When opening a moth trap or over turning an egg box (which are placed in the traps

to give the moths something to rest on and shelter in) you never

be beautiful, and sometimes they can be gigantic! With a 70mm wings span, poplar hawkmoths are one of the great gems of the moth trap treasure chest.

Peach blossom (Thyatira batis)

– Peach blossoms are easily one of our most attractive moth species because of their wonderful pink blotches. This individual (along with the Puss moth pictured below) was found during the Bioblitz that took place on Tremough campus and at Argal and College Reservoirs in June. Collecting them from the traps was a mad rush that morning; as the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning commenced, it felt more like a rescue mission! I’m happy to report there were no casualties.

!

!

!

Peppered moth (Biston betularia) – This species is often used as an example of natural selection and also as a pollution indicator. In areas where pollution is high the bark of trees and walls are darker and so darker Peppered

exposed to predators. This is the opposite in less polluted areas (such as Cornwall). As an areas air quality changes over time so does the colour of the local peppered moth population.

!

!

IN THE FIELD FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

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’m suddenly startled by a rasping bark ringing out across the wooded valley, in the semi-darkness of this warm

summers evening. The call sounds like it might belong to a large and vicious predator and if you believed the local tales, you would know that a ‘big cat’ stalks this area of forest. Thankfully, my common sense intervenes. I am not in a wild and isolated fragment of the Amazonian rainforest but sat on a fallen beech tree just three and a half kilometres from the M5 in Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, and the vicious caller is in fact, a roe deer. I am trying to catch a glimpse of the notorious nocturnal mammal that is present here in abundance - the European badger. Badgers live in large underground networks of tunnels called setts; in this location and many others in the south of

England, they live communally with other badgers in social groups. As the barking roe deer moves away all is quiet and my mind begins to wander again.

I have been studying badgers for the last two years in order to understand the aging process. On the surface of it, that sounds pretty strange. Why would you study bad-gers in order to understand how things age? First and foremost, humans are far too long lived to collect data on during the timescale of a normal PhD (3 to 4 years), so I would be looking at less than 5% of an individual’s lifespan. Secondly, most of what we have learnt about ageing comes from laboratory

strains of rats and mice. Such organisms are highly inbred to ensure that each individual is as genetically identical to each other as possible and they are reared in exactly the

experiments are repeatable. However, it’s the variation in ageing rates that make it

all, everyone gets old, but why do some people get old faster than others? Working on a wild population of mammals - such as badgers - embraces the variation that might be important in determining how long an individual lives and how fast it ages.

Old timers:

Chris BeirneI

As badgers have a highly tuned sense of smell I have positioned myself downwind from one of the larger setts within the aptly named ‘Beech social group’. After such a warm summer, the leaf litter is tinder dry, so if there are badgers on the move I should hear them well before I see them. Sure

to hear the rustling of leaves further up the

one badger up there, there’s a whole group of them! Despite the proximity of the noise, the darkness leaves me sightless.

The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) have been trapping the

badgers in and around Woodchester Park for over thirty seven years in order to understand how bovine tuberculosis (bTB), a disease particularly damaging to the cattle farming industry, spreads between groups of badgers under natural conditions.

given a unique tattoo in order to identify each individual and on each subsequent occasion the badger is caught, it is tested for bTB. I also take a small blood sample from each badger in order to take back to the University’s Molecular Genetics Lab and measure each badgers telomere length. A telomere is a region of repeating ‘TTAGGG’ nucleotide sequence at the end of each chromosome which protects the vital gene coding regions of DNA from degradation. In humans, and some species of birds, telomeres are at their longest at birth then steadily reduce in length as they are eroded by cell division and the ‘wear and tear’ of everyday life. Telomere length is positively associated with the number of times a cell can divide, the longer they are the more times a cell can divide in culture. As such telomere length has been suggested to act as a molecular clock which determines your biological age. However most of the telomere research conducted to date has been performed on animals grown in controlled conditions. I

important determinants of longevity in wild populations under natural conditions.

Just as I am starting to lose all hope of spotting a badger, I hear a rustle to my left. A solitary badger ambles out of the darkness and takes me by surprise. It stops

way and that, searching for earthworms. It is impossible to tell in the half light but I hope it is badger “L54” or his brother “L56” who have been captured every year here since they were born in the year 2000. I know for a fact they both have cataracts, and most likely arthritis to boot. Before my

makes them live so long. Is it super long telomeres, good genes, or have they simply ridden out their luck for the last thirteen years?

Suddenly the wind shifts and the badger stops in its tracks. As soon as it catches a

from whence it came.

Everyone gets old, but why do some people get old faster than others? Working on a wild population of mammals - such as badgers - embraces the variation that might be important in determining how long an individual lives

Chris Beirne uses his knowledge of molecular techniques to understand the proccesses which cause the individual differences in ageing rates, working with the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter Cornwall Campus.

EVOLUTION FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

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The discovery that bats use sonar – a process of producing sound and using the echoes bouncing back from objects to

EVOLUTION FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

organism to a hunting bat must surely go to

the Tiger moth (Bertholdia trigona), which

produces a series of ultrasonic clicks that

serve to ‘jam’ the signals of hunting bats.

This is an exceptionally tricky and precision

piece of defence as the moth clicks must

If successful, moths can disrupt the auditory

the returning echoes and so ‘jam’ the

sonar signal. Biologists from Wake Forest

University, US, have recently

against at least four species

of Myotis spp. bats in their

natural habitat in Arizona.

Sonar jamming can give the

moth those essential extra

seconds it needs to escape and

survive.

The pressure for both bats and

their own game has escalated

into an evolutionary arms race,

with each party continually

biological weapons. Hunting

with sonar in bats has selected

on moths to avoid predation

bias in the ability to detect

ultrasound. In turn, the evasive

use of ultrasound against the

tuning of sonar techniques

in bats. The Palaearctic pond

bat (Myotis dasycneme) can

switch between the type of

sonar that it uses, alternating

the frequency and pitch of

ultrasonic clicks in response

to moth activity. It can also

basic trawling along the water

surface to a form of aerial

hawking. Some bats even go

into silent or ‘whispering’

mode when making their

sneak up on their target. With

each escalation in biological

weaponry, there must be a

greater investment in energy,

physiology and behaviour.

Whether an evolutionary arms

race between bats and moths

will conclude with a winner or

cycle continuously is hard to

group of insects that make up

insectivorous bats’ diets and

there are many others that

make far easier prey items. In

the meantime, there is plenty

of entertaining research to be

done for curious and creative

biologists eager to follow the

game.

Bats have evolved many different adaptations, their skull shape determines their ability to produce sonar either orally or nasally.

Written by Dr Michelle Taylor, Associate Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus.

19

!e pressure for both bats and moths to be highly e"ective at their own game has escalated into an

evolutionary arms race, with each party continually updating and #ne-tuning their biological weapons.

Greater mouse eared bat Myotis myotis (oral sonar)

Jamaican fruit bat Artibeus jamaicensis (nasal sonar)

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In February this year a four-week

old boy was taken to St Thomas’

Hospital after a fox attack left him

with a serious hand injury. Stories

about how dangerous foxes are

appeared in the papers almost

Johnson went as far as to call them

a “menace”, and understandably,

really at fault?

Askingfortrouble

20

An urban retreatLife in the big city can be tough, and I don’t just mean for us. Despite being one

such as coyotes, Eurasian badgers, raccoons

It has been suggested that Vulpes vulpes,

A happy home

Food glorious food

Urban foxes might dine on rodents,

fruit, pets,

or food

in return for a

of these

creatures. Up to 60% of an

!e Telegraph has only managed to "nd

"ve UK fox attacks within the last 11

years, none of which were fatal.

21

Written by Jennifer Weller, second year zoology student at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus.

be made up of anthropogenic food. The availability of these food sources all year round makes it worth the risk of city living.

Are we asking for it?

since 2010, where two 9-month old girls received arm and facial wounds. In fact,

would go for the neck, not the hand, arm

comparison to the number of dog attacks, animals most of us would consider a part of the family. It is understandable that the victims’ families are upset, but can we really

only 13 - 14% living in urban areas.

After the latest attack, the victim’s parents

by several politicians. However, wildlife

considered that humans are not the only

Human conduct could be partly to blame for such attacks. Many households purposefully leave out food for their garden visitors, or try to entice them to eat from the hand. The availability of food so close to human dwelling is a tasty prospect for those brave enough to risk close encounters, but there is a wealth of food available to them in the urban environment, without residents providing additional sources. If the animals become habituated to our presence, they will no longer feel the need to keep

could reduce the risk of confrontation.

metropolises approach upon their territories without stopping to consider the consequences. Our cities don’t stop growing and when faced with the prospect of die or adapt, we must surely realise that animals that can adapt, will.

FEATURE FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

t was only a few days previously, sitting around a very French farm house table in the very French farm hamlet that

my family has been visiting since I was 9 months old, that I noticed a tattoo of a barn swallow on his chunky forearm. “I don’t think you want to know”, he said in his very-unfrench-Essex-accent when I asked him what inspired it. He eventually relinquished the tale of how, as a young man, he used to shoot birds to pass the

his boat. He ended up shooting so many that he came to feel sorry for the feathered creatures, and decided to spend the rest of his life learning as much as he could about them as a sort of penance.

It was this conversation in which we learnt that there were Eurasian eagle owls nearby and that Pete had heard them calling whilst sitting quietly, waiting for a catch on his

got really excited and I, unknowing, was a little confused. A plan was hatched nonetheless and a few nights later we were winding our way down to the Dordogne River in a red and white VW camper, part of the family since 1987, in pursuit of a sighting of this elusive eagle owl.

As we followed Pete, he told us what they sounded like, and we all had a go at an impersonation, resulting in unsurprisingly poor attempts to mimic something unknown. When we reached the water’s edge we sat uncomfortably on precariously balanced rocks, and looked to the other side of the steep, tree lined ravine. We had binoculars, but as time went on we started to lose faith in our search, the trees were dense and where there were patches of open rock, the sheer width of the Dordogne made them too far away to pick

eagle owl sitting amongst the crevices. The grey-blue hues of dusk turned to black, and now my eyesight was only as useless as everybody else’s. We sat talking

in whispers, and joked to each other in hushed tones that we should try and call it out of the trees. I let out my best eagle owl impersonation, blowing through top teeth pushed against bottom lip, sounding something a bit like a mournful kazoo.

then through the quiet came a distant “oh huu” and we all gasped and fell into hushed giggles. I could barely believe it and thought it a coincidence, so I repeated my kazoo call and sure enough; “oh huu” came the owl’s reply.

I continued my conversation with the eagle owl for a while, calling out into the darkness and listening with anticipation for its replies to resonate through the trees. The others tried too, but perhaps something about the frequency of my voice hit the right note with my new friend. I heard it move from the left side of the forest to the right, and up to the top of the steep sides of the ravine, but it

we started talking about stories of how one owl can take down a sheep or a young roe deer on their own, and I imagined the moment of such a giant animal swooping towards you, talons outstretched. I don’t feel shame in fearing them; it’s a form of respect that we can recognise when to keep our distance. As time went on its replies got shorter and sharper, it seemed annoyed, that I, another owl, was in its territory uninvited and communicating with it out of turn. I drew our conversation to a close. Our feet were cold and the hours left to pack up to return home were dwindling, so we got up, and with one last hooting goodbye, we scrambled our way back to the van.

Eagle of the nightThe unexpected roughness of a branch grazing my cheek was a reminder

that I should have worn my glasses. I’m short sighted and when the light

fades it makes it even harder to differentiate between upcoming objects

and simple darkness. We followed on behind Pete, the most surprising

birder I have come across so far.

Written by Roz Evans, 3rd

year Conservation Biology

and Ecology student with the

University of Exeter, Cornwall

Campus.

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EXPERIENCE FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

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Our remote ancestors in the Mesozoic were well adapted to nocturnal life, as many mammals and other animals

are today. The daily cycle of light and dark are essential in regulating the circadian 24-hour rhythms of most animals. Humans have

millennia, but over the past century there has been an explosion of night illumination with the advent of electric lighting.

the most overlooked factor in the complex web of the causes of biodiversity decline.

of many animals, and there is evidence that they disrupt the rhythms of birds, insects, reptiles and numerous other nocturnal animals. One of the best-studied examples is that of turtle hatchlings on tropical beaches,

horizon inland. Under normal circumstances, hatchlings instinctively orientate away from the dark silhouette of the horizon towards the brighter, starry sky, leading them to the

electric lights, the turtles often head inland, away from the sea, where they can become exhausted and disorientated, run over by

the extra illumination to their advantage.

Light pollution has been linked to population declines in snakes, disruptions of migrating birds and bats, amphibians, and invertebrates. Research suggests that invertebrate activity and small mammal distribution is increased on darker, moonless nights, probably due

to a reduction in visibility to predators. In a natural environment these moonless nights will be exploitable with each lunar cycle,

opportunities are lost. It’s apparent that

species in the shadows.A brief look at a satellite image of the world at night shows how seriously our densely

has seen serious declines in numerous animal populations over the last few decades. Moths

lights being brighter than stars even at large distances, the insects become disorientated and unable to navigate in the darker areas

night of moths around streetlamps saps the animals’ energy, and creates an aggregation of prey for nocturnal insectivorous predators such as bats, which in turn are more

accidents. Moths escaping predation will often land nearby, unable to navigate in the dark surroundings, leading to a loss of opportunity for feeding. This process has been referred

insects are drawn out of suitable habitats for miles around the light source, leading to depleted populations in the surrounding countryside.

The reduction in moth populations may also be a major factor in the current serious

are heavily dependent on moths as prey.

OPINION FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

The fading night

Written by Feargus Cooney,

third year Conservation Biology

and Ecology BSc with the

University of Exeter, Cornwall

Campus.University of Exeter,

last decade, and we are just beginning to understand the extent to which the problem

factors, particularly habitat destruction,

in most population declines, but this is something that would be so easy to address. Aside from the obvious issue of wasted energy, do we really need streetlights to be on all night, especially on weeknights in rural villages? It’s comforting for us, and it has been argued that accidents and crime rates are lower in areas that are brightly lit, but

we need to spend more energy and money understanding which lighting types have the least ecological damage. Thankfully some local authorities are rolling out testing periods reducing the amount or type of lighting used, but this is largely focused on money saving rather than ecosystem regenerating.

quietest periods each night would give wildlife a chance to disperse and resume it’s normal rhythms of activity, and we

consumption, enjoying richer biodiversity, and of course, re-acquainting ourselves with the darkness which is as much a part of our circadian rhythm as any other species.

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Some years ago, while hitchhiking around the sparsely populated landscape of Namibia, I was camping in a remote location in

the north of the country. There was no moon that night, and leaving my tent to go to the toilet I was initially overwhelmed by the

incredible display of stars arching overhead, but also by a deep fear. It was so dark, with barely any discernable background glow on

the sky, that the only way to see where the horizon began was by the absence of stars. This was the deepest view of creation I’d ever

had, and yet it felt more claustrophobic than ever, as though the universe was on the verge of collapsing on itself. It was a profound

reminder of how adapted I am to the day, and how successfully we have banished the darkness of night from our experience in the

developed world.

s I write, the new undergraduate students are arriving, ready to embark

my head.

Morgenroth also showed that even at

they even graduate.

Protecting our future SWANs

WOMEN IN SCIENCE FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

Claire Young, Student Engagement, Widening Participation and Internationalisation Coordinator at the University of Exeter.

25

Acronym Buster:

CEMPS

CLES

STEMEngineering and Maths

SWAN

Get involved...

gender? Do you have any ideas

undergraduate students gain

Athena SWAN in a nutshell...

and attitudes towards women and removing

Zeya Wagner and Liselle-Fae Jackson performing PCR technique in Tremough teaching lab

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A

government-funded badger

vaccination scheme worth £2

million has been granted this month

to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis

in the Penwith area of west Cornwall.

This has come as welcome news to nearly

200,000 people who signed an anti-badger

cull petition as well large numbers of

researchers, activists and land owners who

have, for many years, been advocates of

a vaccine over the cull. It has also been

somewhat of a surprise given the recent

culls, ordered by DEFRA, that have begun

in Somerset and Gloucestershire with

another in Dorset planned for next year.

The treatment of the European badger

(Meles meles) with regards to bovine

tuberculosis (bTB) has long been a topic of

great debate. For over 30 years it has been

known that the badger may contract and

carry the pathogen responsible for bTB,

Mycobacterium bovis, with a subsequent

enquiries instituted by the government

showing transmission of the disease from

cattle to badgers and, more worryingly for

farmers, from badgers to cattle. The high

level of their interaction with cattle makes

the badger a key species in the eradication

of bTB.

Until recently the favoured course of action

has been controversial culling of badgers

in infected areas; despite extensive studies

failing to show lasting or measurable

TB concluded in 2007 that other than

the systematic or virtual elimination

of badgers over very extensive areas - a

realistically impossible task - culling

actually increases the spread of bTB. Once

most badgers are removed from the cull

area, a new territory is opened up that is

exploited by badgers in surrounding areas.

Immigrant badgers are infected from

abandoned setts and surviving infected

individuals increasing badger-badger and

badger-cattle transmission rates. The lower

badger density means that there is greater

movement than before the cull and the

original infection spreads to a larger area.

As Simon King, President of the Wildlife

Trusts, said in an interview on Newsnight

in 2012, “Badgers are not the enemy

here, bovine Tuberculosis is… The way

of countering it is not to kill badgers,

the way of countering it is to get rid of

bTB through vaccination, both with

the badgers and cattle.” Under current

EU legislation, the vaccination of cattle

against bTB is prohibited as a proportion

of individuals treated with the BCG still

test positive in TB diagnostic tests. This

means they cannot be declared free of the

disease for trading purposes. Although

new diagnostic tests are being developed

and vaccinated individuals, it is likely to

be at least 10 years before any change in

EU legislation will permit any these tests

or any vaccination programmes to be

implemented on cattle.

it will need to be carried for at least the

next 6 years at a cost of around £650 per

badger. Not cheap, but with over 30,000

cattle slaughtered throughout the UK in

cost of bTB to the UK taxpayer in the next

decade predicted to be over £1 billion, the

vaccination programme could be worth it

in the long run.

Badger vaccine success in Cornwall

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Recently showcased on BBC2’s

hugely popular Winterwatch

show, Adam Rogers founded

the Feral Pigeon Project

with the hope of mapping

the variation in feral pigeon

plumage colours across the

UK.

Most feral animals are

uniform in colour, yet feral

pigeons come in a wide array

of colours - this variation

is thought to be key to this

charismatic bird’s success. He

is asking people to count the

number of pigeons of various

colours and to report them via

the project’s website or with

its new app.

He said, “Pigeons may not be

as glamorous as many of the

exotic animals a person could

choose to study but take the

time to look beneath the

feathers and they’re just as

superbly adapted as any of the

The project hopes to uncover

how pigeons are adapting to

environment, as well as

helping to spark people’s

The Feral PigeonProject announces the launch of its new app for Android.

NEWS FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

26

A

Written by Will Priestley, Alumnus of the

University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus.

The  Feral  Pigeon  Project  has  announced  the  launch  of  its  new  app  for  Android  TM  

Recently  showcased  on  BBC2's  hugely  popular  Winterwatch  show,  Adam  Rogers  founded  the  Feral  Pigeon  Project  with  the  hope  of  mapping  the  variation  in  feral  pigeon  plumage  colours  across  the  UK.  

Most  feral  animals  are  uniform  in  colour,  yet  feral  pigeons  come  in  a  wide  array  of  colours  -­‐  this  variation  is  thought  to  be  key  to  this  charismatic  bird's  success.    He  is  asking  people  to  count  the  number  of  pigeons  of  various  colours  and  to  report  them  via  the  project's  website  or  with  its  new  app.  

He  said,  "Pigeons  may  not  be  as  glamorous  as  many  of  the  exotic  animals  a  person  could  choose  to  study  but  take  the  time  to  look  beneath  the  feathers  and  they're  just  as  superbly  adapted  as  any  of  the  African  big  five."  

The  project  hopes  to  uncover  how  pigeons  are  adapting  to  the  influence  of  our  urban  environment,  as  well  as  helping  to  spark  people's  interest  in  the  natural  world.  

To  download  the  app  visit:    

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.hiafi.feralpigeon&hl=en_GB  

or  scan  the  following  QR  code:  

 

www.feralpigeonproject.com  

To download

the app scan:

www.feralpigeonproject.com

Hotspots of Cornwall recommended by the editors of Life

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REVIEWS FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

27

"I'm a bit in love

with Enys gardens

at the moment.

Although it isn't

wild, it's just

stunning when

you go in bluebell

season, so keep

it on your list as

something to look

forward to until

spring. The whole

place is really well

managed for wildlife

with ponds and

a huge variety of

vegetation. Students

get in for £2 and

there's a tea room

to top it all off!”

- Roz Evans, Editor

in Chief

"Kennall Vale Nature

Reserve is a great little

woodland hideaway.

Slightly inland, and with

a big stream running

through there’s

from dippers, to

woodland anemones

and an impressive

range of fungi!"

-Georgia Cass, Sub-

Creative Director

"Hell’s Mouth is a

beautiful coastal

spot for bird

watching. Fulmars,

razorbills, guillemots

and cormorants

all nest there, and

gannets can be seen

out to sea. Lie on

the grassy cliff and

watch them swoop

around below you! ”

- Emma Simpson-

Wells, Creative

Director

"Tehidy Country Park makes for a sun-dappled

leafy-green haze of a day. Leasuirely follow the

and fauna residing in the woodland. Keep an

eye out for some natural wood carvings too! ”

- Samuel Jay Chessel, Picture Editor

“The Lizard, most southerly

point, is amazing in winter

storms but beautiful in the

summer. The wildlife there

is unique and you’re pretty

much guaranteed something

each time you visit!”

- Charli Sams, Picture Editor

CAREERS FROM DAWN UNTIL DUSK AUTUMN ISSUE

28

BSc Conservation Biology

and Ecology

I have the longest job title

EVER. Such a mouthful: Student

Engagement, Widening Participation and

Internationalisation Coordinator for CLES

Cornwall at the University of Exeter. And

people still don’t know what it means after

I’ve said it!

My job is so varied. Part of

it involves working with current students

to get them engaged in projects we’re

running, as well as supporting them to set

up their own. I also do a huge amount of

outreach work with schools, developing

lessons and teaching kids, trying to inspire

them to get excited about science.

Having autonomy in

my job and being able to tailor it to my

strengths and what I enjoy. I’m supposed

to be an intern but I’m treated like an

into the deep end and it has been very

and I’ve achieved some great things.

Having to convince

people to come to events and take part in

Claire Young: Careers Interview

things that I’ve worked so hard on. At every

event I’m always so worried no one will

turn up! They usually do though!

I was an engaged

student myself and did lots of volunteering.

I was also a Student Ambassador which

gave me a lot of experience working with

massively.

I don’t really

know! I’d love to do a PhD but I’m yet to

me. I’m open to a most things but I need

something that challenges me!Imag

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edit:

Dav

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We are looking for a new team for a new year. So will be

An Editor-in-chiefSub EditorsPicture EditorsContent Editors Layout Designers

Either experienced or just keen to learn and put in the time! Must be pro-active!

If you’re interested, e-mail life@exeter.ac.uk

Want to be part of Life Nature Magazine?

Blue Reef Aquarium: NewquayWhere & who?

I worked in Newquay’s Blue Reef Aquarium, with the

volunteering being mainly run by Lee Charnock, one

of the aquarium display team.

Tasks and responsibilities

My main tasks were to get the aquarium ready to

receive visitors in the morning, which included soaping

the octopus tank to keep it from fogging up with

condensation. I would also run checks on the tanks

including temperature and water quality. Feeding the

main task, as well as going out to local rock pools and

rivers to catch live food.

Highlights

It would have to be either feeding or playing with the

octopus. Hand feeding cayman, logger head turtles

and sharks was pretty cool, though having an octopus

latching onto your arms is a pretty amazing feeling.

Lowlights

morning and having to clean the glass on over 50 tanks,

especially the low glass, being 6 foot 5 tall.

Would you recommend it to others?

beach in Newquay, in the summer heat!

Cost

The only cost was petrol to and from where I was

staying, so if you live close it would be all sweet.

Yeah to a certain extent, helping the aquarium is always

helped me in my exploitation of the sea module in 2nd

year.

29

VOLUNTEERING FROM DAWN UNTIL DUSK AUTUMN ISSUE

Where & who?

I am currently completing a seven week internship with Sea Watch

Foundation in New Quay, Wales.

Tasks and responsibilities

Land surveys consisted of sitting on New Quay pier and counting the

dolphins seen in the bay. The boat surveys involved recording cetaceans and

the environment, such as sea state, and GPS coordinates. If dolphins were

When groups of dolphins were spotted, behaviour forms were also

used, along with the use of the hydrophone to record the dolphins

through sightings and inputting data.

Highlights

I was able to hear the dolphins communicating through a variety of clicks

and whistle through the hydrophone. This gave me an insight into the

dolphin’s lives that not many people get.

Lowlights

I don’t really have a lowlight as I have never worked with marine mammals

before. I was continuously learning not only about cetaceans, but also about

the marine environment.

Would you recommend it to others?

to get involved with marine mammals.

Sea Watch Foundation: New Quay

Cost

around New Quay.

There have been many papers published from data volunteers helped to

Do you think it will be helpful for your future career prospects?

I believe it will. You learn so much, not only how to collect data out in the

to input it onto databases. It also opens up opportunities to work in other

Jess Cripps

Do you think it will be helpful for your future

career prospects?

Well I’m now working in another aquarium closer to

home after telling them about my Newquay experience

in the summer, so it looks like it’s helping already!

George Clayden

ON YOUR DOORSTEP FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

Wildlife WatchOctober:

December:

November:

Red Deer

October is the peak of the red deer Cervus elaphus rut. Usually segregated, congregating into large single sex herds in open country, in the breeding season the stags return to the home rage of the hind deer creating large mixed groups. Males compete to win access to a group of females and by protecting their ‘harem’, the dominant male will receive exclusive rights to mate with them.

Moths

moths, the Merveille du Jour Dichonia aprilina can be seen on the wing from late September to October. Although scarce, it is widespread, often occurring in woodland, hedgerows and gardens around the UK, in particular those with high numbers of oaks - their larval food plant. It is one of our most beautiful moths, especially when newly emerged.

Fungi

October is the month fungal diversity peaks, with the majority of the seasonal mushrooms fruiting. This is a great time to get into wild foraging as

mushrooms emerge. But forage with caution; many poisonous species also thrive in October. These include the unmistakeable

Amanita muscaria (pictured), as well as species which are confusingly similar to edible specimens; false chanterelle Hygrophoropis aurantiaca can cause some people serious harm and looks almost identical to other edible chanterelles.

Thrushes

By November visiting thrushes can be seen in large

along hedgerows. Common migrants include redwing turdus iliacusturdus pilaris, most of the ones we see in Cornwall would have crossed the north sea, on passage from Scandinavia. They overwinter in the UK, departing in early spring. Redwings are easily spotted on the Tremough Campus, so keep your eyes peeled.

Waxwings

During harsh winters, large

Bombycilla garrulous are forced south, leaving northern and central Europe where they overwinter and visit the UK. They often make it as far south as Cornwall, and can be seen frequenting gardens and car parks in Falmouth, foraging on hawthorn Crategus monogyna and rowan Sorbus aucuparia berries.

Seals

By November grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies are bustling with their Phoca vitulina,

pups much earlier in June-July. Grey seal pups moult their thick, white coat after three weeks, at this point their mothers will end their starvation period, leaving the pups to fend for themselves. Godrevy head in Hayle is a good place for seeing the new families interact.

Moss

In December when the temperatures drop really low, water everywhere can freeze, causing quite a spectacle in some places. Moss has a high water content, and lives in damp spots. The soft moss beds we are used to are transformed in to crunchy, icicle laden, glistening green walls.

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Written by Fraser Bell, MSc

Applied Ecology Alumnus.

ON YOUR DOORSTEP FROM DUSK UNTIL DAWN AUTUMN ISSUE

9

colonies are bustling with their Phoca vitulina

Adaptations of a....to avoid detection by predators and insect prey.

Nightjar

Their brown feathers create an illusion of a pile of leaves or a dead log, blending in perfectly with their

for the times when they leave their nests.

The beak is wider than it is long, opening widely in both directions providing a wide

Big white patches on the ends of males’ wings

territorial displays. Enthusiasts might take two handkerchiefs and wave them at arms length, to

attract the attention of a territorial male.

retina enhances the nightjars’ vision at night by improving the light

gathering ability of the eye.

Image: Mozambique Nightjar, Jared Wilson-Aggarwal

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If you want to write for

The theme for the spring term’s issue is:

Anthropogenesis...Just send us a short summary of your idea for an article or a

photographic sequence to: life@exeter.ac.uk

Credit: Emma Simpson-Wells 2013

With thanks to our readers and supporters, The University of Exeter and University of Falmouth.

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