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Watch an Amazing Murmuration of Starlings

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

It’s a great word, isn’t it, murmuration? Whoever invented it to describe a huge gathering of starlings needs a special medal for eccentrically but lovingly mauling the English language. No one really knows why starlings do this. Some say it is for protection, others to indicate a roost is nearby. Or maybe it’s just because they can. This staggering murmuration was captured in Brighton (UK) by the film making partnership of Sim Warren and Mia Xerri, The Contrast Collective.

Laundry Basket Cat

Sunday, 11 January 2015

If you never quite seem to get your aim right when throwing things in to your laundry basket then this might be the solution. Get yourself a cat like this one. Simply place cat in laundry basket and then begin to throw your clothes.

Laundry Basket Cat will ensure their safe arrival at their final pre-wash destination by leaping out and retrieving your errant (and flying) socks, shirts and sundries. Cat-tastic!

Watch the Beautiful Hoopoe in Slow Motion Flight

Saturday, 10 January 2015

The hoopoe is a beautiful, exotic looking bird which is found across three continents. It is distinctive to say the very least – a pair of striking black and white wings, a long and elegant beak and a pink-brown body topped with a magnificent crest. This lovely clip from The Life of Trees by Polish wildlife filmmaker Artur Homan catches this magnificent creature in slow motion flight – and it will take your breath away.

The Hidden Life in Pond Water

Although we bring you footage of strange creatures from the deepest oceans, here is proof that you don’t have to go very far to experience the truly bizarre. Filmed by Daniel Stoupin, you will see a variety of strange and bewildering creatures in the local pond. Experience a new universe of water fleas, bryozoans, water mites, mayfly nymphs, ostracods, and, of course, hydras. They jump, crawl, and float in a completely alien environment filled with mesmerizing algae and bushes of ciliates on stalks.

The Boreal Caribou of British Columbia

The number of caribou in British Columbia is shrinking and as this happens both the ecology and local human culture changes.

This fascinating short film shows us some of the issues they face as well as the attempts by wildlife biologists to help sustain this species, truly one of Canada’s iconographic animals. It was commissioned by the 14th North American Caribou Workshop hosted in Fort St John, British Columbia in September 2012.

Damselflies – The Killer Lips

Saturday, 13 December 2014

Get up close and personal with the damselfly, thanks to director Hasan Samur. Here he reveals that far from being identical, each damselfly has its own unique colorings and patterns – and they are striking to say the very least. Many carry the scars of battle – some blind, some missing legs. We also get to see some remarkable footage of damselflies mating which to our eyes may seem very strange behavior indeed.

Gorillas in the Crossfire

Andre Bauma works with orphaned gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since the outbreak of civil war in 1996 the gorillas have been caught not in the mist but the crossfire. The human cost is also staggering with 150 park rangers murdered trying to protect them. However, this vital job is carried on by a brave few as only about 800 gorillas survive in the wild. Created by Orlando Von Einsiedel of the New York Times, this moving video follows Andre and his group of orphans as they struggle through daily life in the Congo.

Watch Amazing Drone Footage of Humpback Whales Bubble Feeding

If you don’t have nets to use then you can always make your own. This is what humpback whales do when they sense an opportunity to enjoy a feast and this behavior is only seen in Southeast Alaska where this rare and remarkable footage was taken by AkXpro Productions. Other whales do use bubble feeding but this method is unique to the Alaskan whales. Anywhere from four to twenty whales will join in with the hunt. One will release a ring of bubbles from its blowhole beneath the herring. This curtain of bubbles acts as a wall which keeps the fish inside it. Then another whale will produce vocalizations (which we can’t hear in this video, of course!) which makes the herring squeeze together in tight balls.

Then the whales lunge in unison. Breaking the surface simultaneously with their mouths wide open, then roll over and down. This captures as many fish as possible as well as forcing the water they take in out through their baleen plates. With the water forced out they can then gulp down their prey. Altogether, pretty amazing!

Save the Hedgehog: Help Harry!

Sunday, 23 November 2014

It is a depressing fact that in just over half a century the number of hedgehogs in the UK has plummeted from 50 million to just one million. So, instead of their being parity between the hedgehog and human populations, now there is less than one hedgehog for every fifty people. This animation, directed by Kris Hofmann, highlights the plight of the hedgehog in the UK. Find out how you can do more at the Wildlife Aid Foundation.

Odonates: The Lives of Dragonflies and Damselflies

Sunday, 9 November 2014

Have you ever wondered how to tell a dragonfly apart from a damselfly? That question and many others are answered in this delightful short documentary by Melissa Lesh. We won't tell you here - watch the video. In fact if you are doing a school paper on odonates in general then you cannot go far wrong if you watch this film – and them watch it again making notes next time!

Byron Beholds Kona: Dolphins and Mantas Swim to Poetry

This is a rather lovely piece by Michael Maes – and the first in series which he calls Poetry eMotion. It combines the profound emotion that poetry can engender with the motion of dolphins and mantas in Kona, Hawaii. The contrast of the curious dolphins, soaring through the sea in the daytime to the roving, feeding mantas at night together with So We'll Go No More a Roving by Lord Byron is, quite simply, sublime.

Watch a Tiger Shark Attack a Turtle

Saturday, 8 November 2014

This is extremely rare footage and was captured this year by the Undersea Hunter Crew. The video might upset you if you are fond of turtles but you have to admire the little guy – he does everything in his power to get away, ducking and diving and trying to outmaneuver the shark.

Whether or not he gets away, you will have to watch this amazing video to the end.

Living with the Polar Bear

Our global climate is changing? That isn’t really a question for the Inupiat people of Northern Alaska. The ice is retreating and as it recedes ever further that lives the polar bears living in the area with a challenge: adapt or perish.

Yet what is the perspective of the local people about the future of the polar bear? The answer may surprise you in this short film by Possberg Media.

The Mystery of the Missing Bees

Friday, 31 October 2014

Where have the honey bees gone? Since 2007 beekeepers have been witnessing Colony Collapse Disorder. It is more than a little worrying when you consider that due to pollination, honey bees indirectly provide us with over 30 percent of our food.

Here, the New York Times tells the story, which is a little more complex than you might have thought. Is there hope for the honey bee?

Darwin’s Dream – Galapagos Islands

When Charles Darwin arrived at the Galapagos Islands in 1831 he had no idea that what he would discover there would help him conceive his theory of natural selection.

Yet despite the many wonders he saw there was one thing he could not experience as we can: the sight of sharks, mola molas, turtle, iguanas, penguins and even orcas in their own habitat. Thanks to Dustin Adamson of Ocean Shutter here is that underworld realm in all its startling and unusual beauty that Darwin could only dream about.

Watch a Platypus Walk between Creeks in Tasmania

Saturday, 25 October 2014

You really don’t see this every day. The platypus is usually considered nocturnal (even though it can also be seen in the early evening) yet sometimes, needs must. This platypus (one of the few venomous mammals on the planet) wants to get from one creek to another in its Tasmanian home but with no streams to get it to its destination, it has been forced to walk. Its trek was caught on film by Max Moller of Black Devil Productions.

Hummingbirds: Little Jewels of Flight

Sunday, 12 October 2014

I know that many people find the sight of a hummingbird hovering while it collects nectar the most entrancing feature about these proud little birds. Yet for me it is a little different – the flight is spectacular, of course.

However, I love to watch their iridescent throat feathers appear to change color as they move and the light changes – it is just entrancing. This has been caught beautifully by photographer and videographer Don DesJardin. Just watch – you will be spellbound. Species seen in order of appearance are Allen's, Anna's, Black-chinned, Calliope, Costa's and my own personal favorite, the glorious Rufous Hummingbird (above left).

Schools of Fish Dance and Shimmer around Immense Goliath Groupers – An Amazing Sight

In September the Goliath Grouper gather around wrecks off the South Florida coast. These immense fish which have been known to attack both divers and sharks bring with them a host of other, much smaller fish – including large schools of snappers and grunts.

The sight of these fish (metaphorically) dancing around the goliaths, beautifully reflecting light, was captured by photographer and videographer Lee Burghard – and it’s great to see someone filming these mysterious giants of the seas. He called his short film Shimmer. You will see why when you watch it!

These goliaths are part of a recovering population. Although they may not be, to our eyes, the most appealing of fish their meat is considered something of a delicacy. Its downfall was its fearlessness and curiosity – it investigates new arrivals in the ocean (such as diving fishermen with spear guns) and as it is relatively slow moving and large was an easy target. The species became critically endangered in the 1980s.

Fortunately, the US put a hunting ban on the species in 1990 and since then many other countries have followed its lead. However, it is going to take a long time for numbers to recover – the goliath grouper is a slow grower and takes its time both to reach maturity and to start playing the mating game. Perhaps our grandchildren will be able to witness oceans as full of goliath groupers as they were before we developed a taste for their flesh.

Watch a Dragonfly Nymph Shed its Skin

Although the final transformation in to a dragonfly is perhaps the most spectacular, a nymph will have moulted 12-15 times before it emerges from the water.

Andy Holt captured on of these moults – and it is an incredibly absorbing process to watch. Note particularly the wing buds splitting and raising at the outset of the moult. This is not something you see every day!

The Whales of Tonga

Saturday, 4 October 2014

This is just beautiful work. Filmed by Darren Rice, this video shows some amazing images of whales, shot from both above and below. Foa Island Ha'apai, Kingdom of Tonga was the location where these whales were filmed. With a lilting piano accompaniment this shows the majesty of these amazing creatures perfectly. No need for narration, just sit back and take it all in.

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