Author Archives: Thomas Whitlock

About Thomas Whitlock

I'm a third student at the University of Reading, currently studied for a degree in Zoology. I have a wide interest in biodiversity, most notably British wildlife. I have an especial interest in British mammals and birds. I hope to become a wildlife cameraman or photographer after I graduate, and I feel that blogging will be a key component of any future job in Zoology. This is my first blog, so please be kind!

Bird of Interest 5 – Robin and recent research

In ornithological studies migration is generally considered to be a seasonal, bidirectional movement between geographical areas. In a partial migratory population only some of the individuals in the population migrate. Generally, partial migration is considered to be an ‘evolutionarily stable state’ … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 5 – Robin

The Robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a familiar British bird and indeed, one of the nations favourites. It is a strongly and conspicuously territorial, and the sexes show no sexual dimorphism, and their plumage stays the ame throughout the entire year.

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Data Collection Day 5 – Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve

It was the second of my dusk sampling, this time at Maiden Erlegh Nature Reserve, not far from the campus wilderness. In total, I witnessed 16 species of bird throughout the evening (the weather was much nicer than the monday before!) … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 4 – Green Woodpecker and Recent Research.

It is well-known that woodpeckers provide cavities for secondary cavity nesters. Cavity nesters form cavity webs, which consist of primary cavity nesting species, weak cavity nesters, secondary cavity nesters and bark nesters. Woodpeckers within the nest web can therefore by regarded as key-stone … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 4 – Green Woodpecker

Despite its size and colourful green plumage, the Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) can be a tricky species to observe well. It is usually found climbing trees and excavating timber, but it also feeds on the ground, using its long tongue to … Continue reading

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Data Collection Day 4 – Campus Woodland

Monday night I undertook a dusk survey on campus woodland from 5-9pm in the evening. Unfortunately, the rain came and as a result, only witnessed 12 separate species of bird, adding another 2 to the ones I hadn’t witnessed before: song thrush … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 3 – Chiffchaff and Recent Research

The leaf warblers Phylloscopus spp. are small insectivorous birds which are adapted to foraging by leaf gleaning. Three species commonly breed in the British Isles as summer visitors, namely the Chiffchaff P. collybita, the Wood Warbler P. sibilatrix, and the Willow Warbler … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 3 – ChiffChaff

This tiny warbler bird is probably best known for its song. The ChiffChaff (Phylloscopus collybita) is a restless feeder, constantly on the move among foliage in search of invertebrates. There is limited sexual dimorphism, meaning that the two sexes look remarkably similar … Continue reading

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Data Collection Day 3 – High Wood Wokingham

On Friday I continued my data collection of bird species richness at the final of my three sites, High Wood Nature Reserve in Wokingham, just behind Bulmershe campus. High Wood is a 30.1 acre site of woodland, which is managed by the “friends … Continue reading

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Bird of Interest 2 – Wren and recent research

The Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is renowned among Ornithologists for the variable nature of its loud song. The main characteristic of a local population’s dialect is that clearly defined and distinguished song types are unique to individuals in one population, and … Continue reading

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