BirdGuides Blog

Sneak peek at Bird Atlas 2007-11

2012-02-08T14:58:00.001Z

The latest news from Bird Atlas 2007-11 is now online: you can download the pdf here.

The Atlas field work is now complete and the newsletter includes details of local atlas projects, preliminary results, breeding season coverage, and a look at species pages from the book.

Blizzard of birds hits frozen gardens

2012-02-07T13:07:00.000Z

Huge numbers of birds have swept into gardens over the last few days, latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch reveal.

Fieldfares and Redwings, both migrant thrushes to our shores, have led the charge. Compared with the preceding week – when thousands of people took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch – over five times as many Fieldfares have recently been seen in gardens, and over twice as many Redwings.

The results, collected by participants in the year-round BTO Garden BirdWatch survey, show that numbers of other thrushes, such as Song Thrush (up 72%), Mistle Thrush (up 49%), have also increased hugely over the past week. Numbers of the familiar Blackbird are up by a third.

Gardens have been inundated across the UK, even where snow has not settled. In southwest England, for instance, where conditions are typically milder than elsewhere, numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare have rocketed. Here and in Wales, gardens are likely to be providing a refuge for many birds displaced from further north and east.

The exciting activity, featuring notable increases of Pied Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Brambling, Wren and Jay, shows just how much things can change in a week.

Tim Harrison, BTO Garden BirdWatch, commented: “Many householders will be really disappointed that this huge influx of birds has come a week too late for their RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch count. Thankfully, however, people can make their garden count all year round through BTO Garden BirdWatch.”

Data collected by BTO volunteers show how sensitive our resident bird populations are to severe winter weather. Last winter’s cold snap saw numbers of Robins and Wrens drop by a third, Song Thrushes by a quarter and Dunnocks by a fifth, compared with the five-year average. Fortunately, many of these losses were offset by a bumper breeding season during 2011 but there are now lots of inexperienced birds out there feeling the cold.

Tim continued: “The survival of these birds is on a knife-edge but there is much that householders can do to help. Peanuts, finely grated cheese and beef suet can provide a calorific hit; windfall or fresh fruit will help sustain thrushes, and sunflower hearts are a particular favourite with finches. The other important way to help is by counting your visitors. You can do this whatever the weather through BTO Garden BirdWatch.”

Britain's birds need runners

2012-02-01T10:28:00.000Z

It is well known that some of our favourite birds are in trouble. Birds like the Swift, Cuckoo, House Sparrow and Starling. If you can run, you can help.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), based in Thetford, Norfolk, has reserved a number of places in this year’s Brighton marathon, to be held on 15th April, and it has a small number of them left. By taking part for the BTO, money raised will help conserve Britain’s birds. Last year, runners in the Brighton marathon, helped to fund much-needed research into birds like the Cuckoo, Nightingale and Swift, all of which have shown dramatic declines as breeding birds in this country.

Rachel Irvine, of the BTO, commented, “It is amazing what people will do for Britain’s birds; we have had people jump out of aeroplanes, shave their beard off and cycle coast to coast, all to raise vital funds for research and conservation. Over the last twenty-five years, we have lost over half of our breeding Cuckoos and, more recently, over half of our Nightingales and a quarter of our Swifts. Whilst we know some of the pressures that these birds face, we don’t have the whole picture; until we have this it is difficult to target conservation action to help reverse these declines. By running twenty-six miles you can help birds like these that travel up to ten thousand miles each year. Right now we are tracking Cuckoos in their winter quarters in Congo, Central Africa, using the very latest satellite tracking technology. These birds have already told us a lot we didn’t know but there is still a lot more to learn."

If you want to secure a place, or for more information, please visit www.bto.org/run or call Rachel Irvine on 01842 750050

BTO Bird Atlas Species Auction

2012-01-25T18:09:00.001Z

Next week the BTO and BirdWatch Ireland will be running a joint auction of the last seven bird species for Bird Atlas — Long-tailed Duck, Great Northern Diver, Hen Harrier, Oystercatcher, Iceland Gull, Fieldfare and Hooded Crow. If you would like to take part please visit the auction webpage for the auction details. Don't miss out on this last chance to see your support of a species displayed in Bird Atlas 2007-11!

Peeping Peregrine

2012-01-23T09:20:00.001Z

Some of us would complain about a nosey neighbour who peeked through the window and into our bedroom each day, but not Deirdre Baker — she receives a daily visit from a curious Peregrine Falcon that nests nearby.

Deirdre, who’s feathered friend has been perching on the windowsill of her apartment in Stroud, Gloucestershire, since early December, said: “It was a bit of a shock when I first spotted him, but after a while we got used to each other. He flies over to my window each morning as soon as it’s light and doesn’t leave, apart from to search for food, until dusk.”

Until recently, Peregrines were widely regarded as birds of wild crags or lonely sea cliffs, but changing landscapes mean they have adapted to living in more unlikely places. To a Peregrine, a tall building offers the same benefits as a cliff face: high, away from danger, and surrounding areas offering a good source of food (usually, in cities, Feral Pigeons). Iconic locations they have chosen as their homes include London’s Tate Modern, Lincoln Cathedral, Birmingham’s Fort Dunlop, Manchester’s Exchange Square and Cardiff City Hall.

Peeping Peregrine — photo by Deirdre Baker

Birds in Cheshire and Wirral

2012-01-20T10:34:00.002Z

Birds of Cheshire and Wirral – A breeding and wintering atlas — judged 4th place in the prestigious British Birds/BTO Best Book of the Year 2009 and the perfect model for future county avifauna and atlas publications — has taken another revolutionary step; its entire content has now been published online. The publication can be accessed at:

— www.cheshireandwirralbirdatlas.org —

The website contains the same graphics and highly informative information that was originally published in the book, accessible at the click of a mouse — and it's free to access everything. CAWOS and the author are to be congratulated on this forward thinking move that well and truly brings bird atlases into the 21st Century.

Brush up on your thrushes

2012-01-18T10:35:00.000Z

Both Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush are currently brightening up the grey January mornings with the far-carrying songs; but how to tell them apart when they're not singing? The BTO have put together an excellent guide to identifying Song & Mistle Thrushes.

If you have Song Thrushes or Mistle Thrushes visiting your garden — or any other birds, for that matter — and would like to contribute your garden bird sightings to help the BTO monitor changing trends in garden wildlife, why not sign up for BTO's Garden BirdWatch? Details of Garden BirdWatch can be found online: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/join or email gbw@bto.org

BTO have also put together a thrush masterclass video:

If you enjoyed the video, you might like to take a look at British Birds Video Guide from where much of the footage originated.

New study reveals Slavonian Grebes’ breeding must-haves

2012-01-13T16:12:00.001Z

Stopping the introduction of Pike into Scottish lochs could help ensure the future of one of Scotland’s rarest birds, according to research by RSPB Scotland. The study, led by RSPB and part funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), looked at what factors influence breeding Slavonian Grebes to choose certain lochs to raise young. It found that the moderately sized lochs with an abundance of small fish (sticklebacks and minnows) to feed on, clear water to hunt fish and plenty of nesting habitat were most suitable for the species. It also revealed that lochs containing Pike had fewer small fish, which are a valuable food source for grebes.

The Slavonian Grebe only began breeding in the UK in 1908; its population today remains restricted to northern Scotland where latest counts have shown only 29 breeding pairs remain. Conservationists hope a better understanding of species, particularly during the breeding season, could help determine what measures are needed to reverse the population decline. Ron Summers, RSPB Scotland’s Principal Conservation Scientist said “The Slavonian grebe is still a relative newcomer to the UK and as such we have much to learn about its behaviour and factors affecting its population size. This research helps us understand what kind of conditions are suitable for grebes when raising young. In this way, we can help ensure suitable habitat is maintained and that the species isn’t competing against others, such as Pike, for food. By considering these measures we stand a better chance of improving breeding success in the future.”

Tim Dawson, SNH South Highlands area officer, added: “We'd all like to make sure these striking birds not only remain in the Highlands, but also increase their small numbers. This study is an important first step, giving us information on how to help protect these vulnerable birds.”

African Bird Club awards reach £100,000

2012-01-09T14:26:00.003Z

The African Bird Club Conservation Fund has reached a new milestone having awarded a total of £100,000 to bird study projects since it was launched in 1996.

In that time, ABC has assisted over 120 applicants in over 30 African countries. These have ranged from bird and habitat surveys, to educational and promotional materials for use with community projects. Assistance has also been given to expeditions poorly-known areas in Africa. Usually the grants are around £750-£1500 and are often awarded to applicants whose criteria do not match those of larger funds who work with larger projects. Applicants should normally be resident in Africa, but consideration will be given where the applicant is not in Africa, but involving colleagues who are.

The Club is particularly grateful to a number of individual members who have offered to finance specific projects that it has selected for support. This is a hugely valuable source of assistance and allows the Club to help a larger number of groups than would otherwise have been possible.

Full details of the ABC Conservation Fund can be found here: http://www.africanbirdclub.org/club/ConsFund.html

Applications should be made by 28 February, 30 June or 31 October with a lead time of at least six months.

If you would like to help the Conservation Fund or apply for project support please get in touch. Email: conservation_fund@africanbirdclub.org

Community service for former gamekeeper who poisoned four buzzards

2012-01-05T14:16:00.000Z

From RSPB Scotland:

A 45 year old man, has been ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service after admitting to poisoning four Buzzards. David Alexander Whitefield was today sentenced for killing the protected birds of prey whilst working as a gamekeeper at the Culter Allers Estate in South Lanarkshire in 2009. On passing sentence, Sheriff Nicola Stewart said the punishment was a direct alternative to a custodial sentence and that poisoning is a serious offence.

During an earlier hearing, Whitefield claimed he was under pressure from his superiors to reduce the Buzzard population “as he saw fit”, although he had not been specifically told to kill them or engage in illegal activity. RSPB Scotland was first alerted to the estate in April 2009, when a member of the public reported finding two sick birds and a dead Carrion Crow on a track near Coulter. Tests by Scottish Government laboratories revealed the crow had been poisoned with a banned substance known as Alphachloralose. Six months later, following similar reports, RSPB staff, accompanied by the Scottish SPCA, recovered a freshly-dead Buzzard lying on the remains of a rabbit; both tested positive for Alphachlorose. Finally, on 11th November 2009, the Scottish SPCA led a multi-agency search of the estate, involving police, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Scottish Government and RSPB Scotland. During the operation, they discovered a large quantity of high concentration Alphachloralose poison in buildings used by Whitefield. Deadly fumigants, including the banned chemical Sodium Cyanide, were also found in unlocked outbuildings.

A search of a nearby small wood led to the recovery of a further two decomposing Buzzards and a third freshly-dead bird hanging in a tree. All three were later confirmed to have been poisoned.

Speaking following today’s sentencing, Bob Elliott, Head of Investigations at RSPB Scotland, said: “We are pleased that Mr Whitefield’s actions have been viewed as a serious crime by the courts. We would like to commend Scottish SPCA for their hard work in ensuring this case resulted in a conviction. Today’s sentence is a reminder that the illegal practise of poisoning protected birds of prey will not be tolerated. With the introduction of vicarious liability at the start of this year, it is imperative that landowners are now clear with gamekeepers that this intolerable activity has no place in today’s society, or they too could also find themselves facing serious criminal charges before the courts.”

The conviction is Whitefield’s second for wildlife offences. On 1st October 2008 at Lanark Sheriff Court, Whitefield pleaded guilty to trapping a Buzzard for at least 48 hours, and failing to meet its needs whilst it was in the trap. This was the first conviction involving a wild bird under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2008. For that offence, he was fined £300.

One man and his metal detector

2012-01-05T13:47:00.001Z

Finding a British ring and a Dutch ring in the pellets below an old Peregrine's nest almost 15 years ago sparked a passion for Mark Lawrence. Searching below nest sites with a metal detector, Mark has managed to collect an impressive number of bird rings — adding valuable data to the ringing scheme in the process. Amongst the many rings he's found, there have been a significant number from foreign ringing schemes:

Starlings from Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania (5), Russia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Sweden; Redwings from Belgium (4), France, Sweden and the Netherlands (2); A Dutch Song Thrush; Blackbirds from Germany, and the Netherlands (2); Fieldfares from Norway and Finland; a Black-headed Gull from Lithuania; Common Terns from the Netherlands and West Africa; a Chaffinch from the Netherlands; a Sandwich Tern from Sweden; and Chaffinch, Woodcock and Sand Martin from France.

The full story of Mark's metal-detecting can be read on the BTO website: http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/taking-part/volunteering/volunteer-stories/winters-tale

Tawny Owl back again

2011-12-30T18:23:00.002Z

At the start of this year we blogged about the dramas of a pair of Tawny Owls nesting in a camera nest box - the male disappeared half way through the breeding season leaving the female to fend for herself and four chicks. She managed beautifully with all four young fledged successfully. Now the female is back at her box and she seems to have found a new mate. You can watch the latest footage on the BTO's YouTube channel and we'll blog about the latest news from Maison Tawny as and when anything happens.

The (BirdGuides) Nutcracker Suite

2011-12-23T16:36:00.000Z

All five BTO Cuckoos back in the same country

2011-12-17T11:55:00.000Z

A message received by BTO at 03:13 yesterday morning shows Martin has moved from Central African Republic in to Congo, joining the other four Cuckoos. He has moved 368km (228 miles) south of his previous position and is now close to Lyster and Clement. For the first time since they left East Anglia all five cuckoos are once again in the same country.

Messages received from the other four Cuckoos show that there have been no other significant movements. You can follow the progress of each Cuckoo on the BTO Cuckoo blogs.

An overview of the project, presented by Phil Atkinson at the recent BTO annual conference, can be viewed below:

Wild bird populations in the UK, 1970 to 2010

2011-12-05T11:49:00.001Z

Defra's National Statistics Release (Wild bird populations in the UK, 1970 to 2010) can now be viewed online as a pdf on the BTO's website http://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/u38/downloads/home-news/2011-11/Wild-bird-populations-in-the-UK-1970-2010-National-Statistics-Release.pdf

Key BTO monitoring schemes are the basis of the latest wildbird indicators, which show a further decline in farmland birds to their lowest ever level. Woodland birds, water and wetland birds and seabirds have all shown an increase over the last year whereas the wintering waterbirds show a slight decrease in England, but a slight increase in the UK.

Gamekeeper admits poisoning Buzzards

2011-12-01T15:04:00.001Z

From an RSPB press release issued today:

RSPB welcomed today's (1st December 2011) conviction of a 45 year old man at Lanark Sheriff Court for poisoning four Buzzards using the lethal banned pesticide Alphachloralose.

David Alexander Whitefield admitted killing the birds whilst employed as a gamekeeper at Culter Allers Estate in South Lanarkshire in 2009.

Commenting on the conviction RSPB Scotland Head of Investigations, Bob Eliott, said: "We’re delighted with the outcome of this case. We now await news of the sentencing which will take place on January 5, 2012. We hope this will reflect the serious nature of the offences committed. RSPB Scotland is working with the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAWS) which includes Scottish Government, Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) and others to bear down on the perpetrators of crimes against birds of prey. It’s high time that such illegal activity which damages Scotland’s international and domestic reputation was consigned to the history books."

Hula Valley Bird Festival - day 6

2011-11-26T14:47:00.001Z

It's my last day here in the Hula Valley and I'll be sad to leave. The festival has been excellent with great birds, a fantastic location and, as in Eilat, world-class festival guides.

This morning we were out early for another Agamon Hula park mobile tour ride; we've seen some amazing birds this week but there can be few things that compare to thousands of cranes coming out of their roost in the morning. The birds then fly into the nearby fields and allow a close approach by the tractors and trailers.

Other birds seen on the morning tour included two Marsh Sandpipers, a smart male Siberian (maurus) Stonechat, and close views of a Pied Kingfisher. No sign of any Jungle Cats, which just goes to show how lucky we were with our multiple sightings earlier in the week.

Variation in Common Crane eye-colour:

After some breakfast back at the hotel we headed back to the park where we took a look at the family of Black-shouldered Kites, some Golden Plovers in one of the fields, more 'eastern' Stonechats etc. Then this afternoon we sat in on some of the lectures at the scientific conference that is taking place at the hotel—including excellent talks by Tim Appleton and Pete Dunne.

Hula Valley Bird Festival - day 5

2011-11-25T16:37:00.001Z

Another excellent day at the Hula Valley Bird Festival today. We headed back into the Golan in an attempt to clean up on a couple of the area's bird that we'd missed previously. We succeeded with excellent views of at least five Finsch's Wheatear, though sadly Long-billed Pipit eluded us. There was plenty more on offer, too, with Blue Rock Thrush, Eastern Imperial Eagle, flocks of Serins, Bramblings, plenty of Mountain Gazelle, two Red Foxes, Calandra Larks, a Syrian Woodpecker, and the usual Long-legged Buzzards etc.

Habitat shot

And one to show the feather detail...

One of our Finsch's Wheatear sites also happened to be a memorial to those who lost their lives in the fighting that took place in the Valley of Tears, near to the Syrian border; a really beautiful landscape.

The afternoon was spent back at Agamon Hula Park where we again had 'the usual' (Black-shouldered Kite, 1000s of Cranes, Hen Harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle...) along with two Yellow Wagtails, a Griffon Vulture, a smart male Namaqua Dove, and nine Wild Boar that emerged from the reed bed at dusk.

Hula Valley Bird Festival - day 4

2011-11-24T18:41:00.001Z

I had hoped to upload all of my pictures of each of last night's dinner's twelve courses but, again, I'm short of blogging time. We spent the full day exploring the Bet Shean valley south of the Sea of Galilee today then, after sunset, visited the opening of the Drawing Inspirations from the Hula Valley art exhibition; now it's dinner time and then we're off to a concert by Paul Winter.

Yet again, we had lots of great sightings of amazing birds: Desert Finch, Dead Sea & Spanish Sparrow, eagles, a singing Southern Grey Shrike, flocks of Pygmy Cormorants, Whiskered Terns, literally 100s of Black Kites, dozens of Black Storks etc etc.

A dark-morph male Marsh Harrier was particularly striking:

My apologies for the appearance of gull photos in two posts on the trot; though I make no apologies for including photos of this beauty:

There was also an young Pallas's Gull in the flock:

And this Heuglin's Gull:

Finally, for a bit of fun, who can tell me how many species are in this photo and which species they are?

(That's a subtle way of saying I don't know, though my best educated guess is four)

P.S. For anyone following Yoav's blog and wondering why I'm one behind with my festival days; the festival officially started on Sunday but since I didn't arrive till Monday morning I'm down a day.

Hula Valley Bird Festival - day 3

2011-11-23T15:23:00.002Z

An even briefer update this evening than the last two nights; we're off out again in a minute for a posh 12 (yes, twelve) course meal!

Another excellent day in the field, this time on the Med. coast at Maagan Michael. Lots of all three Kingfishers, Citrine Wagtails, Temminck's Stints etc etc. and some decent gull flocks to search through. The small gull flocks were made up of Black-headed and Slender-billed with three 1st year Med Gulls hidden amongst them. The larger gulls were mostly Armenian with one (presumed) adult Baltic; also a few showing a varying number of "Caspian-like" features, though I'm not convinced any of them were anything other than [slightly atypical] armenicus (but feel free to disagree!).

Hula Valley Bird Festival - day 2

2011-11-22T20:14:00.001Z

Oh dear, this "blogging on location" isn't going to plan at all. I'm having such a great time at the festival that I've had no time to write a proper blog post. We've spent another full day in the field (this time exploring Mount Hermon and the Golan plateau) and I've just got back to my room after watching an excellent presentation by photographer-in-residence, Thomas Krumenacker.

After yesterday's Jungle Cat sightings, we scored today with excellent views of two Wolves. By the time I'd grabbed by camera they were already on the other side of the valley.

The mammal list is ticking along nicely with Egyptian Mongoose, Egyptian Fruit Bats, Golden Jackel, and Copyu all seen. Birds spotted today included Sombre Tit, Horned Lark, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Western Rock Nuthatch, and, at Hula Nature Reserve in the evening, a spectacular harrier (including several Pallid) and Merlin roost.

Eastern Imperial Eagle

Merlins at dusk

Greetings from Israel!

2011-11-21T16:51:00.001Z

It's the end of my first day here at the Hula Valley Bird Festival and it's fair to say I'm pretty cream crackered. To cut a long and foggy story short, I've had exactly zero minutes of sleep since yesterday morning and, after a full day in the field, I'm struggling to keep my head off the desk in front of me, let alone write a blog post that attempts to be vaguely interesting. So instead, here's a photo dump of interesting stuff I've seen in the Hula Valley so far. Enjoy!

Hula Lake at dawn

Pied Kingfisher

More Pied Kingfishers... spot the impostor.

A gang of Armenians

Purple Heron

Smyrna Kingfisher

Black-shouldered Kite

Jungle Cat

Ghosts of Gone Birds

2011-11-18T09:56:00.001Z

On Wednesday evening, we took a trip across town to Shoreditch to take a look at the fabulous Ghosts of Gone Birds exhibition. While we were there, we were lucky enough to be able to chat to Ceri & Chris, co-creators of Ghosts, about the project, the art, what they hope to achieve, what they want to do next, and Ceri's recent visit to Malta.

The exhibition runs in London until Wednesday 23rd November 2011.

Dipper from Norway to Essex

2011-11-15T11:17:00.001Z

Here's an interesting story from the BTO Ringing Blog:

Continental Black-bellied Dippers are recorded most years on the islands in the north of Scotland and on the east coast of the UK. However, ringing recoveries have been surprisingly lacking in the origin of these migratory Dippers that visit the UK in the winter. More than 1,900 Dippers were ringed under the BTO ringing scheme during 2010, 1,700 of them ringed as chicks. Encounters of ringed adults are rather low outside of special projects, and recoveries of foreign ringed birds are very unusual.

So we were quite surprised when we had a phone call about a Dipper from Norway! This is the third ever recovery of a Dipper with a foreign ring found in the UK and this bird was unfortunately attacked by a cat near Colchester, Essex. We don't know yet where in Norway this bird came from but previously we have had two other movements of Dippers between the British Isles and Scandinavia, as the map below illustrates. Both birds were ringed as chicks. The one in purple was ringed on 22 May 2004 near Bergen and later controlled by ringers in Voe (Shetland Mainland) on the 2 Feb 2006. The one in yellow was ringed north of Kristiandsand (south Norway) on the 31 May 1993 and later found killed by car the 28 Oct 1993.

British Trust for Ornithology 2011 awards

2011-11-01T16:21:00.001Z

Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor at the Independent and author of the best-selling Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo, was presented with the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Dilys Breese medal, awarded to outstanding communicators who deliver BTO science to new audiences.

During the last few years Michael has provided a major impetus for the BTO’s migrant-related work. Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo is dripping with BTO-related material and his follow-up articles on Nightingales and Cuckoos provided a benchmark which was followed by journalists, not only here in the UK, but around the world.

Michael really understands conservation and environmental issues but, more importantly, he really understands the importance of the work of the BTO. Many of our summer visitors, birds like the Nightingale and the Cuckoo, have experienced alarming declines; we have lost more than half of both during the last twenty-five years, and Michael has gone out of his way to support this work by putting BTO messages before an Independent audience, including decision-makers and opinion-formers.

Presenting the medal to Michael, Dame Barbara Young, President of the BTO, said, "I am delighted to present this award to Michael, with a small number of words he can grab your heart - he is a very fitting recipient."

Michael commented, "I had the great pleasure to meet Max Nicholson, one of the driving forces behind the formation of the BTO in 1933. Max saw the power of harnessing the interest of amateurs in the collection of meaningful data - BTO has continued to do so ever since. I am delighted to receive this award and thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Additionally, Dr Ian Hartley was awarded the Marsh Award for Ornithology for his significant contribution to the field, and Henfield Birdwatch’s Mike Russell received the Marsh Local Ornithology Award for their published study on the birds of the Parish of Henfield, Sussex. Earlier the same day, we also honoured the long service of 12 of our BTO Regional Reps, who have all dedicated 25 years of time and effort to supporting our volunteers.

The ceremony was hosted by the Society for Wildlife Artists.