About a third of Finland’s breeding birds are now considered endangered, and the population of seabirds has declined by 50 percent since the 1990s.
– If the trend continues, more species will disappear, says bird researcher Aleksi Lehikoinen.
Of Finland’s more than 250 bird species, 86 are estimated to be endangered and 34 near-threatened. Common species such as the chaffinch and the willow warbler have declined significantly, while the golden sparrow, for example, has not been seen nesting in the country for several years. Among breeding forest birds, five percent are thought to have disappeared since 1996, and among mountain birds the figure is minus 18 percent since the same year.
– We have more bird species whose populations are declining than those whose populations are increasing. We can speak of a loss of birds. If the trend continues, more species are in danger of disappearing, Aleksi Lehikoinen, one of Finland’s leading bird researchers, told the national newspaper Yle.
In the case of breeding farmland birds, populations have declined by 21%, with the ortolan bunting, for example, estimated to have declined by 99% since 1996. In the case of breeding marshland birds, the decline has been 23%, with species such as the Brent Goose and the Greenfinch being radically reduced.
“Birds are warning signals”
For seabirds, however, the figure is much higher, with an estimated 50% decline since the 1990s. About half of Finland’s waterbirds and wading birds are considered threatened. The brown duck, for example, has declined rapidly. One reason is thought to be that aquatic vegetation is becoming more monotonous and water bodies are being over-fertilized. The birds also have to compete with cyprinids for food.
Lehikoinen argues that a decrease in the number of birds indicates that nature is not doing well, for example, the decrease in the number of birds that eat insects may also mean a decrease in the number of insects, which in itself is harmful to ecosystems.
– I see birds as messengers. A canary that dies in a coal mine is a sign that humans are not doing well in the mine either. Birds are warning signals for us, says the researcher.
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Mary the elephant at Berlin Zoo has not only learned to shower all by herself.Her advanced showering technique using a water hose has surprised scientists studying Mary’s behavior.
Jane Goodall, who lived with chimpanzees for 25 years, was among the first scientists to notice that animals can use tools. She observed a chimpanzee named David using a blade of grass to fish termites out of a termite mound. Since then, scientists have discovered that many more animals, such as dolphins, crows and other primates, also use tools in different ways.
A study published in Current Biology reports that German researchers have discovered a new form of tool use in animals. The study focused in particular on the elephants at Berlin Zoo, where the Asian elephant Mary has developed a technique to shower completely on her own, without the help of keepers.
Lena Kaufmann, a PhD student and one of the study’s authors, discovered Mary’s showering behavior during the keepers’ morning rounds, when they rinsed off the elephants with a hose. When they reached Mary, they gave her the hose, and she began to rinse herself off. According to the keepers, she also learned this on her own.
Different showering techniques
Mary used different techniques to rinse her whole body by gripping the hose in different ways. To rinse off her back, she held the hose further from the end and swung it like a lasso behind her head.
– Mary is so superb at showering, Michael Brecht, a neuroscientist at Humboldt University in Berlin and one of the authors of the article, notes to The New York Times.
According to Kaufmann, a hose is “very complex” for an animal, but speculates that an elephant might have “a somewhat intuitive understanding for a hose, because it’s super similar to the trunk”.
Mary wasn’t the only elephant at the zoo to use the hose, either. The younger elephant Anchali had also developed techniques to use it, but instead of showering herself, she seemed to use it mainly to interfere with Mary’s showers.
Possible sabotage
Anchali developed two different techniques to interrupt the flow of water to Mary’s shower hose. One was to bend the hose to stop the flow, and the other was to use her trunk to push the hose down so that the water stopped flowing. The significance of the behavior was hotly debated in the lab, according to Dr. Brecht.
The younger elephant’s behavior occurred shortly after Mary had begun to show aggression toward her, leading the researchers to speculate that it might be a form of revenge.
To test the hypothesis, the researchers gave Anchali access to two tubes, hoping that she would prefer to bend the tube that Mary used instead of choosing at random. However, Anchali tended to clamp the hose that was closest. The researchers were reluctant to draw definitive conclusions and suggested that the behavior could also be a way for Anchali to get attention while the researchers’ focus was very much on Mary.
By the end of January, several planets will be visible from Earth and at least four will be visible to the naked eye, without the aid of telescopes.
The phenomenon, known colloquially as planetary alignment, occurs when several of the solar system’s planets are visible simultaneously in the night sky, usually close to the ecliptic – the path the Sun follows across the sky. The term “planetary alignment” can be misleading because the planets do not line up perfectly, either in the sky or in the solar system as a whole.
The planets become visible because they are on roughly the same side of the Sun and are therefore well-positioned relative to the Earth, allowing them to be seen in the night sky. These events are relatively rare and vary in magnitude depending on the number of visible planets and their brightness.
In January, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune and Saturn will be visible in the night sky, CNET reports. They are estimated to become visible a few days before January 21 and remain visible for about four weeks. The fifth week of the year, during the new moon, is expected to be the best time for observation because of the darker skies.
Seen with the naked eye
Provided there is no interference from artificial light where you are, the planets may become visible as soon as the Sun sets. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye from northern Europe, according to Astroinfo. Jupiter and Venus are the easiest to observe, while Saturn can be difficult to spot in poorer visibility conditions. To see Neptune and Uranus, however, a telescope is required, as well as good visibility conditions.
If you want a chance to see all six planets, head out early in the evening, as Venus and Saturn will soon dip below the horizon. However, Mars and Jupiter will be visible for most of the night.
In the first week of March, Mercury will also become visible, which means a new planetary parade with all the planets in the solar system except Earth. March 8 is predicted to be a good day to see Mercury. The planet will be difficult to see, but the best chance is in the southern parts of Sweden. If you are going out with a telescope at this time, you should be careful as some of the planets will be close to the Sun, and as it can damage your eyes, you should be careful where you point the telescope.
However, this planetary parade is short-lived, as Saturn, Neptune and Mercury will be too close to the Sun shortly afterwards and will no longer be visible.
Finding the planets
Locating the planets in the sky can be challenging. Venus and Saturn are low in the southwest, while Jupiter is high in the east-southeast, according to Astrokonsult. Mars is in the east-northeast, Uranus in the constellation Aries and Neptune in Aquarius. Mercury can be seen low above the horizon in the south-east. Tools such as the Stellarium and Star Walk 2 apps can help you navigate the night sky.
On the artificial island of Pepparholm, plant and animal life thrive without any human interference.Since the island was created during the construction of the Öresund Bridge in 1999, hundreds of plant species and several animal species have been found, and new species are still being discovered.
The Öresund Bridge, also known as the Öresund Link, was inaugurated on July 1, 2000, and spans 15.9 kilometers between Malmö and Copenhagen, both above and below the Öresund Strait via a tunnel.
The original plan for the link was to build it along Saltholm Island. However, this would have required either building the bridge straight across the island or expanding the island. However, due to the risk of disturbing the island’s wildlife, the plan was abandoned and the decision was made to build an artificial island south of Saltholm instead.
Pepparholm, in Danish Peberholm, was designed by bridge and landscape architect Inger Berglund from Falun and built between 1995 and 1999. The island got its name from a naming competition in the Danish newspaper Politiken.
The bridge construction faced opposition from various quarters, including arguments that it would disrupt the natural flow of water. Saltwater, being heavier than freshwater, flows more effectively in deeper areas. However, Pepparholm was built in a shallow area that did not affect the water flow, and Öresund was further deepened to improve the existing water flow. The excavated material was then used to construct the island.
“The largest biological laboratory in the Nordic countries”
The tunnel to Copenhagen starts at Pepparholm, where both a railway and a highway pass through the island. However, no trains stop on the island, and the highway exit can only be used by people with special permission. Only biologists and staff from the Öresund Bridge are allowed to visit the island, which has thus remained untouched by human activity since its creation.
Pepparholm, together with Saltholm and the surrounding sea, is part of Natura 2000 site 142. Natura 2000 is a network of valuable natural areas within the EU with species and habitats that are considered particularly worthy of protection from a European perspective. Because nature on Pepparholm has been allowed to develop without human interference or conservation, the island is also seen as an experiment and has been called “the Nordic region’s largest biological laboratory”.
Unusual species
Pepparholm today has a rich plant and animal life with hundreds of plant species and a large number of animal species identified on the island.
Marschall’s wallflower (Erysimum marschallianum) and early marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata). Montage. Photo: Aleksej Yabs, Ivar Leidus/CC BY-SA 3.0
Several rare species have also been discovered on Pepparholm. For example, the wild and protected early marsh orchid thrives in colonies on the island, having first been found in 2004. In 2007, the plants true salad burnet (Poterium sanguisorba), creeping willow, pale toadflax and Siberian iris were identified. In total, the island is estimated to harbor around 600 plant species, according to Natursidan. Another unusual discovery is the plant Marschall’s wallflower (Erysimum marschallianum), which is not found in either Sweden or Denmark, but is believed to have arrived by train from Finland, according to the state broadcaster SVT.
In 2010, a hare was discovered on the island, believed to have made its way there over the ice. Five years later, white rabbits were found, which it is suspected may have been released from a car. Grey herons, western marsh harriers and peregrine falcons also nest on Pepparholm, which is also popular with other bird species. In total, around 40 different species nest on the island.
The rare European green toad was discovered on the island in 2005. The species is otherwise only found in a few places in Denmark and along the west coast of Scania. A large number of insect species have also been identified, including over 300 beetle species and more than 400 butterfly species. Even the rare and poisonous hobo spider has been found at Pepparholm.
Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia). Photo: Andreas Trepte/CC BY-SA 2.5
New species discovered every year
Every year, biologists and botanists survey Pepparholm and new species continue to be discovered. In 2023, it was noted that a colony of spoonbills had begun to move in the area, as reported by Natursidan. The following year, in 2024, the grasshopper species Aiolopus thalassinus was identified, which is completely new to Denmark. In addition, the rare plant species of hawkweed and denseflower mullein were found during the same period.
The Öresund Bridge, also called the Öresund Link, is a combined rail and road connection between Malmö, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark, spanning 15.9 kilometers. It includes a cable-stayed bridge, a tunnel, and the artificial island Pepparholm, created to facilitate the transition between the bridge and tunnel. Construction began in 1995 and was completed in 2000 at an estimated cost of €4 billion. Officially opened on July 1, 2000, the bridge is considered an engineering marvel, with its dual design of bridge and tunnel allowing it to navigate the busy Öresund Strait without disrupting marine traffic. It has since become a vital infrastructure for travel and commerce between the two countries.
Wildlife bridges have become a success in Sweden, effectively reducing the number of wildlife accidents by helping animals cross roads according to their natural movement patterns.
About a year ago, a wildlife crossing, also known as a wildlife bridge, was built on the E4 highway in Robertsfors, Västerbotten. Deployed cameras show that more and more wild animals are using the passage to cross the road – including the unusual sighting of lynx.
– Lynx have never been captured on our wildlife cameras before, so it’s really exciting, says Torbjörn Nilsson, environmental specialist at Trafikverket Nord who visited the wildlife bridge, to Swedish TV4.
Similar passages, both over and under roads, exist today in several places in Sweden. At the E22 Brömsebro wildlife crossing, more than 10,000 animal incidents were recorded in one year, showing that the bridges are effective in reducing wildlife accidents and saving society large costs. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the social costs of wildlife accidents are estimated to be as much as SEK 15 billion (Є1.3 billion) per year.
The bridges are built strategically based on studies of the natural movement patterns of animals. To be effective, major crossings should be placed at least four to six kilometers apart.
– Then it’s important to follow up over a few years so that we can see that the animals really find their way here, says Nilsson.
Building a wildlife crossing costs between SEK 30 and 50 million (Є2.6 and 4.3 million) and the construction has a lifespan of about 120 years with current construction technology. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the investments are well justified because they reduce the risk of wildlife accidents.
