Avian flu and costs among reasons for loss of captive birds at Castle Espie
Bird migration is a visible annual event at Castle Espie Avian flu, cost-cutting and Brexit are among the reasons behind the transfer of captive birds from one of Northern Ireland's best-known wildlife sites, according to the charity that runs it. Director of Operations at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) Alex Lane said avian influenza, as well as difficulties in transporting birds since Brexit, has contributed to the decline in the number of captive birds at Castle Espie. The closure of both the site's captive bird programme and guided school tour programme is part of wider WWT cost-cutting measures. An Assembly member has described the changes to the education offering as "disappointing". Alex Lane said the site used to have around 500 birds in its captive collection - but, a combination of Brexit and avian influenza means today, there are fewer than 100. Both the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been contacted for comment. From November onwards, all captive birds at Castle Espie will be transferred to other WWT sites across the UK. The centre, which is located in County Down, will also no longer offer guided school tours. However, the centre have said they will "continue to welcome self-guided school visits". The centre has different types of wetlands Castle Espie, which is managed , is located on the shores of Strangford Lough, just outside Comber. The reserve is a safe haven for native and exotic birds, ducks and geese, and some of its collection including globally at-risk species. It has different types of wetlands, including freshwater and sailing lagoons as well as seasonally flooded areas. Captive mallards at the Castle Espie site Castle Espie will cease to offer its formal education offer Alex Lane, Director of Operations at WWT, said rising costs and the challenge around income means charities like the WWT are facing "increasing pressure". "We've got a sizeable deficit and obviously that's unsustainable in the long term," she told BBC News NI. Lane said it is important the WWT have surplus income so that they can "do the conservation work that is part of their mission". She said the site used to have over 500 birds in its captive collection - but, in part due to avian influenza, today there are less than 100.
Why hasn't the UK had any named storms yet?
With November already on the horizon the UK is yet to see its first named storm of the season. Deep Atlantic lows responsible for more turbulent conditions have been steered away . This year the headlines have been about worsening drought rather than the impact of gales. However, could this be the calm before the storms as the Met Office predict a growing chance that late autumn and early winter will turn wetter and windier as El Niño strengthens in the Pacific. As autumn sets in and the nights get longer temperatures around polar regions start to fall. This causes a greater contrast with the warmer tropics which can fire up a more potent jet stream - the fast moving, narrow band of fast winds high in the atmosphere. The jet stream is largely responsible for developing and delivering our stormier pressure systems. Typically in autumn the jet stream would be a regular visitor to the skies above the UK, steering wet and windy weather towards us. However, so far this season it has often been sitting to the north or north-west of the UK. This has meant south or south-westerly winds bringing warmer than normal conditions and high pressure having more of an influence leading to reduced rainfall for many. So far this autumn the jet stream has been largely to the north-west of the UK, steering stormy low pressure systems away These weather patterns have therefore meant only occasional bouts of stronger winds across the north-west of the UK, with little disruption. The heaviest of the rain has also been focused across Scotland and Northern Ireland while parts of England and Wales have continued to be much drier than normal. Parts of Herefordshire for instance have only received a tenth of the rainfall they would normally have seen by mid-October so far this month. Some of the biggest impacts of the dry weather have been across the southern England where exceptionally low reservoir levels have prompted the Environment Agency to declare "severe drought" in some areas. Is there a hosepipe ban in my area? What you need to know A change in the position of that jet stream and its strength is expected through the coming week. This will allow deeper low pressure systems to affect more parts of the UK marking a shift to a more widespread wetter and windier weather. Forecasts will need to be monitored closely as there is potential later in the week that we could see our first spell of widely disruptive weather this season.
Pope pictured for first time since surgery and cancer diagnosis
Pope Leo thanked medical staff as he was pictured for the first time since his lung surgery Pope Leo XIV has been pictured celebrating Mass from hospital, in the first images of him released . The 71-year-old pontiff was diagnosed with lung cancer after the surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday afternoon, which the Vatican said had been "successful" and proceeded without complications. The images shared on Friday showed the Chicago-born Pope wearing a green robe while standing behind a makeshift altar on the tenth floor of the hospital. Pope Leo "celebrated with the medical and nursing staff" and thanked workers for their service, the Vatican press office said. Pope's cancer diagnosis leaves Catholics questioning what comes next Also on Friday, the Pope phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin from hospital to urge a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, where access to food and water has been cut off for thousands. "The fact that he accepted the call and spoke with the Pope may, I hope, be a sign that the Pope's request will indeed be carried out," said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state. Without mentioning a ceasefire, the Kremlin said: "The Vatican's intention to help create the conditions necessary to ensure the safety of the town's population and to organise vital supplies has been supported". "It has been agreed to cooperate on this matter," it added. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, made a similar plea to address what he described as a "desperate" situation in Oleshky. The Pope's doctors said on Friday tests had shown "a steady improvement in his general condition" since his surgery. His doctors said that a chest X-ray indicated "good recovery of the operated lung". The whole lower lobe of the Pope's right lung was removed "to ensure the procedure was radical", the Vatican said following the surgery. "After the operation, the Pope awoke normally and returned after a brief period of observation to his room," it said earlier, before he spent a "peaceful night" at the hospital. The pontiff is expected to remain at the hospital for about a week as he recovers Pope Leo first announced that he would be having the operation during his weekly Sunday prayers, telling the crowd in St Peter's Square that doctors had found a "well-contained" nodule on his lung "at an early stage" and advised him to have it removed.
When not to watch a meteor shower — why I'm not staying up for the Orionids
If a calendar said "peak," I interpreted that as an instruction. I'd set an alarm, find several layers of clothing and go outside at around a. m. when even the neighborhood cats seemed surprised to see me. Then I'd spend an increasingly resentful 45 minutes staring upward, occasionally see one meteor and wonder whether I was somehow doing it all wrong. As I've grown into stargazing, I've become much more selective. The Orionids peak next week, and normally I'd be tempted. These fast meteors come from debris from Halley's Comet, which is enough of a connection to make almost anyone want to go outside. However, another object is in the sky this year — a big, bright waxing gibbous moon that will brighten the night sky and make "shooting stars" very hard to see. That doesn't make the Orionids unobservable. In fact, there is a narrow window when the night sky will be free from moonlight. But it does make me far less inclined to sacrifice an entire night for them, and I certainly won't be trying to spend the night camping under a dark sky in a remote rural location far from light pollution. I've discovered that knowing when not to observe is an underrated stargazing skill. What's happening and when to look The Orionid meteor shower's radiant is the constellation Orion. ( Cia via )The Orionids are active from Oct. 2 through Nov. 7, with their 2026 maximum expected overnight on Oct. 21-22. They appear to radiate from a point near Orion, although the meteors themselves can streak across almost any part of the sky. The shower happens because Earth crosses a stream of debris left behind by Halley's Comet, which was last in the inner solar system in 1986 and will return in 2061. Those tiny particles hit our atmosphere at roughly 41 miles (66 kilometers) per second, making Orionids particularly fast meteors. Under ideal conditions, the International Meteor Organization gives the shower a zenithal hourly rate of 20 or more around maximum. But "zenithal hourly rate" is not the same as promising that I will personally see 20 meteors while standing in my backyard for an hour. It assumes an excellent dark sky, a well-placed radiant and unobstructed viewing. In reality, that's impossible — at the very least you'd have to have eyes in the back of your head. This year adds another complication. The moon reaches first quarter on Oct. 18 and continues waxing toward full on Oct. 26. On the peak night of the Orionids, an 80%-illuminated waxing gibbous moon will be in the night sky as it gets dark on Oct. 21 and sets around a. m. local time across Europe and North America on Oct. 22.
How to see the Orionid meteor shower 2026 peak this week — and when to look
Click for next article The Orionids peak around Oct. 21. This summer, the annual Perseid meteor shower peaked on the day of a new moon — and a solar eclipse — so moonlight stayed out of the way. And there's more to look forward to: in December, the Geminids, the year's most prolific shower, will peak after a waxing crescent moon sets early in the evening, opening the door to excellent viewing. Right between those two headline showers, the dependable Orionids take their turn, reaching peak activity around Oct. 21-22. So, when and where can you catch the show? When and where to watch Make sure you wrap up warm for a night of Orionid hunting. ( in Canva )The Orionids take their name from the spot where they seem to fan out: Orion's raised club, just above and to the left of the reddish star Betelgeuse. Orion is usually a winter favorite, so in early autumn the mighty hunter doesn't fully clear the eastern horizon until after 11 p. m. local daylight time. Don't rush outside just yet though. Wait until around 2 a. m., when Orion is well above the horizon. By about 5 a. m., just before dawn, Orion reaches its highest point in the southern sky — and the view should be at its best. Orionid meteors tend to be faint, so city lights can easily wash them out. If you can, head to a safe, dark rural spot. Get comfortable in a reclining lawn chair or sleeping bag, give your eyes time to adjust, and enjoy the view overhead and toward the southern sky. Why the moon won't spoil the show And what about the moon? A full moon arrives October 25-26, but there's still a welcome stretch of dark sky for several mornings before Wednesday. By Oct. 21-22, the waxing gibbous moon will be resting among the dim stars of Capricornus, reaching its highest point around p. m. local daylight time. Here's the good news: it will set shortly after 2 a. m., leaving roughly 3½ hours of dark sky before dawn. In that window, one observer may spot as many as 15 to 20 Orionids per hour. Because those hours line up with the shower's peak, the moon shouldn't steal the show this year. Halley's Comet: the source of the Orionids So, where do the Orionids come from? Their story begins with Halley's Comet—the same famous visitor behind May's Eta Aquarids. Meteoroids are tiny leftovers from a comet's nucleus.
Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon Phobos
Artist’s representation of the MMX Spacecraft JAXA We may be on the verge of solving the mystery of the Martian moons. On 20 October, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft launches towards the larger of the two moons, Phobos, with the goal of bringing back a sample that may finally explain how Phobos and its sibling, Deimos, formed. MMX will launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. If all goes to plan, it should arrive at Mars in August 2027, entering an orbit that keeps it alongside Phobos so it can build a detailed map of the surface. Along the way, it will also observe the surface of Deimos. Once the map is complete enough, the spacecraft’s operators at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will use it to pick out a spot on Phobos for MMX to land. During one or two brief landings, it will take on two tasks: to drop off a small rover called IDEFIX and to pick up samples. The rover is the first anyone has ever placed on such a small cosmic body, so part of its purpose aside from scientific observations is to confirm that a wheeled rover even works on an object with such low gravity. The samples, though, are the most important part of the mission. MMX has two different sampling devices: one that shoots a puff of gas onto the surface, blowing dust and pebbles back up into a sampling container, and another that blasts a hollow cylinder into the ground to take a sample a several centimetres deep. After the samples are taken, they will be stowed away inside the spacecraft, which will then head back towards Earth. It is expected to arrive home in 2031. Once these samples get back to Earth and are analysed , they should finally solve the mystery of how Phobos and Deimos formed. For more than a century, researchers have debated whether the two are captured asteroids or formed from an impact on Mars, similar to how Earth’s moon formed. On first look, their shapes and surfaces resemble asteroids, but their circular orbits around Mars’s equator are more consistent with the impact hypothesis. Figuring out what they are made of should settle it once and for all. This will also help illuminate what the solar system was like billions of years ago when these strange moons formed. “Having the answer will help illuminate that early era when Earth and the other inner planets may have been acquiring much of their water and organic compounds,” said Tom Statler, part of the NASA team that is collaborating on the MMX mission, in a statement.
El Niño has killed hundreds of children in Sudan
Displaced people queuing for food in Daba Naira camp in Tawila, Sudan Giles Clarke/Avaaz via Hundreds of children have died of starvation and disease in a drought in Sudan caused -breaking El Niño. The risk of this leading to a full-blown famine is growing. Almost half the country is experiencing drought, which in some areas is the worst in decades, according to a warning from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a partnership of the United Nations and charity organisations. As a result, crops are failing and people are dying in a “humanitarian catastrophe, already of historic proportions”, it said. Hunger has reached famine levels in two refugee camps in Darfur, a region in western Sudan. While that’s not enough for the IPC to declare a famine across the region, the partnership said it has resulted in hundreds of deaths. Most of these are children, who are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, as well as outbreaks of cholera and measles. At least 1800 people have died of malnutrition in three areas of Darfur controlled by a rebel faction led -Nur, according to the group. Almost 29 million people, 62 per cent of the country’s population, are already being forced to eat less or go hungry. As the spotty harvest comes in, they won’t be able to store food or make money to buy it before the next rainy season in June, dramatically increasing the risk of widespread famine, says Manon Radosta at the non-governmental organisation CARE, a member of the IPC. “Families are skipping meals. They’re not eating or they’re eating just porridge,” she says. “It would not take much to tip it. We cannot predict it, but we’re extremely worried that the situation will be so severe that people will be massively starving.” In 2003, ethnic minorities in Darfur rebelled against Sudan’s largely Arab government, and government-backed Arab paramilitaries began killing civilians in a conflict that led to about 300,000 deaths. Twenty years later, the paramilitaries launched a civil war against Sudan’s new military government and killed thousands of non-Arab civilians in Darfur. Some of these massacres bore the “hallmarks of genocide”, the UN found. The war has displaced 14 million people and disrupted farming and livestock herding. Prices of food and fuel have also shot up as the US-Iran conflict interrupts shipping on the Strait of Hormuz. Now, El Niño has reduced rainfall to crops including the main staple, sorghum, and withered vegetation for grazing.
Covid vaccine compensation scheme set for overhaul after Inquiry criticism
More than 24,000 Covid vaccine-harm claims have been made - most relating to the AstraZeneca jab The government has committed to reform of the scheme that provides financial support for those injured or bereaved by vaccines. It was a key recommendation of the UK Covid Inquiry, and has been a focus for campaigners. One campaign group has welcomed the recognition that vaccine injury and bereavement is real and that the current scheme is not fit for purpose. But it says it wants a clear commitment to action by ministers, rather than simply saying they will look further at what needs to be done. The benefits of vaccination are well documented. The AstraZeneca Covid jab is credited with saving millions of lives worldwide. But some people have experienced harm. In her fourth report, the chair of the Covid Inquiry, Baroness Hallett, called for better support for those affected. She said while this was a minority, the way they are supported needed urgent reform. More than 24,000 people have made Covid-related claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), a form of financial support paid , but just over 1% have resulted in one-off tax-free awards of £120,000. The report called for "urgent" reform of the scheme, saying that it is "not sufficiently supportive". It said the current system, in which those affected must show they have been at least "60% disabled", does not work effectively for Covid vaccines. In its response to the report, the government says, external it is committed to reviewing the scheme to ensure it is "fit for purpose and delivered effectively." Ministers in England have promised to work closely with the other nations of the UK as well as those injured . One of the main campaign groups for those who were injured . The group welcomed the government's acknowledgement that vaccine injury and bereavement were real and that the VDPS is not fit for purpose. Last month it was revealed that the VDPS has cost £83m to run since April 2022. The amount spent on administration costs and medical assessments was more than double the £32m paid out in financial support to victims so far. Ministers say they will ensure the scheme is working properly.
A rare family of barn owls moved into Manhattan's Upper West Side. New Yorkers are captivated
A rare family of barn owls moved into Manhattan, captivating New Yorkers Manhattan's Upper West Side has been reveling in the company of its latest celebrities: A family of barn owls nested in a water tower atop a building near Central Park. Animals A rare family of barn owls moved into Manhattan's Upper West Side. New Yorkers are captivated October 16, 20262:27 AM ET By The Associated Press An American Barn Owl sits perched on a water tower on the Upper West Side neighborhood, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in New York. Yuki Iwamura/AP hide caption toggle caption i Yuki Iwamura/AP NEW YORK — Manhattan's Upper West Side has been reveling in the company of its latest celebrities: A family of barn owls nested in a water tower atop a building near Central Park. Yuki Iwamura/AP hide caption toggle caption i Yuki Iwamura/AP Word of the barn owl family didn't get around until last week, when Elisabeth Williams, an Upper West Side resident, notified a local news outlet on Oct. 6 that she and her husband saw multiple owls at the water tower atop a building on West 75th Street close to Central Park West. The couple had previously seen a single owl on an apartment windowsill a few days earlier and were shocked even then, Williams recalled. "In a place like Manhattan, you normally really have to go out of your way to encounter nature," she said. "And here it was, just sort of right outside our window." Barn owl sightings are rare in New York City It's not the first time that birds have captivated New Yorkers. Residents have fallen in love with American woodcocks, who are known to stop in Midtown Manhattan's Bryant Park every year as they migrate north in early spring. Animals 'A fabulous ambassador' Flaco, the beloved New York owl, died after building collision After Flaco the Eurasian eagle-owl died in 2024, dozens of mournful fans gathered to say goodbye to the beloved creature who flew around Manhattan and became a joy to many after someone let him out of his zoo enclosure the previous year. Then there was Pale Male, a red-tailed hawk who nested above Fifth Avenue for three decades before dying in 2023. But barn owl sightings in New York City parks are very rare, according to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. New York is at the northern fringe of the barn owl's range and the barn owl population has declined "at an alarming rate" over time, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "There's lots of excitement among New Yorkers, both birders and non-birders alike, about these owls because owls really capture the attention," said Jessica Wilson, executive director of NYC Bird Alliance. "They're magical, they're nocturnal, they are secretive, they're not commonly seen, especially on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
This week in science: sea monsters, long COVID patients' microbiome, elephant carcasses
NPR's science podcast Short Wave brings us stories about the hunting habits of ancient sea monsters, the microbiome of long COVID patients, and how elephant carcasses replenish the savannah. NPR Science LISTEN & FOLLOW NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio RSS link Science This week in science: sea monsters, long COVID patients' microbiome, elephant carcasses October 15, 20265:33 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Nathan Rott , Regina G. Barber This week in science: sea monsters, long COVID patients' microbiome, elephant carcasses Listen · Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www. npr. org/player/embed/nx-s1-5995400/nx-s1-9965842" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript NPR's science podcast Short Wave brings us stories about the hunting habits of ancient sea monsters, the microbiome of long COVID patients, and how elephant carcasses replenish the savannah. Transcript SCOTT DETROW, HOST: It is time now for our science news roundup from Short Wave, NPR's science podcast. NATE ROTT, BYLINE: Hello, Scott. DETROW: So like usual, you have brought us three science stories that caught your attention recently. I think none of them are involving space. What do we have today? BARBER: We've got the hunting habits of ancient sea monsters. ROTT: We've got how elephant carcasses help shape the savanna. BARBER: And a look at the microbiomes of people suffering from long COVID. DETROW: Look, if you can't bring me space, you might as well bring me sea monsters. Are we talking aquatic dinosaurs? What are we talking about here? BARBER: These animals weren't dinosaurs. They were huge ancient marine lizards. Some grew to the size of a bus. But they did live during the same time as T. rex. BARBER: Yeah, they kind of ruled the ocean. And now paleontologists think they know how fast they actually were in the water. DETROW: I mean, how fast were they? ROTT: OK, so some mosasaurs with the longer tails could go up to around 15 miles per hour a slam-start. ROTT: Say it with me. ROTT: (Laughter) So it's like a swimmer pushing off of a pool wall. So, Scott, imagine you're in the water. ROTT: Just checking out some coral... Breathing through your snorkel, you know? ROTT: You see a mosasaur. KIERSTEN FORMOSO: Then, suddenly, it dramatically curls its tail. It lunges forward, and it is now 75% closer to you than it was one second ago.