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Nature & Environment
Make a meadow, whatever the scale and the diversity of meadows
Would you like to create your own meadow? Find out the steps required to make one and how you can maintain it.
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Nature & Environment
Studying Mammals
Welcome to OpenLearn’s ‘Studying Mammals’ series. This collection of 10 free courses covers everything from the largest to the smallest of mammals, their eating habits and social interactions.
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Society, Politics & Law
A bird on the edge: the story of the chough and how it speaks for people
Dr Andy Morris looks at one of the less familiar members of the crow family - the chough. Is there a connection between this bird and Celtic speaking areas?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Citizen science and global biodiversity
This free course, Citizen science and global biodiversity, deals with the importance of biodiversity and explores how anyone can contribute to and be involved in identifying and recording wildlife, as a citizen scientist. It looks at what citizen science is, and how citizen science facilitates public involvement in scientific research activities as individuals learn and build skills. Traditional biological keys are introduced and online recording is demonstrated using citizen science techniques and practical activities using the www.iSpotnature.org platform. The course goes on to demonstrate how, once a species is identified, web resources can be used to research its ecology. The role of citizen science is illustrated through a number of case studies from across the world. Finally, the course concludes by exploring the impact citizen scientists are having on recording biodiversity around the globe.
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Nature & Environment
Neighbourhood nature
There is a fascinating world of nature all around us which we can see if we know how to look for it. Wherever you live, be it in a city or the countryside, you will find areas that support a range of wildlife. This free course, Neighbourhood nature, will provide you with basic scientific and observational skills so that you can go into your local neighbourhood to discover the animals and plants in open spaces. You will learn how to observe, identify and record the wildlife around you, building up a picture of a small part of your local environment.
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Nature & Environment
Do animals really raise human babies as their own?
Myth, history and popular culture tells of children raised by wolves and more. Do these stories have any basis in truth?
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Nature & Environment
Are we about to be at the mercy of superslugs?
Is it a bird? Is it... a homeless snail? Or some sort of slug with superpowers? Leslie Noble goes behind the headline panics.
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Nature & Environment
The struggle to save the seabirds after the Torrey Canyon disaster
Fifty years ago [March 1967] the Torrey Canyon ran aground between Cornwall and the Isles Of Scilly, splilling over 100 million litres of crude oil into the sea. To mark the anniversary, we're reproducing an article from WWT's Wildfowl magazine, where Dr J V Beer explains how the RSPCA and WWT tried to rehabilitate wildlife caught in the disaster.
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Nature & Environment
Bird ringing in Bog Meadows
Bird ringing is a world-wide method of finding out where birds migrate and how population levels change. This video shows how it works in Bog Meadows, a city nature reserve a few metres from the M1 motorway in Northern Ireland.
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TV, Radio & Events
OU on the BBC: The Great British Year - ARCHIVE
The definitive portrait of the spectacular nature of the country over the course of one year.
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TV, Radio & Events
OU on the BBC: The Great British Year: Autumn
Autumn brings a final fling of colour before the sun begins to fade.
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TV, Radio & Events
OU on the BBC: The Great British Year: Summer
A lazy summer for some, but for many species this is a period of peak activity.