There are about 10,000 bird species in the world. They can be found on all continents and most ecosystems, and display a huge variety of life strategies. Their migrations take them to the farthest reaches of the planet, and link up distant ecosystems.

World Migratory Bird Day is a global initiative devoted to promoting birds and their conservation worldwide. Start your World Migratory Bird Day celebration this weekend - check out the WMBD website and find out more about this amazing natural phenomenon!

Turtle dove Streptopelia turtur, a declining farmland species found in Bedfordshire. Photo @ Sergey Dereliev, UNEP/AEWA

The Nude Ewe project is selling wool spun from Bedfordshire's own conservation grazing flocks. Proceeds go towards the Wildlife Trust's grazing programme.

By munching the bramble, shrubs and other rough vegetation, grazing flocks maintain our meadow and heathland habitats. Without these natural lawnmowers our beautiful grassy hills and fields would turn to scrub.

So support our meadows: visit The Nude Ewe website and knit up your own piece of Bedfordshire!

This year the Association of Zoos & Aquariums is leading a major campaign to address the alarming extinction of amphibians around the world. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that at least 1/3 of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The Year of the Frog campaign is aiming to raise public awareness and funding for amphibian conservation projects.

For information on the Year of the Frog campaign and how you can help, visit www.2008yearofthefrog.org.

'It's not easy being green'

- Kermit the Frog

We thought we'd celebrate both springtime and the Year of the Frog by getting up close and personal with our own number one amphibian!

Common frogs are as their name implies, common garden visitors. You are most likely to see them now, during the breeding season. Males group together in ponds where sing to attract females. The males with the best songs get to mate with the females. They do this by climbing on the female's back and gripping her under the front legs.

The females lay clusters of 300-400 eggs, called 'spawn'. The eggs are jelly-like. Each contains a small black embryo that will develop into a tadpole. Newly-hatched tadpoles are black but quickly turn brown.

Adult common frogs are between 6 and 9 cm in length. They vary widely in colour, from yellowish brown to brown or green. They are spotted or striped on top with a pale underside, and have a dark patch behind each eye. Females are often much larger than the males.

Common frogs aren't picky eaters and will feast on any invertebrate that they can fit in their mouth. The frogs use their long sticky tongue to catch prey. Favourite foods include worms, slugs, snails and insects.

Common frogs are found throughout most of Europe, from Ireland east to western Russia, and from northern Italy up to the Arctic Circle.

Photos: top - Richard Gibson; middle - common frog spawn, Aleksander Niwelinski; bottom - Bill and Sam Lionheart

What does this mean? It means that we - along with hundreds of agencies in Europe and around the world - are working hard to conserve and enhance our local habitats and species. It's a big job and we can't do it alone. Find out what you can do to help us out!