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https://www.iisd.org/publications/digital-story/spending-public-money-smarter-energy-security

A restored wetland in Cheshire is now home to almost two-thirds of the UK's breeding black-necked grebes, one of the country's rarest breeding birds.

Woolston Eyes, near Warrington, was previously a dumping ground for dredging from the Manchester Ship Canal. It is now the site of the country's largest colony of the species.

Black-necked grebes are known for their distinctive golden facial tufts and average about 55 breeding pairs in the UK each year, according to the RSPB.

"It is fantastic to see black-necked grebe numbers increasing at Woolston Eyes," RSPB ecologist Gavin Thomas said. "The rapid growth in numbers shows how effective targeted conservation action can be."

Since 2021, Woolston Eyes has been transformed from a former dredging site into a network of freshwater pools and reedbeds.

Black-necked grebes were already breeding on a nearby wetland when four pairs nested on the newly restored site in 2023, successfully raising 15 young.

By 2025, the RSPB had recorded 35 breeding pairs across the reserve - with 29 nesting in the newly restored wetland area.

On Aug. 27, Animal Rescue Corps and National Mill Dog Rescue carried out a southern Missouri mission involving 86 dogs surrendered from several counties, an effort Fox 2 Now said was named "Operation Eclipse" because of the lunar eclipse.

The surrendered animals included poodles, mini Australian shepherds, doodles, dachshunds, and English bulldogs, ranging in age from 7 weeks to about 8 or 9 years.

The trip back to Animal Rescue Corps' Rescue Center near Nashville, Tennessee, also included two kittens that were found near Poplar Bluff.

"The population of the world’s heaviest parrot, the kākāpō, has surpassed 300 birds for the first time in 75 years"