Deep within a Gloucestershire valley is a hidden world. The wider countryside is covered by mixed-age beech woodland in a complex mosaic of forest, commons and farmland. But in this quiet corner, a strikingly different blend of habitats can be found - and with it a mix of unusual species. (1/10)

Great good sense - and careful diplomacy - from @tonyjuniper.bsky.social on R4 Today just now: the evidence is that white storks were simply never a breeding bird in the UK, so they’re not a conservation priority.

Natural England has revealed that it does not believe White Storks to be native to Britain – and it views releases of the species as not a conservation priority:

UK Great Spotted Woodpeckers & Blue Tits destroy half of all Willow Tit nests, far higher than elsewhere, far higher losses than other tits. UK has among highest GSW & Blue Tit abundance in the World, as we've created a paradise of endless free food, safe nestboxes, and few nest predators (martens).

Natural England’s view on White Stork releases, and whether there is sufficient evidence of whether they are native or not 👇🏻 naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2026/05/08/w...

One to watch. One theory I have heard as to why the species is declining in parts of its range is warming winters. Not something that Knepp can manage @chrisvanswaay.eurosky.social www.birdguides.com/news/black-v...

Species go up and down annually, but a two-thirds (66%) decline of a resident bird in a single year is sign of accelerating terminal decline - that's not a slump that the single-brooded, low-density, low dispersal Willow Tit is going to bounce back from. Bad years get worse, better years are rare.

Blue Tits are a problem for Willow Tits, often taking over WT nest cavities by aggressive eviction. With 6 WT eggs inside, these BTs spent an entire day removing nesting material! The second day was full on warfare, ending in successful WTs. Now a full clutch of 8 eggs safely under incubation. Phew!

Nice news from Kent, but coppicing trends & deer don't seem to explain Nightingale declines nationally. Coppicing hasn't been common for almost a century, and they're disappearing from sites where habitat unchanged or improved (Paxton,Bradfield), esp north & west. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Very telling from the birdfood industry. Despite new RSPB/BTO advice on birdfeeding based on a solid scientific review, and RSPB taking a ££ hit themselves, EVERY major birdfood company is attacking/rejecting the guidance, claiming to know better, putting their incomes over conservation. Shameful.

Highlight of last night's first moth trap of the year was this pristine Chocolate-tip. The first I've ever had to the garden here in South Cambs. Also Brindled Beauty x 2, Streamer, Common Quaker, Nut Tree Tussock and Early Grey.

Some ominous footage gathered a few days ago from one of the Willow Tit nests we are monitoring. GSW are the most common predator of WT nests in Britain, and having increased by ~400% since the late 60s, it's not a threat that's going away. Let's hope this one has amnesia... #UKBirding #Yikes

Still think the birdfood industry is about 'conservation', rather than endless commercial growth in pursuit of £££? See how their industry leader reacted. The science is well known, but heaven forbid there'll be a threat to his industry's profits (and sod the wildlife): www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This new advice will sound familiar to older folk, as strong rule until 1990s was to only feed birds in winter. That changed when birdfood industry started wagging the dog, seeking huge commercial growth. Now we've got mass disease & waste. And not one species of conservation concern has benefited.

Good to see some more movement on garden bird feeding but ultimately we need a rethink, not just because of disease but because making common birds commoner can make rare ones rarer #Ornithology #UKBirding www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Elements of this debate also apply to Britain, where there is also no evidence at all that European Bison were ever present.

What better way is there to spend the Easter 🐣 🐣🐣 weekend than birdwatching, and hopefully finding and recording rare breeding birds to help their conservation? There’s lots to look for in April, so here’s some ideas from RBBP Secretary @markaeaton.bsky.social #ornithology #UKbirding

Nice meander down Devil's Dyke this morning. Spring was definitely in the air with Brimstone, Comma, Speckled Wood, Small White and Peacock all on the wing. Lots of Bee flies and some impressive Pasqueflower displays (although snall-scale compared to the 1000s dowm the road at Therfield)

Hard to not escape the fact that if things carry on the way they are, we will have a similar article written about Willow tit and Britain in the not too distant future...

Well done @wildlifebcn.org. At some point something is going to have to give with dog disturbance at nature reserves, although it is a wider societal issue (which I say as a dog owner)

We’ve published our response to the "Lost Frogs report". Read our statement here: https://www.arc-trust.org/lost-frogs-report-comment-from-amphibian-and-reptile-conservation-trust

BTO Ringing Report also shows historic lows for Willow Tits & Wood Warblers. 2024 saw just 132 Willow Tits and 109 Wood Warblers ringed in UK, lowest for ~65 years since introduction of mist-nets. Not a single Willow Tit chick ringed since 2022. Number of Marsh Tits ringed also declining.

A stroll round a beautiful, but brutally cold Wicken Fen this morning

There is no unambiguous evidence supporting native UK Holocene status for these species involved in this "reintroduction".

A stroll around Wimpole to check if any of the resident Greylags had attracted any White-fronts or Bean geese. Sadly not, with only some of the flock present, but did have a Hawfinch in the woodland shelter belts @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

There is no plan to release young, and the breeding stock are many (many) generations old. There is research investment into the genetics of the remaining English birds, and the reason that they declined in some places and held on longer in others, any talk about reintroduction is overzealous.

Cause of Twite decline still unknown, and recent genetic testing of captive breeding populations concluding they are not genetically suitable for release...

Hundreds-strong mixed finch flock building up around this plot of winter bird food just outside Westom Colville. Several Brambling present from a quick scan @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Bioacoustics as a tool for the detection and monitoring of a scarce woodland bird – the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker paper now live in the latest British Birds journal. Read more:

⚠️ The UK’s smallest and rarest woodpecker, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is a shy and elusive bird. It’s rapidly becoming one of our scarcest breeding birds, with substantial declines since the 1980s. 🧵⬇️ #bioacoustics #ornithology

Extraordinary record of Willow Tit from Moray!! - 250km-ish from nearest breeders or 550km from Scandinavia! @richardkbroughton.bsky.social birdsinmorayandnairn.org/bird-recordi...

Something to celebrate - our 2025 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker report - successful breeding season, the most nests monitored & highest number of chicks fledged per nest since we started in 2015. Acoustic monitoring giving amazing results too, download here www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/images/L_S_W...

A great thread dismantling the latest 'conservation populism' to be floated in Britain. With funding available for species recovery, this is business for some. We'll see more of this pitching for commercial projects that scientists & species experts think is useless. #ornithology #ukbirding

Operation Turtle Dove has issued an official statement expressing their disapproval over the captive breeding and releasing of European Turtle Dove in the UK:

Autumn is coming #FungiFriends #illustration #mushroomart

1 Pleased to be presenting the latest results gathered by Woodpecker-Network volunteers on Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and what we can do to conserve them better #BOUatEOU www.woodpecker-netwo...#BOUatEOU

Anyone got a video of a hare having the shit scared out of it by a curlew — ah, don’t worry, got one anyway!

Great work by @bramblebotanist.bsky.social as part of a project to begin unravelling the mystery of these enigmatic orchids in Britain

No mention of the disease risks. Or the welfare concerns of releasing birds into places that don’t suit them. This is pretend conservation, dressed up as the real thing and given a free ride by a serious environmental journalist. Hugely damaging. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Just recorded a Turtle Dove in a fenland bird survey, but no way of knowing if it’s a wild bird or one of these idiotic amateur releases. This really matters for conservation. Treating Turtle Doves like pheasants masks the decline. Maybe that’s the point... www.theguardian.com/environment/...

2025 was a record breeding season for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests monitored by our volunteers. None failed & where we were able to check the nest contents the number of chicks fledged was the highest since we started the project in 2015. Full story www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/index.php/ne...

Releasing captive bred Turtle Doves is at this stage highly inappropriate, as risks jeopardising the efforts to save the wild population due to potential disease risks from captive populations of uknown origin, as well as altering their migratory behaviour. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A great win, with national implications. At last, councils will have to take into account the cumulative effects of livestock factories on river catchments. It's all about increments of excrement. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Always nice to get the first Privet Hawk of the year! #moths

Fantastic news 19 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests found and being watched/monitored by our volunteers so far. Most have 4 chicks, well fed by the adults. Nests are so difficult to find & these are only a tiny proportion of the several thousand LSW pairs in Britain, but all very positive this year.

A fantastic 3 day birding in the south west looking for lesser spot nests happy to say I found nest number 17 this year!! A big thanks to @lesserspotnet.bsky.social and gus robin who came to image the nest showing possibly 3/4 young birds fantastic work these people are doing for the species 👏

LesserSpotNet volunteers have now found 16 active LSW nests - 2 more nests were found today. Young have now fledged at 3 nests - so get looking.

Not an overly rare moth, but Eyed Hawkmoth is one I've been waiting for since I first started trapping 5 years ago. Delighted to finally catch one in my Cambridgeshire garden! #moth #insect #lepioptera

Life update klaxon: I’ve joined the Natural Sciences department at Manchester Met as a PhD researcher! Our team will be investigating the role of interspecific competition and community composition in the decline of the willow tit, focusing our efforts on post-industrial sites in the north west.

Exciting news from Wyre Forest NNR, we looked into 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest cavities on 2 May with our endoscope. Female incubating 7 eggs in one (not all visible in photo) & 6 tiny chicks just hatched at 2nd nest. Both early so should do well. Thanks Natural England for showing us round.