Goodness knows I love these little chonky birds but not sure how I feel about this. Is the habitat there? How much did climate change play a role?

Happy Christmas all!

Check out what the Polar Bears are up to and where they are. Looks like most are hanging on the rapidly forming ice along the coastline. #polarbear #mammal polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bear-t...

This resonates, glad it's biology

🪨 Deep-sea mining news out of Norway: Hot off the press (12/03/2025) 🌊🧪

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🚨Gillian Martin repping the Scottish Gov said the SNP would NOT embrace swift bricks. The vote is next week. Email her asking the SNP to save swifts by saying yes to swift bricks would be a good thing to do: [email protected]

New collaborative wildlife crime initiative launched: Operation Major endeavours to build a strong, collaborative response that reduces harm to dogs, protects wildlife & strengthens the detection and prevention of wildlife crime & animal abuse across the UK 👏👏🦡⚖️ naturewatch.org/the-story-be...

#NationalTreeWeek VWT’s #MartensOnTheMove works with landowners, communities+vols to install 150 den boxes in 6 Monitoring Hubs as safe places for pine martens to rest, overwinter+raise young. The boxes are monitored to see how populations are recovering in these areas. #NationalLotteryHeritageFund

New ornithology mag!

It would be good if the podcasts that have covered the planning bill, could update and include the reports that find that ecological constraints do not block housing. @therestpolitics.bsky.social @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social @quietriotpod.bsky.social

A great day out!

Love this 🤣 see also academic project meetings

New blog! Den Box Host, Dr Karen Blackport, shares her story of making space for nature and becoming a pine marten den box host for the #MartensOnTheMove project. Read the full blog here bit.ly/3Wi6mgV #NationalLotteryHeritageFund

Protect the Wild says there is no justification for sacrificing nature to “get Britain building”. protectthewild.substack.com/p/labours-pl...

Sign our petition to call on the Scottish Government to demand Environmental Impact Assessments on Data Centres and to issue strict standards for energy efficiency and water use. actionnetwork.org/petitions/ca...

ffs we continue to learn absolutely nothing.

I like the visuals in this article- very engaging.

Why Aren’t We Using Bird-Safe Glass? www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/I...

Announcement! We're organising the next European Mustelid Colloquium in partnership with @mripas.bsky.social and the Białowieża Ecology Conference Join the mailing list: eepurl.com/ga-5z9 #36EMC

New blog! #MartensOnTheMove Project Manager, Dr Stephanie Johnstone, discusses what a ‘Pine Marten Haven’ is, the recent Haven launches and how these sites will benefit pine martens and people. Read the full blog here bit.ly/3Wg4mWi #NationalLotteryHeritageFund

More ill thought out 'conservation' translocations 🌍 www.theguardian.com/environment/... - so much to unpack here #Ornithology #UKBirding 🧵

Jeez, we're taking a bit of a pummelling wind-wise.

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

Noakes concentrating fiercely.

Nice afternoon at Musselburgh Lagoons yesterday- not sure why I've not been before but will be back #ScottishBirding

Wildlife photographer Dylan Coundley-Hughes captured breathtaking drone footage of a fin whale, the world’s second-largest animal, surfacing off the coast of Cornwall. Spotted in Falmouth Bay, the whale appeared alongside dolphins, tuna, and seabirds.

Another who's '10 year old me' would have lost her mind seeing this. Raised on Jacques Cousteau, Wade Doak, the 20 volume set of the International Encyclopaedia of Wildlife books and of course every BBC documentary on wildlife going- this is very cool.

Eels. To paraphrase “Cotton Eyed Joe”: Where do they come from? What do they go? We’re still working in on it! Or.. well…not me. I just do the history bits. But the good folks at @whoi.edu are!

So this little guy is hanging around the house today- much to the delight of the dogs.. although I have a few trees we are pretty much on the edge of a moor.

Nearly time for Fat Bear Week! Not saying bears are my spirit animal or anything..

Kudos to @theguardian.com - this is how climate emergency reporting should be done! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Fed up of the news? Watch Freddie Flintoff Field of Dreams S3 (and watch S1 and S2 obviously if you've not already).

Restoration work on Exmoor's peatlands is helping the national park to remain a vital refuge for bird species in decline elsewhere in the UK, according to a new report:

A sea turtle surfacing by a MASSIVE school of rays near Clearwater, Florida a couple days ago. Another post into the BluSky void. Maybe 2 or 3 people will see this one and my time won't have been wasted. I'll keep trying a little longer. #nature #animals #amazing #wildlife #awesome #ocean

Portuguese culture project hit by wild fire - please scroll down to read about the project in English, and support if you can.

Another national paper demonising gulls. Come on @btobirds.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social WW need a campaign to counter it. #ScottishBirding

@btobirds.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social @rspbscotland.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social Gulls are getting a lot of bad press and a lot of abuse. We need a campaign to show how amazing they are!

Did you ask for a bird fact? No, but you're getting one whether you like it or not. 🪶

This is so exciting. Very proud of my husband Dr Andrew Brown, who is an air quality scientist but has teamed up zoologists in the UK and Canada to undertake this important work. #interdisciplinary 🧪 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Goldfinches have fledged 😊. This year breeding successfully in the garden: goldfinches, chaffinches, house sparrows, starlings, dunnocks (2 broods), blue tits, swallows (2 broods), house martens and willow warblers. Not bad for a small patch of trees and ground surrounded by 'improved grassland'.

House martens feeding on insects last night.

Reintroductions require thorough and long term feasibility studies.

Worth a read of you've watched the documentary.

You may recall that I was caught up in the collapse of publishers Unbound. I now have the rights to my book Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? And I have a lot of them to get rid of. So if you felt like buying one I might see my office floor again before 2027. levparikian.com/index.php/pr...

Some thoughts about Monday's Westminster Hall debate on driven grouse shooting raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/03/s...

Depressing reading #Scottishbirding

Goldfinches have fledged- 4 extra lovelies in the garden.