We can confirm these two Bewick's are now at WWT Slimbridge. Known as Clutton & Cameley, they arrived at Slimbridge on Christmas Day / Boxing Day. Clutton is a regular & Cameley is here for the first time @samodonnell25.bsky.social

RSPB seasonal positions @rspbscience.bsky.social are live & we are ready for applications! 🌱🪶🌊⛰️🐣 Huge variety of posts available for 2026: seabirds, veg surveys, visitor questionnaires, upland monitoring, wader chick tracking... all listed on the attachments via the link 👇 Deadline 11th Jan 2026 📆

Our latest paper in Wildfowl presents the most comprehensive assessment yet of micro-particle ingestion in wild geese. From 809 faecal samples across five species, 46.5% contained synthetic micro-particles, detected at every sampling location. Open access paper - tidsskrift.dk/Wildfowl/art... ⬇️

Latest Greenland White-fronted Goose population estimate: 13,303. Now 13,302 (that we know of). I dread every ringing recovery that lands in my inbox - another bird lost to illegal shooting in Iceland. We can’t afford to lose any more. 📸David Dinsley

📉 Our new paper shows Bewick’s Swan numbers in NW/NE Europe have fallen to ~12,900 birds - a 56.7% decline since 1995, with further losses predicted by 2026 unless survival or breeding success improves. Flyway-wide conservation is urgent. 🦢 Download paper > tidsskrift.dk/Wildfowl/art... #Ornithology

📉 Our new paper shows Bewick’s Swan numbers in NW/NE Europe have fallen to ~12,900 birds - a 56.7% decline since 1995, with further losses predicted by 2026 unless survival or breeding success improves. Flyway-wide conservation is urgent. 🦢 Download paper > tidsskrift.dk/Wildfowl/art... #Ornithology

The International Swan Census is nearly here! UK coverage looks strong, but key Whooper/Bewick's sites still need volunteers for 17–18 Jan 26. If you can help, please reach out to @btobirds.bsky.social. Check map for vacant sites lnkd.in/eWqWm7GW Thanks to all who are taking part! Photo: Ben Andrew

Big up to the team for working into the small hours last night 🌙We thermal-drone-imaged farm reservoirs across Fenland to better understand the role these vital, unprotected wetlands play for the Icelandic Whooper Swan population 🦢🌍 #Wetlands

📢Looking for counters for the International Swan Census (ISC) on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 in West Inverness/Wester Ross and the Isle of Skye. @btoscotland.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social #UKBirding

This time, the washes were ready! 🦢✅ After a 570km U-turn north to Aberdeenshire, likely due to low water at the Ouse Washes, the same swan has migrated south again & arrived to restored, higher levels. A real-world example of landscape-scale habitat assessment by migratory birds.

Super excited to share the first paper from my PhD! 🎉 We found that rivers don’t just matter for wetland birds - they also help support terrestrial insectivores, thanks to the flow of energy and nutrients from aquatic insects. 🌊🦟 Read more here: 👉 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Whooper Swans, sounding like a brass band falling down the stairs. Sound up. #ukbirding

Out of office ✔️ Week of nocturnal surveys at the Ouse Washes to map how smaller wetlands support roosting Iceland Whooper Swans. Thermal tech + drones + GPS tracking = identifying key sites & backing landscape-scale wetland protection for migrants 🌍🦢 #Wetlands #Conservation #Ornithology

Studying for an MSc this year & looking for a #seabird research project? We're looking for a student to help investigate the factors that influence #StormPetrel response rates during playback surveys. 🔊🐣 🔗Do get in touch if you have any Qs: www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu... #seabirds #ornithology

The International Swan Census (ISC) is taking place on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 (WeBS January Core Count weekend), counting Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. Follow these simple steps to get involved 👇 @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social #UKBirding #Ornithology

Arrived in Dongying at the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Birdwatching Season. I also enjoyed giving a Western perspective on swan monitoring & conservation at the 2nd International Symposium for Swan Conservation to delegates from China, Japan & Mongolia. #Ornithology

Tonight I'll be sleeping soundly knowing a Grey Heron is watching over me...

✈️ On my way to Shanghai! Excited to work with the Chinese Academy of Sciences — giving lectures and developing new collaborative studies. Then to the 2nd International Symposium on Swan Conservation, sharing our latest results and connecting researchers across the East Asian–Australasian Flyway

We're now starting to get reports of dead Whooper Swans with rings. If you find a dead bird & feel comfortable doing so - check for rings using the below @btobirds.bsky.social advice 👇🏻 Collecting information on ringed birds helps better understand the impact on different age groups.

If you're out doing your @webs-gsmp.bsky.social counts this weekend, remember to record & report any dead or sick birds you find (info in the link). Bird flu cases are rising. www.bto.org/our-work/new... 📷 Dead Whooper Swan, by Kane Brides #UKbirding

We're now starting to get reports of dead Whooper Swans with rings. If you find a dead bird & feel comfortable doing so - check for rings using the below @btobirds.bsky.social advice 👇🏻 Collecting information on ringed birds helps better understand the impact on different age groups.

A recent outbreak of bird flu in Britain is causing concern among scientists:

Ahead of the Core Count weekend, don't forget to record any dead birds you see on your WeBS Count on the data entry form in WeBS Online, as well as reporting to Defra for possible collection

Please keep an eye open for dead & dying Whooper Swans (and other waterbirds), see thread below on how to report for possible sampling & please also report to @birdtrack.bsky.social so we can start to build a comprehensive picture of the spread 👇🏻

Please also report dead or sick birds to BirdTrack via www.birdtrack.net for monitoring purposes. Please share this message far and wide with friends and birding communities. Thank you.

⚠️ Please report sightings of dead birds for possible testing for bird flu via the forms below ⬇️ 📌 In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/rep... 📌 In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/.../daera-de.... 📌 In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.services.agriculture.gov.ie/report

Worrying reports of bird flu (avian influenza) are coming in, including an outbreak in Whooper Swans in the Fens. Other waterbirds are also being affected, and cases are rising. 📷 Sick Whooper Swan by Kane Brides #UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

At first glance, The Fens may appear a flat, endless patchwork of farmland. But this low-lying region hides some of Britain’s most dramatic winter birding spectacles, when the landscape transforms into a magnet for wildfowl, raptors and roosting flocks:

🦢 What a swan’s 570km U-turn could tell us about water, wetlands, and a changing climate.... www.linkedin.com/posts/kane-b...

A pretty depressing day counting sick & dead Whooper Swans. Avian influenza is within the population. Please report all dead birds for possible collection & testing. In 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 & 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 this is Defra gov.uk/guidance/repor… Reporting to @birdtrack.bsky.social also helps with monitoring.

I've been updating our collaborative #CootStudy database. I started the study 17 years ago & thanks to a network of bird ringers across Britain & Ireland we've now colour-marked 4,400 Coot & received over 13,000 re-sightings. Pretty cool for a bird you hardly see in flight! #Ornithology #BirdRinging

My apps that visualise trends in the BTO annual ringing and NRS reports have been updated to include the 2024 data, which was released yesterday. Change over time plots: stephenvickers.shinyapps.io/ringing_tota... Spatial trends maps (ringing only): stephenvickers.shinyapps.io/ringing_map/

Any Abberton Reservoir birders on here notice any Whooper Swans there today?? #Birding #Essex

I'm excited to be leading the International Swan Census again in January 2026 for the Iceland Whoopers! Check out 👇🏻 to get involved & visit the vacant site map. Every record counts to understanding the bigger picture. #Monitoring

Large citizen science datasets are powerful tools for biodiversity science, but they may have biases. Nice new paper from @louisbackstrom.bsky.social et al. showing that for eBird and Birdtrack lists there is a tendency for rare species to be over-represented onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

JOB ALERT: We have an exciting Senior Research Assistant post available for a project tracking predators and prey simultaneously starting early 2026. We need someone with experience tagging adult raptors or wader chicks. This you? app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

A week on from #StormAmy 🌬️ data from our tagged Whooper Swans show both storm assistance & storm displacement. Some birds made rapid migrations, others battled the elements – some out at sea for 55 hrs! As North Atlantic storms grow more frequent, understanding their impact is vital. 🦢 #Ornithology

Our new open access study on human-nature connectedness is now online. We show that engaging in outdoor environmental activities increases human-nature connectedness, with mindfulness and encounters with wildlife showing the largest increases. Full paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.pe... 🌍 🧪 🦤

🦢The International Swan Census involves counters to carry out a one-off count on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026. This involves counting Whooper and Bewick’s Swans, as well as recording age assessments and habitat. Visit the vacant site map⬇️ app.bto.org/gsmp/public/... #Ornithology

Our Whooper Swan expedition has been a blur of hauling zodiacs over tundra, coaxing engines through salt spray & dancing with Iceland’s untamed waves. While our waterproofs are still drying, we’ve gathered the stories data & moments that made this trip 👇🦢 www.linkedin.com/pulse/icelan...

A successful few days deploying GPS tags on Whooper Swans in the highlands of Iceland to check whether the wetlands they depend on in Britain & Ireland are still doing the job in a changing climate. #Iceland #Wetlands #ProtectedSites #Ornithology

22 papers across two issues document the impact of #AvianInfluenza and assess effectiveness of management responses. They show the unprecedented scale of the outbreak, decimating populations across Europe, Africa, North and South America to the South Atlantic. 📚 bit.ly/bird-study-h... #Ornithology

Lovely day yesterday catching up with staff. A day of assessing recruitment of Curlews to the Dartmoor breeding population, discussing headstart post release monitoring & of course seeing the 2025 cohort of headstarts! 😊

Interesting few days working on behalf of Natural England in advising the UK Great Bustard Group on developing & trialling a protocol to monitor great bustard productivity. The trip also facilitated knowledge transfer between national experts in species monitoring. #SpeciesRecoveryProgramme

Slimbridge Greylags currently starting to appear at Strathclyde Loch and Hogganfield for their annual moult migration, among them, unusually, this one ringed at Windermere @kanebrides.bsky.social #clydebirding

📢 Calling PhD students 📢 we want to hear from you! Help shape the future of PhD education. Take our survey to tell us all about your experiences https://go.nature.com/42ZB3vq

Rather satisfying loading up to @movebank.bsky.social 1,679,731 Bewick's Swan tracking data points ✨️👌🏻 #Ornithology

Annual paddle in the Lake District for Barnacle Goose nest counting & monitoring. Lots of nests found, GPS'd, colour-marked adults identified & lots of eggs counted, measured, and weighed. Fun day with @cateden91.bsky.social #monitoring

Do UK hatched Whooper Swans go to Iceland? These two hatched at WWT Welney last year & today were in Northumberland with other migrating Whoopers. Hopefully, we'll get sightings of them in Iceland 🤞

Obituary in IBIS Mike Harris (1939 - 2023) doi.org/10.1111/ibi.... One of the world's best known, most loved and most outstanding seabird biologists #ornithology