Bad day to be without the car and with an online evening teaching session lined up. But we managed a late dash in gathering gloom with just enough light left to admire the mightily impressive Magnus, at Lossiemouth. With @trailerbythesea.bsky.social #Walrus @nesmammals.bsky.social

New paper from @bats-n-bugs.bsky.social's PhD. Sampling an impressive 26 farms in east Scotland, Rochelle found a complex picture with bats responding more to habitat and landscape features than to farming type per se. Open access: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @batconservation.bsky.social

Four White-billed Divers were the predictable highlight of this afternoon's @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count at Portsoy. #ScottishBirding #PWC2026

The first NFG moth of the year is ..... drumroll ..... Twin-spotted Quaker. Portsoy (VC94) #teammoth

Total of at least 12 White-billed Divers at Portsoy today, including 9 in a single scan off Redhythe Point. Viewing conditions good, but not perfect, so there's sure to be more out there. Great to see Sand Martins fresh back at the colony. #PWC2026 #BirdingScotland

A Little Gull yesterday feeding with Kittiwakes off East Head, Portsoy, was my first here in over two years. #PWC2026 #BirdingScotland

A real highlight of the @srucnews.bsky.social year. Great couple of days!

Just back from the amazing @mammalsociety.bsky.social conference in Inverness. Engaging speakers, posters and workshops. Most of all, genuine enthusiasm and curiosity for figuring out what our mammals are doing and why.

#Bioacoustics formed a big part of last week's Sutherland field trip. Students recorded birds on @openacousticdevices.info #Audiomoths (analysed with @chirpity-nocmig.bsky.social), used heterodyne bat detectors and set a PIPPYG by the digs - with Common Pipistrelles on both. @srucnews.bsky.social

Three White-billed Divers on today's Portsoy WeBS survey (a couple were tolerably close in). Also, first Sandwich Terns of the year. @webs-gsmp.bsky.social #BirdingScotland #PWC2026

Spring on the bog in Aberdeenshire - always great to see the Slave-maker Ants, which were very active in today's sun, around old stumps of trees removed as part of #peatland restoration. A few Peacocks on the wing too. #peatland

Last full day of @srucnews.bsky.social Sutherland field trip. Amazing weather for more vole sign surveying and time also for ice cream! Presentations on student research projects brought a fitting evening finale.

Middle day of @srucnews.bsky.social Field Study Skills Sutherland trip involved student-led research projects in the wonderful Loch Fleet NNR. Birds, lichens, trees, ground veg and rabbit 💩 all counted, timed or measured. @naturescot.bsky.social

Cracking start to @srucnews.bsky.social Field Study Skills trip to Sutherland. Veg quadratting on blanket bog (and a quick run up the Forsinard tower) along with vole sign surveys at Melvich - with several excited finds of vole 💩💩. #peatland @theflowcountry.bsky.social

I had a wonderful couple of days at the James Hutton Institute's postgraduate student conference in Dunkeld. It was great to hear about all the important research PhD students are doing for positive change. I was honoured to receive 1st place prize for my talk on Moths and Muirburn.

Distinct highlight of 45 mins in Springbank Cemetery was my first Eyed Ladybird in NE Scotland. (Took if for a Harlequin at first!) Also several tens of 10-spots (more used to seeing odd singles) and Orange Ladybirds, two Cream-spots, a 2-spot and a Larch Ladybird. @ukladybirds.bsky.social

Can we overcome the shifting baseline syndrome? At @au.dk they offer at three year PhD project Co-supervised by me, which aims to intertwine local ecological knowledge and scientific knowledge to gain insights into seabird breeding distributions prior to rat invasion phd.tech.au.dk/for-applican...

Huge congratulations to all finalists at the #ALBAS26 awards this evening at the Crieff Hydro. Special shout out to our @srucnews.bsky.social wildlife stars, Fiona Basford, winner in Higher Education category and @bats-n-bugs.bsky.social, winner in Research Project category.

An eye-catching "white-winged" gull at in gathering darkness at Portsoy. Appeared to be missing longer primaries on right wing but left side looks more in tact. Presumably a Herring (on structure). Slightly darker mantle so maybe 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴. #PWC2026 #BirdingScotland

White-billed Diver off Portsoy this afternoon (and four Great Northerns). Also a porpoise - fairly frequent here but they stay similarly well offshore. #PWC2026 #ScottishBirding

Just out: 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩-𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 2024. Includes 20-page mammal report based on 8000 records submitted by an incredible 1000 observers in 2024. The mammal report will also be online in due course, but the full report is a bargain at £8.50 including p&p - so highly recommended. #mammal

An hour in Nellfield Cemetery, Aberdeen, produced the usual dominance of 2-spot Ladybirds, a handful of 10-spots (including a striking chequered form) and the first Larch Ladybird I've seen here. @ukladybirds.bsky.social #cemeterywildlifewatch

A #PatchTick Brent Goose (pale-bellied) flying west past Portsoy today. Onto 81 species for the year. #BirdingScotland #PatchBirding

And we're off. First night this year for the garden moth trap and a Pale Brindled Beauty prevented an early Wogan. Portsoy, VC94 (Banffshire) #teammoth

Let me count the ways to record thee…Find out how long term recording takes a mammal site list from three to 26 in our latest blog. nesmamnet.org/2026/02/20/t... @scotwildlife.bsky.social

First White-billed Diver of the year today off Portsoy was too far out to even attempt digiscoping. Earliest record here but not a surprise given Firth of Forth's WBD fest. Goosander in Links Bay was a scarcer bird for here. #patchbirding #birdingscotland

An especially eye-catching 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴 Herring Gull - dark upperparts and restricted black in primaries - at Portsoy this afternoon. #PatchBirding #BirdingScotland

BirdNET has been a huge leap forward in #bioacoustics. Analysis from the WABAD collaboration, shows high precision (proportion of predictions that are correct) though modest recall (proportion of calls detected). Predictive power is highest in Europe, N. America and Oceania. doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...

The relatively less server weather compared to elsewhere continues to produce some bonus waders here at Portsoy. Three each of Woodcock and Snipe today and two small flocks (22 + 42) of Golden Plover (which was new for patch last week). @patchbirding.bsky.social #PWC2026

Busy in the garden. Brambling was useful @patchbirding.bsky.social Portsoy-year-list species (only see them here when snow pushes the odd one into garden). Yellowhammer was new for garden (though is common close by). #PWC2026 #birdingScotland

A couple more for the @patchbirding.bsky.social year list this lunchtime at Portsoy. Treecreeper was just my second here on patch. #BirdingScotland

A Mediterranean Gull made up for the dark and sleety conditions on today's lunchtime walk at Portsoy. @patchbirding.bsky.social #BirdingScotland

Patch ✔️ Over two years since moving to Portsoy without a Golden Plover and then a thousand come along at once. Murmurating at dusk. @patchbirding.bsky.social

New Years Day on patch at Portsoy. Wind, rain, hail, sleet and snow thwarted any expectations of getting the year list off to a flying start. Just 30 species, including Purple Sandpiper - low single figures winter here, but not always easy to find. @patchbirding.bsky.social

Finishing the year with a new ladybird for Red Moss of Netherley: 𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘢 - Red Marsh Ladybird. Seems to be widespread but few Aberdeenshire records. This one was tucked away between the clasp and body of an Audiomoth case. @ukladybirds.bsky.social

Quick recce in an Aberdeen cemetery in prep for fieldwork with students in the new year. This is best place I know for 2-spot Ladybirds, with hundreds massing in one small section. A Harlequin was still a novel sight for me here (and here's hoping they remain novel). @ukladybirds.bsky.social

How do we tackle the substantial and growing threat to sensitive habitats from Sitka Spruce? Useful commentary on key issues...

Chance meeting with @kattyponder.bsky.social reminded me to check two culverts in Aberdeen that usually have low single figures of #HibernatingHeralds. First was a blank (though a Peacock was present). Second culvert more than compensated, with a record 12 Heralds. #TeamMoth

Interested in moth trapping? Wondering which trap to use? Or if different bulbs collect different species? Using 100k samples from @gardenmothscheme.bsky.social our new paper looks at these questions and more! With with Bill Kunin and @katatrepsis.bsky.social #mothsmatter #teammoth

Huge congratulations to @bats-n-bugs.bsky.social: PhD viva passed with ZERO corrections - an amazing (and well deserved) achievement. 🍾🎉 Thesis covered bats and insects on farmland. Read a moth chapter here - doi.org/10.1016/j.ag.... More to follow. @srucnews.bsky.social @kirstyjpark.bsky.social

One week remaining. Applications need to include two references, so don't leave it too late to apply for this @srucnews.bsky.social CASE partnership with @ptes-org.bsky.social. Details: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Huge congratulations to our SRUC winners at the Crichton 25th Anniversary Awards! 🎉 Lucy Thornton – SRUC Staff Member of the Year Plus a big shout-out to our finalists: Gemma Higgins and Ely Blyth. Your hard work and passion make us proud. Read more 👉 www.sruc.ac.uk/all-news/cel...

Two weeks left to apply for #PhD on declines in rural #Hedgehogs. 🦔 This is a @srucnews.bsky.social EastBio CASE project in partnership with (and co-supervised by) @ptes-org.bsky.social. 🦔 Details: www.findaphd.com/phds/project... 🦔 Applications close 15 December 🦔 📷 Silviu Petrovan

Med Gulls never lose their appeal - this 1st-winter in last of the light at Portsoy was highlight of an otherwise quiet weekend, birdwise. @patchbirding.bsky.social #patchbirding

New paper 🪶 Proximity to woodlands may be reducing the effectiveness of conservation interventions for farmland waders Read on for a summary Or find the full paper here: doi.org/10.1111/1365... @kirstyjpark.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social @stir.ac.uk 📷Ben Andrew

New #mammal conservation #PhD: "Understanding and Addressing Rural Hedgehog Population Declines". @srucnews.bsky.social EastBio CASE project in partnership with (and co-supervised by) @ptes-org.bsky.social. Details: www.findaphd.com/phds/project... Act fast - applications close 15 December. 🦔🦔🦔

A highlight of the annual teaching calendar is the ladybird survey in Sleephillock Cemetery, Montrose. Orange Ladybirds dominated this week, as usual, but variety came from single figures of 2-spot, 7-spot, 10-spot, Cream-spot and Harlequin. @ukladybirds.bsky.social @srucnews.bsky.social

BBRC giveths and BBRC takeths away. Latest @britishbirdsbbrc.bsky.social report includes acceptance of the 2013 Cruden Bay Subalpine Warbler as a Western. Meanwhile, alas, the Black-throated Thrush two months earlier in @hughad.bsky.social's garden is now classed as a hybrid. #BirdingScotland

Cessation of grouse moor management and climate change scenarios are both predicted to drive declines in Red Grouse, Curlew and Golden Plover. Our paper in @jappliedecology.bsky.social, led by Tom Mason, combines these factors in modelling future population trends. #conservationscience🌎