Covid in England is definitely on the way down, but Flu is on the way up - and over a month early. My latest substack open.substack.com/pub/christin...

I took advantage of the brief sunshine yesterday to do what are likely to be my last cyanotypes of the year. Those six bookmarks, on (basically) expired paper, were done in a rush and yet are some of my favourites so far. I have lots of ideas for what I can […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Bird ringing. I was recently able to watch a bird ringing demo. I've previously spotted the little metal rings and reported them to find out more about the bird, but this was the first time I'd watched it being done. Birds are caught in a mist net, examined […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Isle of Man. Apparently, I can't spend every holiday photographing birds, so here are some non-bird phone snaps of our recent trip. I found the Isle of Man to be a slightly strange place. It's another country but feels extremely English. It felt insular in […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Bearded tits. It's that time of year again, when the bearded tits (or reedlings) come out of the reeds and head to the grit trays. Autumn means a change in diet for these birds and an opportunity for photographers. As the weather cools, the birds switch to […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

I'm a week late in posting this, but I had a great time at #pyconuk last weekend. All of the talks are now online and worth checking out. In particular, my amazingly talented colleague, Katie, gave a talk about doing hard things as a junior engineer and how other engineers can provide support. […]

Help end pavement parking in England. Living Streets are running a campaign to end pavement parking in England and are asking for help. They're looking for people to contribute examples of particularly problematic pavement parking in their local area. The map will be open until 22nd Nov […]

“The rise in high-fronted SUVs poses a clear and growing threat to public safety, especially for children,” states the report. “With no benefit to society, it’s time for lawmakers at all levels to act.” Via Carlton Reid in Forbes Cap SUV/truck hood heights. And ban unsafe designs. #auspol […]

Grey heron. A great hunter, who's not afraid of causing upset. Makes a sound that leaves no doubt of being descended from dinosaurs. Tendency to stand very still, making them popular with photographers. August 2025. Stockport, UK. #Birds #BirdPhotography […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

UK resident? Ask the UK government to halt all airport expansion plans across the UK (Open till 24 September, sign today!) https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/714927

The Guardian are running two stories about tax avoidance today and I'm reminded of this Terry Pratchett quote: "Privilege just means 'private law'". #politics

Rock pipit (aka "rocket"). This is a fairly common bird that lives around our rocky shores. It looks similar to a meadow pipit, but is slightly stockier and with slightly greyer colouring. When I looked up whether the population is increasing or decreasing […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

So far in 2025, Britain has wasted £717,254,371 switching off wind turbines and paying gas plants to switch on https://wastedwind.energy/2025-08-04 Today, wasted wind has already cost Britain: £9,858,938

Last month, I spent a week in Shetland. It was full of stunning scenery, amazing bird life and lovely walks. It was also incredibly windy, wet and cold most of the time, as you'd expect. There are almost no birds of prey and no native land mammals except the […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Atlantic puffin. You can't help but smile when you see a puffin. Slightly comical, clumsy on land, kind to their mates, but often squabbling with their neighbours. They're also very forgiving of humans since we scare off any predators. Sadly, they're […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Thanks for the reminder @janemunday.bsky.social. Every summer, I repost this article DROWNING DOES NOT LOOK LIKE DROWNING. To date, I know of FOUR kids who were saved after someone who'd clicked on the link learnt how to spot actual drowning. Take time to read and pass on. slate.com/technology/2...

Juvenile magpie. Not much to say about these birds, they're very common, but they're also smart and fun to watch. I particularly like watching them cache food in various locations (lamp posts are a popular choice here), although this bird was too busy […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

We really need to stop treating extreme heat as something desirable and enjoyable in this country. We also need to redesign where we live to cope with this sort of weather (yes, I'm grouchy because the bedroom temperature hasn't dropped below 26'C in days). "Current heatwave ‘likely to kill […]

The Great Skua, or bonxie. I first saw a bonxie in 2021 on Mull. I'd never heard a tour guide swear before, but he stopped mid-sentence, "oh no", and got out his scope. "Oh fuck.." This majestic sea bird should have been out to sea, harassing puffins and […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning to code (or just seeing what it's about for a day), then this Django girls workshop is an excellent opportunity. I've helped at a few and it has always been a lot of fun. The folks running it are really friendly and inclusive. It doesn't […]

Sand martins. It always feels like spring has sprung when these little guys return from their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. I always worry there won't be enough food available in March, but somehow they survive. Now they're busy squabbling and […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Obligatory work post... We're hiring again for some senior software engineers and a product manager. We're all remote, but with an option to go into the office in Oxford. UK-based only. It's a great opportunity for anyone wanting to make a difference and use their code to help researchers in […]

An old article, but clearly not widely read enough. Biology is always messy and complicated, but trying to split sex into two discreet categories doesn't make sense and we've known that for years. This is worth reading if you want to understand from a scientific point of view why "biological […]

Interesting post about how the meaning of community has changed as a result of the influx of large brands. It's about cycling, but just as applicable to tech. https://immycycles.substack.com/p/yeah-but-whats-in-it-for-me-why-i

Cetti's warbler. Since nothing else is really happening today, I thought I'd share another bird. This one is rather like a large and particularly loud wren, yet surprisingly hard to spot. Cetti's warblers have spread throughout much of England and Wales […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Starling. This common bird is red listed in the UK, having seen long term declines. The breeding population in the UK has seen a 54% decrease between 1995–2022. This particular bird was alone and searching through the straw for food (usually invertebrates) […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]

Brilliant piece by Siva Anandaciva from the Kings Fund on the implications of abolishing NHS England. www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-...

Black-headed gull. This is an amber-listed gull in the UK and is commonly seen around both coastal and inland waterbodies. It has a chocolatey brown head in breeding plumage, which gives rise to the name. The gull I've photographed here is a "first-winter" […] [Original post on mastodon.org.uk]