📉 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

Important paper detailing the huge ecological costs of planting non-native Lodgepole Pine in Iceland, and the urgent need to consider these costs in plantation planning

A great opportunity for anyone in a marine or conservation MSc! Work with some wonderful birds, (and wonderful folks) I got to call colleagues this year 🐧 (The project timeline would fit wonderfully with a taught MSc) @exetermarine.bsky.social @exetergses.bsky.social @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk

Now online in Journal of #Ornithology Behavioural responses of the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) to different human disturbances link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Pink-footed Geese on the move over Old Cassop, Durham, again today. Three skeins totalling 220 heading SE in an hour. @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

A flood of 44,110 Woodpigeons past #salopobs this morning was a new site and county record, and almost overwhelming at times. 5 Egyptian Geese high east were a bit of a surprise #vismig #ukbirding

Longevity record! Last night, @washwader.bsky.social recaught this Black-tailed Godwit, first caught and ringed 29 years ago. The metal ring was wearing thin (and was replaced) but the bird is still going strong. Blog about longevity of waders: wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/w... #ornithology

I think bluesky needs a #BirdID feed. So I built one. To start it off, and topical to the #irishrarebirds feed, a blog post on Tundra and Taiga Bean Goose identification. helhathnobirdies.blogspot.com/2021/04/finn...

Why track waders? This blog has two aims – to share important scientific and conservation stories revealed through shorebird tracking work and to encourage scientists to make their data available via the Global Wader platform. wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m... #ornithology Whimbrel tracks 👇

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.

Here’s the on from @oceancare.bsky.social: www.oceancare.org/en/stories_a...

Red-breasted Goose at RSPB Loch Gruinart this morning brightening up a dull damp day

Cackling Goose at Nerabus, Islay this afternoon. Very dark brown and nice little gular stripe fits tavernii?

With HPAI bird flu resurging in UK and Western Europe, here's the link to the 2 recent special issues of #BirdStudy on avian influenza: 20 papers on impacts, mitigation, patterns and control. Part 1/2: #ornithology #seabirds #raptors #birdflu

The parvipes type Lesser Canada Goose was at Ballinaby, Islay this morning showing well in the wind and rain

out to greet the newly returned barnacle geese, present in number (1 leucistic member) - right to the horizon, wavering in heathaze, line upon line of geese (mostly pink footed)

The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...

Whooper swans migrating over Old Cassop, Durham this morning- 14 heading south @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

One of the best sounds of the Autumn - Barnacle Geese, yapping like a flock of airborne Yorkshire terriers, arriving at Lindisfarne #NEbirding #birds

The 2 Pectoral Sandpipers were still at Newton Pool this afternoon. Interesting to see the differences in size and plumage, one bird is smaller and paler (presumably female ?), the other is noticeably larger and warmer toned. #NEbirding #Lowcarbonbirding

Our most recent report, Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2022, is now available open access on our website at tinyurl.com/2xf23keu All reports dating back to 1973 can be found at rbbp.org.uk/annual-repor.... Our next report, for 2023, will be published in @britishbirds.bsky.social in November

This is a game changer for marine conservation. Now we need to build on the momentum and designate high seas marine protected areas to conserve Key Biodiversity Areas @keybiodiversity.bsky.social

First pinkfeet of the winter heading south over Old Cassop, Durham this morning. 270 in 4 skeins in just 30 minutes @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

This month, WaderTales will be ten years old. I'm going to create a thread that highlights some of the research findings that have surprised me. Plenty of "Wow!" & "I didn't know that!" moments. Here's a link to the catalogue of 150 blogs wadertales.wordpress.com/about/ #ornithology

The ringing of chicks and nesting Arctic Terns in Northumberland reveals high natal philopatry but dispersal to non-natal sites is mainly by females. Recruitment is not affected by the presence of public visitors and females breed at an earlier age than males. doi.org/10.1111/ibi....

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

We've just launched AviList! - the new unified global taxonomic checklist for the world's birds, developed through the Working Group on Avian Classification, including BirdLife, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, IOC and others @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social www.avilist.org

nice paper by Michael #Schaub & @jaumebadiaboher.bsky.social @vogelwarte.bsky.social in @ecol-evol.bsky.social on #CMR models in #bayesian framework to estimate #survival #rstat #ecology 🧪🌍 #openaccess ! doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

Labour promised to restore nature. ❌ Instead, their Planning Bill contains a licence to destroy it. We offered solutions. We’re done waiting. Part 3 of the Bill would gut the laws protecting our most precious habitats & species. Without significant change, it must be scrapped.

Brilliant to watch packs of Swifts charging into the wind and rain in NE Lincs this morning. 177 in total #vismig #lincsbirding

New report on UK Special Protection Areas for birds published Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are important to support the conservation of rare and vulnerable birds and other regularly occurring migratory birds.

Applied Solutions to Balance Conservation Need With Practical Applications: A Case Study With Eagles Movement Models and Wind Energy Development | doi.org/10.1002/ece3... | Ecology and Evolution | #ornithology #RaptorResearch 🪶

@martgilli.bsky.social Turns out the colour-ringed Whimbrel here on Tiree on 27th April was the same individual you observed on North Uist on 22nd April 2024!

Wow. Went out hoping the damp easterlies might produce a Black Tern, and found a BLACK KITE 💥 The first for #shropshirebirding hanging over Wood Lane landfill with 5 Red Kites, on view constantly for 2hrs! Absolutely awesome

Some of the transient Barnacle Geese are still hanging on in North Uist. Spotted this albino / leucistic bird in the distance on Vallay today whilst on the 10th had radio-collared DAF and NUK at nearby Griminish #birds #birdingscotland

An outcome of years of collaboration among ecologists, meteorologists and open science developers, working together to support a broader research community #ornithology and radar aeroecology. Supported by eCOST, @biodiversaplus.bsky.social and more. Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Carry-over effects of winter conditions on nesting Somateria fischeri (Spectacled Eider), a sea ice-associated sea duck | academic.oup.com/auk... | Ornithology | #ornithology 🪶🧪

As a BirdLife Datazone user, varying from occasional to frequent, this is a brilliant resource, and the refresh makes it even better and clearer. 👏 #SciComm

Swallows back at home in Old Cassop, earliest in the 20 years we've lived here @durhambirdclub.bsky.social

Latest from the Icelandic barnie collars courtesy of Arnor Sigfusson - one has made it back to Iceland (a Tiree bird) whilst one from Sligo and one from Islay have made it as far as North Uist! @tireebirder.bsky.social @wiwildlife.bsky.social

Greenland White-fronted Geese are on the move. We had a noisy flock of 70 circling high over Loch Tangasdale, Barra for 5 minutes this afternoon, seemingly hesitant to head back out to sea in the gale. They dropped back to the south in the end. Wise move! #BirdingScotland

On the way to work, a Canada Goose flew across the road with 7 Pinks. I gave chase, and eventually pinned down a Todd's with 2,000 Pinks SSW of Carstairs by the Clyde below Easter Sills Farm. Shame about the distance, and the trees 🧐 #scottishbirding #alwaysgoosing

That's one very determined #Badger last night, even after I had raised the bird table (clearly not enough). Have to move the table and make it higher again. @nesmammals.bsky.social @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Salmon farming companies have appealed against statutory notices issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) @scottishepa.bsky.social to limit lice numbers at nearly every salmon farm in Scotland. My latest for @theferret.scot. theferret.scot/salmon-farms...

Brilliant news! At last, confirmation that the Govt *will* go ahead with the #NaturalHistoryGCSE 🎉 We have to get to know our fellow travellers on this planet again. Young people who know & love nature are far more likely to protect & restore it - as well as enjoying better physical & mental health

This fine looking Oystercatcher was ringed as a young bird in northern Iceland 19.06.22. Ever since it has been a regular winter visitor to Howmore / Stoneybridge, South Uist. These images were taken today at Stoneybridge. #BirdingScotland

Oystercatchers along the Atlantic Coast rebounded thanks to multi-state conservation efforts. Grassland birds in North Dakota rebounded thanks to conservation ranching programs. Birds in oak woodlands in the West are gaining ground thanks to partnerships with public and private lands.

An initial assessment from NatureScot found it ”possible” or “likely” that gamebirds were present in dozens of special protected areas after having been released nearby. A new study will examine whether their presence is harming native wildlife theferret.scot/study...

Killing gulls is not the answer. You may have seen calls for gulls in urban areas to be killed. There's a better way forward to tackle some of the challenges and secure the future for seabirds. We've shared what we think: community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/sc... Image: Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)