I can’t believe an albatross just walked right by me… 😭🪶

One of the best sounds in the UK. Eider Ducks!

Only four days left to apply - get those CVs sent in now!

1. Some good news at last. This week’s column is about the amazing thing a couple of us stumbled into three years ago, which we’ve now developed into a global research programme. It doesn’t change everything, of course, but it could help change quite a lot. + 🧵 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Congratulations to Ed Drewitt on this latest publication from his PhD; this one is on parental provisioning of urban-breeding Peregrine Falcons :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Great recovery! Orphaned Herring Gull 24N:C from Cork City was taken in by Wildlife Rescue Cork and released on 20th August. On 27th Nov it was seen on San Lorenzo beach in Gijon, Spain. Just the 7th Irish Herring Gull to be seen in Spain! 🪶 @btobirds.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social

My mental health declined pretty badly last wk but some of you asked for more photos like the hunt-the-tiny-owl one I made & I wanted to try to make an advent calendar so:some lovely things that fell off trees & this time a tiny deer stag to find. Do let me know if you enjoy this & I'll make more 🦌

This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Our latest introductory and advanced courses on Data Analysis with R Statistical Software are now live -all welcome, whatever your current level of skills or experience :) www.ecoexplore.co.uk

More Mapping the UK's Flat Flies Project results published today with Adrian Smith & @sheldonbirds.bsky.social 212 host-parasite interactions, including 70 not previously reported, & a recent switch to gulls by some Louse Flies, Hippoboscidae. @btobirds.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

youtu.be/D3Bb54fnh7o?... John Chapple’s short video taken this morning. Well worth a view. #cornwallbirding #birding

Liquidambar leaf palette just now👇🏼. Pause for a moment if you’re feeling anxious-your brain’s likely to release dopamine due to a positive response to colour gradation, certain bright colours & looking at images our brains find appealing. A pause here will make your day slightly easier to tackle 🍁

Hear from BTO's Chris Hewson about Nightingales in this article on #BirdMigration, and discover the incredible journey this species takes, along with the fascinating migrations of Bewick's Swans and Desertas Petrels! #Ornithology

👑 Raccoonosaurus 👑 and friend. Great size comparison photos showing how huge Raccoonosaurus (on the right in all these photos) is, compared to a normal sized raccoon. I think his size is likely in part due to genetics & knowing where to get constant sources of food. #mammals

1/ New research! 📢 We’ve been counting wooden seabirds (yes really!) during aerial surveys to determine the accuracy of data measuring how high seabirds fly. This info is vital in reducing the risk of birds colliding with offshore wind turbines. #Ornithology 📷 Philipp Boersch-Supan/BTO

Latest kinetic sculpture “We Were Angels” available to buy or exhibit - I love it in my home, but it seems selfish not to offer others the chance to enjoy the light glowing from these birds…

Fascinating study on historical nest items in Bearded Vulture nests by Margalida et al "Even more surprising was that several items were well over 600 years old, according to carbon-14 dating. Results from one shoe dated back to around 675 years ago" #RaptorResearch 🪶 phys.org/news/2025-10...

And that's how you integrate digital elements into an exhibition. Part of the temporary "China's Dinosaur World" at the Shanghai Natural History Museum, China. Closing this November. Video source: Shanghai Let's Meet

From the current WJO issue: Cannibalism of second eggs and the adaptiveness of egg-laying synchrony in Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens). #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...

On the blatant double standards the media - BBC included - deploys while showcasing Nigel Farage. He is constantly given a free pass not granted to other politicians. bylines.scot/news/the-far...

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA 10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

Fully funded PhD with me, @uniexecec.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social working on insectivorous bird declines - hopefully esp. House martin www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.

Varied plumages makes identifying gulls tricky! This graphic identifies key features to look for on some of our common species. More tips on small gull identification can be found in the latest SMP news: www.bto.org/smp-news #seabirds #birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

If you want to believe it, check it twice ::clap clap:: If you want to believe it, check it twice ::clap clap:: Doesn’t matter if it’s awful Doesn’t matter if it’s nice If it confirms your bias, check it twice! ::clap clap::

Got this really cool, ghostly picture by accident the other day in Dillon Beach, CA. It is a Heermann's gull with both it's shadow and reflection. #birds

Thinking about gulls today.

Actually my favorite bird etymology is that in 1400s England they gave human nicknames to birds (Jenny Wren, Tom Tit) but some of them stuck. Jack Daw became Jackdaw, Maggie Pie became Magpie. With Robin Redbreast they just dropped the original name of the bird entirely.

GPS tracking revealed that a seagull traveled 160 km inside a trash truck from San Francisco to California twice. The first time, perhaps by mistake. The second, perhaps to reach the compost center again (paper) bioone.org/journals/wat... (paper) www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/13/h...

Huge differences in the health of Yellow-legged gull chicks at colonies in the Basque country laruseus.blogspot.com/2025/06/la-g... Article in Spanish and Basque, linked paper in English (drive.google.com/file/d/19v8m...) #Seabirds #Gulls

A female peregrine falcon parent feeding her young fledgling mid-flight (though it doesn’t end how you expect… 🧵 ⬇️) #birds #raptors

Haven't posted for a while so here are a few more behind the scenes sketchbook pages #birdart #birds

All this plastic is making my head spin. I don’t think one can grasp the amount of our own produced junk you can find in sable shearwaters. All the pieces here (60g - 778 pieces) were in one (1!!!) chick. That’s roughly 20% of its body weight. @adriftlab.bsky.social @thelabandfield.bsky.social

1/ Have you seen these Curlew? Please report any Curlew you see with yellow leg flags ➡️ bit.ly/ReportACurlew Here’s why these birds are so special. ⬇️ #WorldCurlewDay #Ornithology 🌍

Enjoy the stunning Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits before they leave Ireland/Britain in a few days. Did you know that they smell different in breeding plumage? Here's why: wadertales.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/s... #ornithology

Cornish crowdfunder using upcycled plastic to make nurdle removing toy to get kids involved by Odyssey Innovation 🌍🦑🦤 www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/scuttlethe... #nurdle #microplastic #microplastics #marineplastic

1/⚠️ Blackbirds are in trouble & we need your help! Threatened by the Usutu virus, we need you to submit your garden Blackbird sightings so scientists can better understand the virus’ spread & potential impacts on these songbirds. 🌍 Sign up ➡️ www.bto.org/blackbirds #UKBirding #Ornithology

⚠️ The Lyme disease rash often looks like a red, circular "bullseye" – a key sign of early infection. If you spot it after a tick bite, see a healthcare provider ASAP! Early treatment is crucial. Learn more: lymediseaseuk.com/lyme-rash/ #LymeDiseaseAwareness #BeTickAware #LymeRash

I am very proud to share our new gecko research! We wanted to know if experimenter identity influences gecko behaviour during experiments that increases error of behavioural measurements. The answer is yes, identity matters but only in a familiar context! OA paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

WORLD-FIRST: Ground-breaking research published today in the Ornithologist Journal has, for the first time, translated common UK bird vocalisations into equivalent phrases in the human language. The results tell us a lot! Extracts below... 🧵

You want to see an octopus riding a shark. 🎥: University of Auckland www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/s...

Third paper from our #Seabird Journal #37 - @bennett-sophie.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social 📄📘 "Growth of seaweed species on GLS logger attachments" (short note) 🌱⌚ Check it out here! -> doi.org/10.61350/sbj...

Wildflowers from local woods and Penryn Campus 🌸🌷🌱

An old artwork based on an article about the effects of pollutants in the River Taff on aquatic invertebrates and dippers. Zoom in for detail. #birds #birdart

First male Smooth Newt of the year back in my back garden pond. Borrowed him and a male Palmate quickly for some comparison shots! Pic 1 - L Palmate, R Smooth Pic 2 - L Smooth, R Palmate

What better way to celebrate #InternationalWomensDay than a post about our youngest member, Matilda, who at the age of 16 is a future @gloshartpury student and has authored 3 papers on Thermal, Skylark, Nightjar and soon to be 4th on Jack Snipe. The future is extremely bright. @btobirds.bsky.social

The synchronisation, I just👌😆😍#TeamGull #WormDance #CoupleGoals

Gull rescue yesterday🕊️: success 🥳thanks to the lovely neighbours who got me onto the roof to wriggle under some well maintained netting to extract George. George somehow managed to tangle and suspend themselves in it, immediate vet trip after showed no lasting injuries and released after good rest 🕊️