Amy R.
@amythebirder.bsky.social
Ecologist (GIS/data) & Birder in the Solent. Hants Assistant Recorder (birds). Loves nature & islands. Mostly biological recording & low carbon travel posts 🚲 🥾🚏⛴️. Views my own.
New guidance from the eBird Team - summarising - don't use AI tools to edit your bird photos! ebird.org/news/threat-... link to original paper: rdcu.be/ftx6h #Ornithology #UKBirding 🧪🌎
From Truth to Fake: The Threat of AI to Media Archives - eBird
As AI becomes commonplace, what you see in a photograph may no longer represent reality. Learn about how this impacts eBird and what you can do to help.
ebird.org
Said it the other day, must say it again- well done the Wildlife Trusts www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions for having a section on reducing travel emissions. It needs promoting, found as it is under a button on the 'help wildlife..' page (well done putting climate first btw.. 1/6
This is cool - a trial hovercraft service from Lee-on-the Solent to Ryde on the Isle of Wight! A potential extension of the existing Hovercraft service in Southsea. #PublicTransport
Honestly, I’m professionally embarrassed we’re still calling for action on road safety. There’s evidence of progress but it’s slow, and nowhere near ambitious enough. Meanwhile, people keep dying needlessly. That’s why I’m running for Brake. More on why 👇 www.northants.police.uk/news/northan...
Andy Cox takes on 200km challenge for road safety charity Brake
Andy Cox is nearing the halfway point of a gruelling 200km running challenge to raise awareness of road danger and support the road safety charity, Brake.
northants.police.uk
Sea Holly at Salterns, Hill Head. #WildflowerHour How many visitors to this seafront really appreciate the rich biodiversity? Salterns is a SINC for coastal vegetated shingle, and most of Hill Head and the sea itself is internationally important for birds including those migrating now like Terns.
Loving the "Campus Biodiversity" boards around @universityofleeds.bsky.social campus and launch of a "Greenery Trail". When that greenery flowers beautiful things happen. I've recorded an amazing 16 butterfly species around campus this year, including this Gatekeeper. @savebutterflies.bsky.social
For those moaning & rebelling about hosepipe bans How about complaining & rebelling about government inaction on climate change & plans to expand North Sea drilling?
If you’re worried or concerned about the wildfires, heatwaves, droughts and other impacts of climate change, then going flight free is a very powerful message. If we want change, we have to change. 🌍👍✊
Flight Free UK@flightfreeuk.bsky.social · 5d agoLooking for some travel inspo? #BeInspired #InspireChange
After 6 years living without a car, I'm just about to (reluctantly) return to car ownership because of circumstances. Here are some of my top tips for happy living without a car; 1. Don't be a martyr to it, use taxis when you need to (eg heavy shopping, bulky items etc) 1/5
After 2+ years with no algorithms (hooray for Bluesky), reacquainting myself with LinkedIn has reminded me that absence of algorithms are better! If I've chosen to connect to/follow people I'd rather see their posts etc than random things the algorithms want me to see...
Time to get on with it then! They've waited long enough... Should have started meaningful action before I was born.
The Green Runners@thegreenrunners.bsky.social · 7d agoUK and Spanish Governments issue a joint statement “Both parties agreed that tackling the climate crisis was an urgent policy priority for all countries- to tackle the cost of living, protect health and wellbeing, and to ensure European economic and energy security.” www.gov.uk/government/n...
Photos aren't great but had a Caspian Gull (2cy) candidate in huge fishing flock off Lee-on-the Solent this morning - a little too far for my camera! Also 1+ Yellow-legged (ad) & Sandwich Terns appear to favour Lee over Hill Head. #LowCarbonBirding Can someone send me a Caspian Tern please? 🙏
Quite sad about this - someone with so much talent and the author of surely the funniest ever book about birding, including this classic account of seawatch dialogue, surely recognisable to anyone www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio... Bill Oddie, naturalist and broadcaster, dies aged 85
6-spot Burnet moth on Viper's Bugloss and Dwarf Thistle, near the Needles, Isle of Wight #WildflowerHour
Yesterday's fishing flock of gulls and terns were close enough to shore that they added to the soundscape 😄 Not so much today though a nice F5 breeze instead and plenty of Grey Bush-crickets between Hill Head and Browndown #LowCarbonBirding
This! While studying it's been refreshing to hear from researchers who are thinking critically about AI rather than trying to force me to use it for *everything* including tasks where AI is not needed or would slow me down (e.g. having to read what AI "read" to check the summary etc for accuracy)
Librarians are hosting viral 'Avoiding AI' workshops for people who are fed up with Big Tech | TechCrunch
At libraries around the country, "Avoiding AI" workshops have elicited unprecedented demand.
techcrunch.com
There are people who will tell you with a perfectly straight face that climate change impacts are not that bad, nothing to panic and rapidly phase out fossil fuels about. And anyway this destruction is about failure to adapt so it's sort of their fault.
Dr. Prakash Kashwan@pkashwan.bsky.social · 2w ago"The number of people evacuated in France and Spain has now passed 250,000...Both countries are facing unprecedented blazes that are spreading unchecked despite the efforts of many hundreds of firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft." www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
This is great - bicycles are a useful mode of transport! #BirdingScotland #LowCarbonBirding
Cycling UK in Scotland@cyclingukscotland.bsky.social · 2w agoThe humble bike punches well above its weight... The Fair Isle Bird Observatory is a perfect example. Proof that something as simple as a bike can make an extraordinary difference. Read how bikes are not only supporting people, but helping communities and places thrive 👇 cyclinguk.org/fair-isle
Small sample of the huge fishing flock of terns and gulls off Lee-on-the Solent today - so many birds!! #LowCarbonBirding #PWC2026
One thing is certain when it comes to AI - most politicians who are so enthusiastically promoting it have no idea what it is and have done nothing to understand the implications for the environment, employment, society, or the long term impacts on cognitive development and health.
In case anyone's wondering, this was created using FSC TomBio tools plugin for #QGIS - converts spreadsheets with grid refs (incl. tetrads) into a shapefile so you can see it on a map! Would like to try something similar in #R with 'mapview' if I can figure it out...
GitHub - FieldStudiesCouncil/QGIS-Biological-Recording-Tools: QGIS plugin for biological recorders. Created with the FSC Tomorrow's Biodiversity project.
QGIS plugin for biological recorders. Created with the FSC Tomorrow's Biodiversity project. - FieldStudiesCouncil/QGIS-Biological-Recording-Tools
github.com
Amy R.@amythebirder.bsky.social · 2w ago#DataVis using QGIS in this case helps highlight outliers and errors/typos easily missed in spreadsheets and by thresholds based on counts & dates. Once visualised/mapped, these can be followed up. All of these records have the same site name - notice anything about the grid refs? #Ecology
Love this. 10km square resolution essentially meaningless for decision making at the local level.
Clustered Bellflower and Carline Thistle around the lower slopes of West High Down, near The Needles view point #WildflowerHour
Fancied a mini adventure so hoped over to the Isle of Wight by bus & ferry! The Island Coaster provides lovely views between Ryde & Yarmouth via the south coast and the Needles ☺️ Returned to Ryde via Newport - almost circumnavigated the island! #PublicTransport #Solent
The one at the top of Abbotsbury Hill Amy, would also be a contender I think 😊
