A Welsh conservation project has recorded its highest number of breeding curlew pairs since monitoring began, but too few chicks are surviving to halt the bird’s long-term decline wp.me/p8Mk4U-1xhr

We use 30 year averages to show climatology (average weather conditions). During the 20th century the UK climatology followed a path around a confined box. With #globalwarming and #climatechange they have escaped out the box. This #dataviz shows UK rainfall and temperature.

‘An environmental and welfare disaster’: British salmon loses its organic status

‘An environmental and welfare disaster’: British salmon loses its organic status

This week the Soil Association withdrew certification from organic salmon after 20 years. What went wrong? The first haul of farmed salmon in Britain was a relatively modest 14 tonnes, produced off the west coast of Scotland near Fort William in 1971. For Unilever, the vast multinational that pioneered salmon farming, it was a triumph after years of experimenting with how to cage fish, battle against diseases and cope with the wild weather. Unilever had spotted in the 1960s that farming salmon, which until then was caught wild and remained a relative luxury, would create a mass market, lower costs and provide steady profits. By 1976, it had expanded into three Scottish sites producing 116 tonnes of fish each year. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

2 weeks ago today the Wales team attended another fantastic WOS Conference held by @birdsinwales.bsky.social @btocymru.bsky.social. Here's our quick update which was presented during the @rspbcymru.bsky.social talk, there's also a new blog update on our website biosecurityforlife.org.uk/blog

The Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey begins in just over two weeks! Read this post on the BTO blog for more information on the purpose behind NEWS, and check the Vacant Sites Map to sign up for a sector near you🪶 #UKBirding #Ornithology

👏 After decades of believing it was too big a challenge, feels that eradication of American Mink on GB mainland might actually be realistic. Need @natreswales.bsky.social and Welsh Government to get behind Wales-wide initiatives to meet at the border. @llyrgruffydd.bsky.social

BirdGuides@birdguides.bsky.social · 3d ago

A landscape-scale programme to eradicate American Mink has helped European Water Vole to recover across eastern England, according to new research:

A food shop that cost £14 five years ago, now costs £20. This period of high food price inflation has coincided with England’s agricultural transition away from subsidies. We explored whether this has contributed to higher prices. Our new analysis shows it's not the case 🔽

New research has identified which groups experienced the biggest losses from bird flu outbreaks between 2000 and 2020 Read a summary: rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/bird-flu-impacts-global-review Full paper: doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360235 🧪🪶🌍

Seabirds amongst hardest hit by avian influenza outbreaks

New research has identified which groups experienced the biggest losses from bird flu outbreaks between 2000 and 2020.

rspb.org.uk

Join the Calf Team! We're looking for Assistant Estate and Ornithological Wardens for the 2027 season! See below link for full role descriptions: www.mwt.im/jobs A great opportunity to work at an island Bird Observatory and gain skills in practical conservation. 🦆🚜

Pleased to have contributed to this report on behalf of @birdsinwales.bsky.social. Thanks to all who submit their sightings to BirdTrack.

BirdTrack@birdtrack.bsky.social · 4d ago

Data collected by thousands of volunteer birders is helping to understand the changing nature of bird migration, as revealed in our first annual report 📌2025 saw record influxes of Hoopoe and Glossy Ibis 📌Familiar migratory species such as Wheatear and Fieldfare are being reported less often

Our Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 2026 Report and News is out! It was a record year with 28 LSW nests found. Our volunteers have now monitored over 200 LSW nests since we started in 2015. The Passive Acoustic Monitoring results are also amazing. Read it here www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/images/LSW_R...

As part of the ongoing response to rat sightings this summer the #BiosecurityforWales dog team joined @wtsww.bsky.social to search Martins Haven. This area must be maintained as a rat-free zone to reduce the risk to @skomerisland.bsky.social & @skokholmisland.bsky.social from rats

Pick your postcard. Share your support. Speak up for nature. @rspbcymru.bsky.social are bringing our voices together to let Welsh Government know that we think that nature must be at the heart of all decisions. Don't miss your chance to contribute. action.rspb.org.uk/page/201089/...

Agri-environment schemes do work, on the whole. One reason farmland biodiversity continues to decline is because there's not sufficient funding or uptake to do enough of it. [Great to see the photo of Bill Meek in the wild!]

UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)@ukceh.bsky.social · 5d ago

🦋 Agri-environment schemes do more than provide flowers for adult butterflies. New research shows they support a wider variety of plants, providing food for caterpillars too. The findings help explain why nature-friendly farming works for butterflies, from caterpillar to adult: bit.ly/4zCF1b4

🕊️ Ymunwch â'r nesaf yn ein cyfres o weminarau SonaRR: Tystiolaeth yn sbarduno gweithredu dros anifeiliaid a phlanhigion Cymru Beth mae'r dystiolaeth yn dweud wrthym am ddyfodol anifeiliaid a phlanhigion Cymru? 📅 17 Tachwedd 2026 🕑 11:00am Dysgwch fwy a chofrestrwch yma: https://orlo.uk/1UN4A

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

events.teams.microsoft.com

🕊️ Join our next SoNaRR Drumbeat webinar: Evidence driving action for Wales’ animals and plants What does the evidence tell us about the future of Wales' animals and plants? 📅 17 November 2026 🕑 11:00am Find out more and register here: https://orlo.uk/X4xzA

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

events.teams.microsoft.com

Can you help with the Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey which happens once every 10 years? Sign up at www.bto.org/webs-news Thank you. 📹 Sam Oakes / BTO #Ornithology #UKBirding

Two top-drawer rarities in underwatched Meirionnydd headline The Daily Post BirdNotes, alongside other recent sightings in #NorthWales. Plus @webs-gsmp.bsky.social partnership is seeking help with the Non-estuarine Waterbird Survey. 📷Callum Gray #BirdingWales www.birdnotes.wales/blog/dysynni...

Dysynni double-bill of rarities

Two rare visitors to one site in Meirionnydd at the weekend drew birders to the least-watched North Wales vice-county. First up was a sandy-coloured Desert Wheatear , the first ever seen in the...

birdnotes.wales

Where the rainforest meets the sea... A walk along Porth y Nant, through stunted oaks and limes that cling to the side of Pen Llyn. A Woodland Dor Beetle pottered along the path, a Green Woodpecker (scarce in these parts) yaffled from the hill, and some Sheep's Bit contributed to #wildflowerhour.

Another excellent Cofnod Conference @bangoruniversity.bsky.social. Bird content from @rspbcymru.bsky.social on Ring Ouzels, @btocymru.bsky.social using behavioural science to boost survey participation, and @cofnod.org.uk creating a system for breeding wader records for @natreswales.bsky.social.

A glimmer of hope for Antarctic blue whales: new work (by us!) shows that they continue to increase from a low point of just 418 individuals after whaling to more than 4000 in 2024. Zoe Rand et al. doi.org/10.3354/esr0...

Saluting the bravery of all women who go into a witness box, from Gisèle Pelicot to everybody in Brand's case. Strength I cannot imagine.

Just added to my Etsy shop: handmade #linocut prints of Blue Tits perching on pencils! (of course!) They’re handmade by me in my studio (= tiny spare room), limited edition and signed by the artist. Free from AI and sent to you in recyclable packaging ♻️ katiefullerart.etsy.com/listing/4610...

PS. Also home of the largest Arctic Tern colony in the UK

Lighthouses Of Wales@lighthousewales.bsky.social · 2w ago

The Skerries lighthouse, off the coast of Anglesey, was first lit #OnThisDay in 1717. Built by Irishman William Trench, it was privately run until 1841, when it was bought by Trinity House for the enormous amount of £444,984 (£56 million today). Read more: lighthouses.wales/the-lighthou...

A Pallid Harrier @rspbcymru.bsky.social Cors Ddyga headlines this week's Daily Post BirdNotes, as fine autumn weather opens the doors to birds migrating from the north. Found and 📷 by Pete Bellew #BirdingWales www.birdnotes.wales/blog/winter-...

Winter arrivals, a rare raptor and an award for North Wales ornithologist

Fine conditions last week saw me at Cemlyn, where the breeding terns have long since left for West Africa, replaced by birds from farther north. Small groups of Chaffinches , Greenfinches and...

birdnotes.wales

County recorders, bird report editors, nature reserve/bird observatory wardens, ringing group organisers et al. can (probably) open their Inboxes without a query from me - well, for another six months... The @birdsinwales.bsky.social 2025 Bird Report is off to the designer. All 107,112 words of it.

An excellent day @aberuni.bsky.social catching up with bird people from across Wales and beyond. Brilliant to see such a good turnout of young people, from student birders to talented photographers, organised by @btobirds.bsky.social Youth

Welsh Ornithological Society@birdsinwales.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Have you purchased your ticket for the Welsh Ornithological Society Conference yet? Hurry! They’re selling out quickly! Don’t miss out! Get your ticket here⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/welsh-orni...

Join our BTO Youth Reps for a FREE guided walk around the Glan y Môr Elias and Morfa Madryn Local Nature Reserves. Book now ➡️ www.bto.org/youth-events This event is free and open to those 25 and under.

Two gamekeepers charged with illegally setting snares on Ruabon Moor, North Wales. NB: Comments turned off as criminal proceedings are live ⚖️ New blog ⬇️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/10/29/t...

Two gamekeepers charged with illegally setting snares on Ruabon Moor, North Wales

North Wales Police have confirmed that two men from Wrexham have been charged with illegally setting snares on Ruabon Moor, the only driven grouse moor in Wales. Head gamekeeper Stuart Hart, 50, of…

raptorpersecutionuk.org

Another top find for the @naturambyth.bsky.social team

NationCymru@nation.cymru · 2w ago

A rare beetle has been rediscovered after a three-year search, confirming the site as its only known home in Wales wp.me/p8Mk4U-1wcM