"The Arctic is cooking. Across northern Russia—a region that is famously bitterly cold—temperatures this week have routinely surpassed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius), adding to the mountain of broken heat records this summer has racked up so far." […]

Awesome evolution: Several unionid mussels have adapted their mantle tissue as elaborate lures to coax certain fish to approach & be exposed to parasitic mussel larvae, which are ejected and develop on the host fish. The rainbow mussel (Cambarunio iris) displays a crayfish-like lure to attract bass.

Larval caddisfly nets (Polycentropodidae: Neureclipsis) in the lower Ottawa River. Just going with the flow.

Using integrated pop. models, @steffopp.bsky.social @jaumebadiaboher.bsky.social et al explored scenarios to identify which combination of reinforcement, habitat restoration, and survival improvement are needed for the Aquatic Warbler population at the margin of its range. doi.org/10.1093/orni...

🚨 Exciting news! The Swiss Ornithological Institute is starting a collaborative program that offers multi-sensor geolocators and analytical support for bird migration research, focusing on underrepresented species & regions. Interested? geopressure.org/GeoCollabForm/ Please share!

One of the most fascinating facts about the ocean, is that there are whales alive today who were born before Moby Dick was written. Some of the bowhead whales in the icy waters off of Alaska today are over 200 years old. Original post

CMS is recruiting for a Programme Management Officer in Abu Dhabi. 🦅 This role will lead the Raptors MoU Coordinating Unit, helping countries and partners work together to conserve migratory birds of prey across Africa and Eurasia. 📅 Apply by 29 August 2026: careers.un.org/jobSearchDes...

Highlight of a fascinating swim up 900m of the River Little Ouse through @littleouse.bsky.social new reserve, Prince Freddy's Meadow, Blo' Norton on the #Norfolk #Suffolk border was couple of pools of Common Dace (Leuciscus leuciscus). youtu.be/iMRVaIug0Kc?... #MySwim #rivers #fish #ukwildlife 1/19

Lovely pools of Dace at Little Ouse Headwaters Project reserve, Prince Freddy's Meadow, Blo' Norton

YouTube video by Nicola Crockford

youtu.be

This Redshank was colour ringed on the Isle of Sheppey in September 2025 and shot Baie de Somme 2 days ago. A sad end for Amber listed species. Shame still hunted in France @wadertales.bsky.social @waderstudy.bsky.social @waderquest.bsky.social

I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.

1/4 A short thread about ground-nesting waders, prompted by new review paper by Klaussen et al in @bou.org.uk journal, IBIS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1... #ornithology

A systematic review and meta‐analysis of variation in nest predation of ground‐nesting birds

Predation and communities of predators of ground-nesting bird nests and fledglings have been studied across multiple groups of ground-nesting birds, such as waders, waterbirds, gamebirds and passerin...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

In case you missed it, from Dec 2025: a detailed article on the spectacular quagga mussel invasion of Lake Geneva. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘It’s an open invasion’: how millions of quagga mussels changed Lake Geneva for ever

The molluscs are decimating food chains in Switzerland, have devastated the Great Lakes in North America, and this week were spotted in Northern Ireland for the first time

theguardian.com

Caddisflies using microplastics as case-building material can transfer plastics to their predators. We demonstrated this using a benthic fish, brown bullhead, feeding on Limnephilus larvae. Larval cases wth microplastics were weaker & more attractive to fish: redpath-staff.mcgill.ca/ricciardi/Pf...

As always, amazing to be at Snettisham over high tide. Great to see an adult White-rumped Sandpiper, 3 Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, 7 Spotshanks, 26 Spoonbill and an out of season Brent Goose this morning

Our new review is out in Nature Reviews Biodiversity! 🐦🌍 The data show that 51% of Earth’s migratory bird species are declining. Nevertheless, conservation works when we identify threats early, build partnerships across borders, and act before species become endangered. doi.org/10.1038/s443...

Status, threats and conservation of Earth’s migratory birds - Nature Reviews Biodiversity

Migratory bird species are globally ubiquitous but rely on diverse habitats and locations across their annual cycles, requiring unique conservation solutions relative to non-migratory birds. This Revi...

doi.org

Natural England has confirmed that every white-tailed sea eagle found dead in Dorset since England's reintroduction began has carried traces of brodifacoum. Toxicology found the rodenticide in all five dead Dorset eagles 'at levels considered close to significant'.

With fewer than 500 remaining adult Spoon-billed Sandpipers (see update at bottom of this blog wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/10/22/s...) this is very welcome news! #ornithology

RareBirdAlert@rarebirder.bsky.social · 6d ago

Major boost for migratory shorebirds as UNESCO expands Korean tidal flats site www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/M...

Li et al. Shorebird loss increases soil CO2 emissions in coastal wetlands under restoration www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #ornithology

Shorebird loss increases soil CO2 emissions in coastal wetlands under restoration

Countries worldwide are increasingly adopting nature-based solutions (NbS) to tackle the challenges of global climate change. One recently proposed Nb…

sciencedirect.com

At the end of July, I check whether French authorities have reauthorised the temporary ban on shooting Curlew. They did! Curlews are still shot, but it is illegal. More here: wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/b... Birds tagged in France breeding in UK ⬇️ #ornithology

Citizen Science Reveals A Hidden Map Of Sharks And Rays In Mozambique

Citizen Science Reveals A Hidden Map Of Sharks And Rays In Mozambique

Citizen science data from iNaturalist reveal 44 species of sharks and rays in Mozambique, covering about a third of known national diversity. Most records are from southern regions and many species…

forbes.com

📣Europe finally says NO to lead in fishing weights! Today, the scrutiny period for the EU restriction on lead in fishing tackle has ended. This means that the Commission can proceed with the formal adoption, and the restriction will soon enter into force.

Interested in water quality & citizen science? Then, you'll like our newly updated Bloomin' Algae app: www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/... You can help us understand where and when blooms occur, and alert the community. #freshwater #CitizenScience #algae #UKCEH_AquaEco @ukceh.bsky.social 🧪🦠🌊🚣‍♀️👀🧪🦠🌊🚣‍♀️👀🧪

Three videos on forest fires. The challenges of managing forests in the Rockies youtu.be/s9RIvwfwRhA?... then old videos on whether pine forests burn youtu.be/SrNRfLV201k?... and how fires determine the balance between eucalyptus forest and rainforest youtu.be/3oK2OEPJHvM?...

Forest fires: lessons from the Rockies

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts

youtu.be

Oh no, Dunwich Heath wildlife reserve is on fire, right next to Minsmere bird reserve too. 14 crews out & people evacuated. This is horrendous. Views from Sizewell & Eels Foot #Suffolk #Wildfire

Avocados come in 2 varieties - A-types start each day female and switch to male midday. B-types do the reverse. In work just published from the last chapter of my PhD, we show this system evolved 40+million yrs ago and is regulated by alleles of 1 transcription factor www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies the ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado | PNAS

In avocado and certain wild relatives in Lauraceae, a highly synchronized daily rhythm of floral sex timing promotes cross-pollination between two ...

pnas.org

The long frilly ribbons at the center of jellyfish are actually massive stretched out lips, called 'oral arms' which act as a landing-zone for tentacles. Tentacle: sting prey, contract to oral arm, deposit prey onto frilly lips Oral arm: wrap prey in kiss of death, suck it up to mouth to be digested

Our paper on breeding site fidelity in Red Phalaropes now available in early view @behavecol.bsky.social! academic.oup.com/beheco/advan... We colour banded 169 males and 184 females of this polyandrous shorebird on their Arctic breeding grounds, and monitored their return in the next year 1/4

This weekend, such a privilege to explore the wondrous main channel of a River Test tributary in Hampshire. A highlight of this chalk stream was the abundant, exquisite Grayling parr, here energetically feeding with Minnows youtu.be/vZ360iCMro4?.... #MySwim #Rivers #Fish #teamfish #ukwildlife 1/25

Perky European Grayling parr feeding with Minnows in a chalk stream tributary of the River Test

YouTube video by Nicola Crockford

youtu.be

I have a lot to thank Bill Oddie for. When he was at school, he set up a Natural History Society that I (and many others) benefited from. That's where my love of birds developed. The first time I had to represent BTO on TV, it was with Bill. He was so helpful. RIP

Like most birders, I met #BillOddie several times, even appearing on an early series of Birding with Bill Oddie, in a one-hour birdrace around Rutland Water during the original @globalbirdfair.bsky.social. My first contact was age 16 when I asked some celebs to write some encouraging... (1/3)