A messy garden is a glorious garden. We need to stop tidying, titivating and paving them over | Emma Beddington I’ve just watched another of my neighbours rip up everything green and growing around their home, writes Emma Beddington. It’s enough to make David Attenborough weep

A messy garden is a glorious garden. We need to stop tidying, titivating and paving them over | Emma Beddington

Arcitalitrus dorrieni

Arcitalitrus dorrieni

Arcitalitrus dorrieni

A lifer, the non-native but interesting Arcitalitrus dorrieni - Landhopper or Lawn Shrimp, found under damp wood in the NE corner of Liberton Cemetery Edinburgh 18/02/26. Verified on iNat. Dark, pingy and difficult to photograph! @persmiseth.bsky.social @edinburghnats.bsky.social

#wildflowerhour Some from a Spring walk around the farm today🙂

You must be used to Ecological continuity being paid little regard. Ruins almost all drama esp historical drama. Am not otherwise a fan, but the #archers always nails the correct birdsong.

And #HWM2026

2026 Herp Workers Meeting in Glasgow. #HWM26. Lovely to be back and catch up with many herpy folk after an absence of a few years. Meeting strangely absent from #Bluesky.
Correctly georeferenced incidental Birdtrack and iNat records a bonus.

@btobirds.bsky.social Will you be doing a Birdtrack 2025 summary for users this year? A highlight of my annual recording efforts historically and always gratefully received🙂

Give me a shout if so. Got Marsh Tit on the chalk bank last weekend - first for ages. Pair of Stonechats and Grey Wagtail by the muckheap. Thrush galore. Little Owls calling.

Ah, just seen this. Anything good?

The International Swan Census takes place this weekend, 17-18 January. If you record any Bewick's or Whooper Swans in BirdTrack, we would greatly appreciate if you could add details on the number of adults and juveniles, habitat and location pinpoint #ukbirding

Whooper Swans by Sarah Kelman / BTO

Guidelines: - Best Practice for Using iNaturalist in the UK: Best Practice for Using iNaturalist in the UK A practical, optional guide to help your observations integrate smoothly with the UK biological recording system This guidance is entirely optional. You...

forum.inaturalist.org/t/guidelines...

@claireasher.bsky.social

Sunday book review: Pan-species Listing by @graemelyons.bsky.social
Publisher: @pelagic.bsky.social
Review: markavery.info/2026/01/04/s...

"Hardly anyone has the knowledge to write this book & even fewer could write it so well!"

Rare plants often turn up in restored Norfolk farm #ponds: Translucent Stonewort (Nitella translucens), Tassel Stonewort (Tolypella intricata), Bladder Sedge (Carex vesicaria) & Marsh Speedwell (Veronica scutellata). Very special species usually confined to nature reserves

Which, looking at it now, is strangely not showing many of the iNat records from there 🤔

Grange Cemetery Edinburgh, Scotland, GB Learn about the species that live inGrange Cemetery Edinburgh, Scotland, GB!

Made it into a “place” on iNat a while back: www.inaturalist.org/places/grang...

Recruitment poster for 12 botanical or entomological field surveyors, April-September 2026. Closing date: January 30, 2026.

🦋🌿Hiring 12 x Botanists or Entomologists for 2026 field surveys in England!

4-month, full-time roles from late April to early September.

Field sites in Yorkshire, Devon, Warwickshire, Kent/Sussex, Lincolnshire/Cambridge, Essex/Suffolk.

Apply now: ceh.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/CEH_Ca... 🧪

Going back to the old ways to help nature today in West Berkshire Drovers’ roads around East Ilsley given one of the top nature recovery priorities

A quick google of “neophyte drover” found this, with a map and some links that might keep you busy for a wee while: www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/going-b...

Want to build your own environmental sensors? Join FDRI’s free Environmental Sensing Workshop 16 - 17 Feb 2026 at Chess Catchment. Build & test hydrological sensors w/ @imperialcollege & us! Travel & accommodation funded. Apply: https://f.mtr.cool/fajftaotue

Lol. Straight to FR24 to check.

Water sampling and thermistor change at #UKUWMN site Old Lodge in Ashdown Forest today. Added value iNat records including what is probably Craterellus undulatus/Pseudocraterellus undulatus depending on who you ask. Rarely recorded apparently and kind ID from @ljantos

Major revision of #GBRedList of plants published today shows 25% of our native & archaeophyte flora threatened with extinction. Many iconic widespread species classified as threatened for first time including Betony, Marsh Marigold, Devil’s-bit Scabious and Harebell. Another wake-up call for action!

Birds flee en mass from New Year’s Eve fireworks Abstract. Anthropogenic disturbances of wildlife, such as noise, human presence, hunting activity, and motor vehicles, are becoming an increasing concern i

We've known for a long time fireworks are a major source of sudden disturbance for birds, and published earlier work in Behavioral Ecology documenting this for the first time using the Dutch weather radars operated by @knmi.bsky.social.

Read the earlier study here: doi.org/10.1093/behe...

A composite image of birds flying in front of fireworks, meant to depict fleeing birds.

Another NYE, another night of terror for millions of birds across the Netherlands (and around the world).

Last year we published in @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social Frontiers 🧪 about the massive impact of fireworks on birds 🦅.

Paper: doi.org/10.1002/fee....

Thread below 🧵👇

horizon.science.uva.nl/fireworks/in...

“On average, as a result of fireworks, 1000 times more birds take flight than on usual winter nights.” New year in the Netherlands. Knew I’d seen this somewhere so ta to @amiesphilip.bsky.social for finding it. Redwings peeping all over here just now.

Our Department of Aquatic Ecology (Eco) is offering a
Postdoctoral position in Aquatic Ecology (m/f/d) 80-100%

👉 More about the position: apply.refline.ch/673277/1300/...

Station bookswap bookstand from afar

Bookstand book close up with Carabidae of the uk book centre stage

Close up of plate from Carabidae book

Wasn’t expecting to find _this_ in the local station book exchange.Had a wait long enough to look properly rather than casually glance at the usual biographies & novels.Wonder how long it had been sitting there all unloved.Rest assured it has now found its forever home🙂.Now need to find a swap.

Ah. Was just reporting recent finds. Nothing too unusual and no Hoopoes!!

Sounds like a good afternoon out.

Been a pair on the fence posts near the cottages. Check out the sunflowers for mixed finches🙂