A Blackcap perches on a branch, with blossom on nearby branches, as it opens its bill to sing.
Discover migration highlights from @birdtrack.bsky.social ➡️ bit.ly/3NFG7jL
Over the next two weeks the Blackcap’s flutey song will become a feature of woodlands and scrub, whereas the similar-sounding Garden Warbler won’t start arriving until the second half of April.
📷 Blackcap by Liz Cutting/BTO
Red squirrels rise again as Aberdeen begins to eliminate American greys
www.channel4.com/news/red-squ...
Invasive species season has begun! Huge thank you to our team today who suited up and dug up over 200 Giant Hogweed seedlings on the Heriot Watt campus.
A cormorant briefly surfacing on the water before diving again to fish. The river is relatively high and fast flowing.
A cormorant feeding on the Water of Leith through Currie this afternoon. Don't think I've seen one on this part of the river before. @wolct.bsky.social #birdinglothian
An RSPB Scotland branded panel with text reading: We welcome today's conviction of a gamekeeper in Perthshire for the illegal killing of a Goshawk, battered to death after it was caught in a crow cage trap. Again, RSPB video evidence was decisive in securing this verdict. Sentencing will follow on 24 April.
Today, RSPB video evidence was once again decisive in securing a conviction for the illegal killing of a bird of prey.
Scottish gamekeeper Russell Mason pleads guilty to battering a Goshawk to death on a shooting estate in Perthshire ⚖️
Excellent partnership investigation & prosecution by Police Scotland, RSPB, SSPCA, & COPFS 👏
New blog ⬇️
#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/03/17/s...
It's been highlighted in recent weeks but there is big concern following a huge wreck of seabirds (especially involving Puffins) along the Atlantic coasts as the blog explains: isleofmaynnr.wordpress.com
Going on holiday or not available to vote in person on 7 May?
You can still vote in the Scottish Parliament election. Apply for a postal vote by 21 April or a proxy vote by 28 April.
Make sure your vote is counted, even if you're away. www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
Three legal reforms to stop the criminal killing of birds of prey - new petition to UK Minister from @friendsofthedales.bsky.social
Details & link to petition in blog 🔽
#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/19/t...
@drscottarthurmp.bsky.social
Three-year General Licence restriction imposed on Raeshaw Estate (again), this time relating to the shooting of Golden Eagle Merrick.
Statement from NatureScot & commentary from me ⬇️
#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime 🌍
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/10/t...
Golden Eagle found shot in the Scottish Borders - Police Scotland appeals for information.
'Hamlet' is the sixth victim of eagle persecution in south Scotland in recent years.
Details in blog ⬇️
#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #BirdingScotland 🌍
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/02/09/g...
@edinburghcouncil.bsky.social Ref: Barnton Connections and floating bus stops
Kyiv.
We had one hour of electricity and were told we’ll get about 1.5-2 hours a day (yes, out of 24 hours).
The boiler heated water,
I washed my hair,
charged the EcoFlow (not fully).
That’s all.
These are the consequences of russian attacks.
Common Tern in flight
Person on top of pillbox structure in a field undertaking work to convert it to nesting site, a ladder leans against the side of the structure
Image from above of he conversion in progress with netting around the sides at the top of the pillbox, white sheeting covering the roof and planks of wood on the edges and laying on the roof
The finished pillbox converted to a nesting site. The design mimics the natural gravel and shingle sites where Common Terns typically build their nests.
From wartime defences to seabird sanctuaries: WWII pillboxes at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg are being transformed to help safeguard Common Terns!
Led by Species on the Edge trainee Luke, the pillbox project is converting the 1940s structures into safe nesting sites 💙
Remembering Dr. Gladys West (1930-2026), the mathematician whose complex algorithms modeling Earth's shape and satellite data became the foundation for GPS. A true "hidden figure" whose brilliance transformed how billions navigate the world.
#GladysWest #GPS #WomenInSTEM #HiddenFigures #STEM #Tech
@drscottarthurmp.bsky.social Please see this and the other posts in this thread.
Text that states: “Including the proposed Berwick Bank offshore windfarm in the Contracts for Difference scheme is a crushing blow for marine wildlife in Scotland and beyond. When 62% of seabird species are in decline across the UK, it is an absolute disgrace that public money will be used to support what is predicted to be one of the world’s most damaging windfarms for birds. "A development that will kill will tens of thousands of seabirds over its lifetime and push species like Kittiwakes and Puffins closer to extinction in Scotland is unsupportable on every level. "What’s more, measures needed to try and compensate for the impact of Berwick Bank would need to be so great this one windfarm could effectively block the progress of other less harmful projects. Anne McCall, Director, RSPB Scotland
The UK Government’s decision to include Berwick Bank in the Contracts for Difference scheme is a disaster for Scotland’s seabirds.
Killing tens of thousands of these incredible birds isn’t just reckless, it could push many species towards extinction.
We know it’s possible for renewable energy projects to be developed alongside the protection of marine wildlife.
But the scale of Berwick Bank puts our already under-pressure seabird populations at risk and public money should not be used to support it.
As 2025 comes to an end we wanted to say one last huge thank you to our amazing regular volunteers!
They completed 160 tasks in 6074 hours + 542 river patrols across 479 hours.
Thank you all for your hard work and dedication!
We hope everyone has a fab new year and we’ll see you all in 2026💚💙
The river is always alive with animals
youtu.be/Zxii5GSS-UQ?...
Goshawk dies from gunshot injuries in Aberdeenshire. Police Scotland appeals for information.
#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #BirdingScotland
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/01/g...
Young country diary: Silence in the hide for a rare and beautiful bird | Sachin www.theguardian.com/environment/...
A baking tray
Heart shaped cutters
A savarin dish
A flan dish
We have just extended our Lend & Mend collection AGAIN so along with our loanable tools and sewing machines we now have a loanable collection of KITCHENWARE. Baking tins, flan dishes, cutters and more. 🍳 #GreenLibraries #LoveLibraries
Find out more at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/kitchenware/
You can find details of all our loanable stuff (that isn't books etc) on our website at: orkneylibrary.org.uk/library-of-t...
Tools, kitchenware, sewing machines, birdwatching kits, games kits, and our Wintering Well Kits which are still in high demand.
And there's more to come...
Another 'missing' Hen Harrier, this time in the Moorfoot Hills, south of Edinburgh - a well known hotbed of illegal raptor persecution over several decades.
#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/20/s...
So it's getting round the mechanism by spreading it's weight between the feeder and the pole! Cunning so and so. Thanks for posting this - we were thinking of getting one after a squirrel removed all the feeding ports from ours! Will need to rethink.
Sub-adult Iceland Gull on a beach, by Scott Mayson / BTO.
Autumn migration is coming to a close, so here's our final weekly Migration Blog for now. As always let us know what you spot when you're out and about, and don't forget to log your records on @birdtrack.bsky.social.
www.bto.org/our-work/new...
#UKbirding
📷 Iceland Gull, by Scott Mayson / BTO
