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Helen Baker

Helen Baker

@helenbaker.bsky.social

230 followers 110 following 56 posts

Ornithology, Mycology, nature. Seabird team leader JNCC. Member BMS Field Mycology & Conservation Committee. Own views.

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Reposted by Helen Baker

British Antarctic Survey 🐧 @bas.ac.uk · 3d

Supercharged seafloor spotting! 🐚

Our AI and science teams have been using machine learning to label surveys of the Antarctic seafloor. It's dramatically sped them up from <8 hours per photo, to a few seconds.

This one looks like a quick job. But stay with us as we up the difficulty...

🧵 1/4

Image 1 is a pretty empty image of the Antarctic Sea floor. There's visibly a few large starfish in bright pink.

In the annotated version of image 1, there's around 15 creatures labelled, including some tiny shells scattered across the floor.

Reposted by Helen Baker

The Rare Breeding Birds Panel @ukrbbp.bsky.social · 3d

A few opportunities to learn about rare breeding birds and the work of the RBBP. If your bird club/wildlife group/RSPB group would like an online talk from our Secretary @markaeaton.bsky.social, get in touch.

A mocked-up T-shirt with four RBBP talk dates on

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · 6d

This is a parasitic fungus, Gomphidius roseus, the Rosy Spike, a gilled boletale, which targets the Bovine Bolete, Suillus bovinus, an ectomycorhizal species with pines. #FungiFriday

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · 6d

A rotter, this is Bulgaria inquinans, the Black Bulgar or Black Jelly, which is common in broadleaf woodland but most often on fallen oak. It can produce a turquoise dye if processed carefully, but more often a lovely green. #FungiFriday

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · 6d

It's waxcap season - fungi of nutrient poor grasslands that tend to peak in late autumn. This is the Date Waxcap, Hygrocybe spadicea, from grassland within the Balmoral estate. It is a rare species and an indicator of high quality fungi (CHEGD) grassland. #FungiFriday

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · 6d

It's #FungiFriday and yesterday was world fungus day so here are a few recent finds. These are dinner-plate sized Scaly Tooth, Sarcodon squamosus, from the ancient Caledonian pinewoods of Ballochbuie in the Balmoral estate.

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · 6d

Many congratulations Julian - very well deserved 🎉

Reposted by Helen Baker

British Mycological Society @britmycolsoc.org.uk · 8d

Join us on 29th November at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for the BMS Autumn Open Meeting. Hosted by Prof Martin Bidartondo and Dr Carrie Andrew, the meeting features expert speakers covering a variety of mycological topics. Find out more here: www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/aom_2025.html

Reposted by Helen Baker

Steffen Oppel @steffopp.bsky.social · 14d

NEW JOB in #ornithology with @RSPBScience to oversee research in #Wales with #seabirds and #waders: buff.ly/qkTVU6m

Reposted by Helen Baker

BOU @bou.org.uk · 16d

EARLY VIEW in IBIS

Breeding and foraging habitat are important in determining foraging ranges of sympatric generalist species | onlinelibrary.wiley....

Chris B. Thaxter et al | #ornithology 🪶

Reposted by Helen Baker

Kyle Horton @kyle-horton.bsky.social · 16d

Another massive movement of migratory birds underway tonight — nearly 1 Billion Birds! With the full moon, you might be able to see some silhouettes zipping by. You can make your own flow maps here (just hit record): aeroecolab.com/uslights

Reposted by Helen Baker

Marine Ornithology @marineorno.bsky.social · 16d

New paper alert: Behavioral response of Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica to marine heatwaves in the Gulf of Maine, USA: A webcam study. By Julie Wallace et al.
#seabirds #OpenAccess #HeatWaves

www.marineornithology.org/PDF/53_2/53_...

An Atlantic puffin at the colony.

Reposted by Helen Baker

BOU @bou.org.uk · 17d

Different migration strategies under warming ocean anomalies in penguins: a study of spatial, oceanographic, and isotopic niche segregation | link.springer.com/ar... | Journal of Ornithology | #ornithology 🪶

Different migration strategies under warming ocean anomalies in penguins: a study of spatial, oceanographic, and isotopic niche segregation

Journal of Ornithology - Many seabirds adjust migratory movements to interannual oceanic variability, tracking food resources, and potentially avoiding competition. This study examines the at-sea...

link.springer.com

Reposted by Helen Baker

British Mycological Society @britmycolsoc.org.uk · 17d

Fungi in our water?💧Next week, #PhD researcher Pooja Padmakumar explores how metagenomic sequencing reveals fungal pathogens in North Wales wastewater and what this means for outbreak detection. Register now: www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/bms-talks.html
#Mycology #Research #PublicHealth

Photo of Pooja Padmakumar, PhD student at Bangor University, with the text " BMS Talk - 15 October 2025, 19:30-21:00. What's lurking in Wales's waters?" www.britmycolsoc.co.uk

Reposted by Helen Baker

BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 19d

⚠️ Please report sightings of dead birds for possible testing for Avian Influenza. ⬇️

📌 In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/...
📌 In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/...
📌 In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.serv...

#UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

Image of a deceased Puffin lying on the ground. White wording on an orange background reads: Please report sightings of dead birds.

Reposted by Helen Baker

The Rare Breeding Birds Panel @ukrbbp.bsky.social · Sep 20

Our most recent report, Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2022, is now available open access on our website at tinyurl.com/2xf23keu
All reports dating back to 1973 can be found at rbbp.org.uk/annual-repor....
Our next report, for 2023, will be published in @britishbirds.bsky.social in November

The cover of British Birds, November 2024, with a Glossy Ibis illustration

Reposted by Helen Baker

JNCC @jncc.bsky.social · Sep 19

🌊New advice on the revised Effective Deterrence Ranges (EDRs) for noise management in Harbour Porpoise Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) published bit.ly/4nzwCia

A Harbour Porpoise breaches the water, its fin on show. In the background, another can just be seen in the blue water. Image credit to Sarah Canning

Reposted by Helen Baker

British Mycological Society @britmycolsoc.org.uk · Sep 19

🍄🌱 Gardens can be fungal hotspots — if we let them! In this blog for #UKFungusDay, Jassy Drakulic @jassydrak.bsky.social at The RHS explores how garden practices can encourage (or suppress) fungi & why that matters for #SoilHealth & #Biodiversity. www.ukfungusday.co.uk/fungiingardens
#Gardening

A group of orange mushrooms growing in grass next to a dry-stone wall.

Reposted by Helen Baker

SEAPOP.bsky.social @seapop.bsky.social · Sep 15

SEAPOP launches new data products that show #seabird distribution, environmental value and vulnerability to offshore wind farms. Data can be downloaded free of charge in form of maps (raster or vector format) seapop.no/en/2025/08/n...

New data products from SEAPOP

SEAPOP has recently published new data products that provide information and overviews of three important parameters related to seabirds along the Norwegian coast and the adjacent marine areas: their…

Reposted by Helen Baker

British Mycological Society @britmycolsoc.org.uk · Sep 12

Next week: hear how environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to detect & compare complex fungal communities in soils. BMS Talk by Ben Gregson, Anglia Ruskin University. Wednesday 17 September, 7:30pm online. Free to attend & open to all. Find out more & book: www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/bms-talks.html

Poster for the BMS Talk: Using environmental DNA (eDNA) for fungal metabarcoding in soils by Ben Gregson, Anglia Ruskin University.

Reposted by Helen Baker

Thijs Kuiken @thijskuiken.bsky.social · Sep 12

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 reaches Gough Island, where it is associated with mortality in three Tristan skuas. This is worrying because Gough Island is an important breeding site for seabirds, including several species of global conservation concern.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Tristan skua (Stercorarius antarcticus hamiltoni). Photo by Noah Strycker.

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · Sep 12

An unusual bolete that has pink pores and spores, the Bitter bolete, Tylopilus felleus

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · Sep 12

A commoner species, the Jellied bolete, Suillus flavidus

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · Sep 12

Pine bolete, Boletus pinophilus

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · Sep 12

A large, bearded milkcap, Lactarius repraesentaneus