Richard K Broughton
@richardkbroughton.bsky.social
Research Ecologist working on birds, mammals, forests, farms, hedgerows, woodland natural colonisation. Marsh Tit, Willow Tit & Wood Warbler research. Editor-in-Chief of the journal Bird Study: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tbis20
Views are mine.
Views are mine.
Pinned
My Poyser book, The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit, is now published. 9 chapters, 320pp, 150+ figures, photos & tables on the ecology, behaviour, calls, id., habitats & conservation of these two species from Britain to Japan. More info: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marsh-tit... #ornithology #ukbirding #birds
A semi-random 1 km square in the Fens. Vast arable, no woody cover except this small patch. O hedges. And the square had almost 60 deer in it. Mostly Roe, some Chinese Water Deer.
November 27, 2025 at 6:25 PM
A semi-random 1 km square in the Fens. Vast arable, no woody cover except this small patch. O hedges. And the square had almost 60 deer in it. Mostly Roe, some Chinese Water Deer.
Unforgiveable misidentification aside, it's interesting that non-native Edible Dormice are using below-ground infrastructure like this, which clearly has implications for allowing them to bypass barriers (like roads and open/hard surfaces) to spread.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
Video shows squirrels living in Hertfordshire drain system
Other items discovered in roadside drains around Hertfordshire include a trampoline and grenade.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Unforgiveable misidentification aside, it's interesting that non-native Edible Dormice are using below-ground infrastructure like this, which clearly has implications for allowing them to bypass barriers (like roads and open/hard surfaces) to spread.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
The EU has published rules for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. Butterflies, moths, bees and hoverflies will all be monitored by every Member State. Target to reverse decline in Pollinators by 2030 and increase pops. A big step in conserving biodiversity environment.ec.europa.eu/news/better-...
Better monitoring to support restoration of EU pollinators
The Commission has adopted a new Pollinator Monitoring Scheme to help reverse the decline of pollinator populations by 2030.
environment.ec.europa.eu
November 26, 2025 at 10:18 PM
The EU has published rules for the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. Butterflies, moths, bees and hoverflies will all be monitored by every Member State. Target to reverse decline in Pollinators by 2030 and increase pops. A big step in conserving biodiversity environment.ec.europa.eu/news/better-...
When a Wryneck mates with a Goshawk...
One of three Tawny Frogmouths I encountered on a short walk down the Darwin esplanade last night. They were rather chill, allowing me to get this photo with my phone.
#WildOz #UrbanBirds
#WildOz #UrbanBirds
November 27, 2025 at 12:36 PM
When a Wryneck mates with a Goshawk...
Mixed day surveying birds in Fens around Welney: a 'four heron day' (grey heron & the 3 egrets), plus 8 cranes, many hundreds of Golden Plovers and Whooper Swans, but a dying Roe Deer, and a bird flushed with Skylarks that I couldn't pin down - called 3 times like a Richard's Pipit! #UKBirding
November 26, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Mixed day surveying birds in Fens around Welney: a 'four heron day' (grey heron & the 3 egrets), plus 8 cranes, many hundreds of Golden Plovers and Whooper Swans, but a dying Roe Deer, and a bird flushed with Skylarks that I couldn't pin down - called 3 times like a Richard's Pipit! #UKBirding
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
‘The Fenland Flora- survival against the odds’ webinar from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is now available to view
m.youtube.com/watch?v=8fV0...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=8fV0...
The Fenland Flora – survival against the odds
YouTube video by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
m.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:01 AM
‘The Fenland Flora- survival against the odds’ webinar from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is now available to view
m.youtube.com/watch?v=8fV0...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=8fV0...
New issue of #BirdStudy
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
November 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
New issue of #BirdStudy
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
My annual roost count at Hatch Pond this evening produced a personal best of 229 Magpies, my previous best count from a couple of years ago was 184 @harbourbirds.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 5:44 PM
My annual roost count at Hatch Pond this evening produced a personal best of 229 Magpies, my previous best count from a couple of years ago was 184 @harbourbirds.bsky.social
Lapwing and a Marsh Tit, yeah? I hope Sotherbys are better at researching/confirming the artist, dates and other details for that price. I'd want a second opinion.
Still life of birds, including a marsh tit, chiffchaff, chaffinch, blue tits, goldcrest, lapwing & a great tit, n.d., by #OrsolaMaddalenaCaccia (Italian, c. 1596-c. 1676). Included in Sotheby’s auction, Dec 4, www.sothebys.com/en/buy/aucti..., estimate £40K–60K #nuntastic #artherstory #womenartists
November 24, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Lapwing and a Marsh Tit, yeah? I hope Sotherbys are better at researching/confirming the artist, dates and other details for that price. I'd want a second opinion.
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
Something to celebrate - our 2025 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker report - successful breeding season, the most nests monitored & highest number of chicks fledged per nest since we started in 2015. Acoustic monitoring giving amazing results too, download here www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/images/L_S_W...
November 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Something to celebrate - our 2025 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker report - successful breeding season, the most nests monitored & highest number of chicks fledged per nest since we started in 2015. Acoustic monitoring giving amazing results too, download here www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/images/L_S_W...
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
Blessed are the peacemakers
November 23, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Blessed are the peacemakers
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
Pleased to share our latest paper, "Embedding rewilding in policy: Perspectives on overcoming barriers and unlocking opportunities"🍃 #rewilding #biodiversity
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Embedding rewilding in policy: Perspectives on overcoming barriers and unlocking opportunities
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Pleased to share our latest paper, "Embedding rewilding in policy: Perspectives on overcoming barriers and unlocking opportunities"🍃 #rewilding #biodiversity
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Currently a whopping 30% discount on the hardback and flexiback from the publisher (link in post below), just in time for Christmas presents!
The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit, a Poyser #ornithology monograph. #ukbirding
The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit, a Poyser #ornithology monograph. #ukbirding
My Poyser book, The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit, is now published. 9 chapters, 320pp, 150+ figures, photos & tables on the ecology, behaviour, calls, id., habitats & conservation of these two species from Britain to Japan. More info: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marsh-tit... #ornithology #ukbirding #birds
November 22, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Currently a whopping 30% discount on the hardback and flexiback from the publisher (link in post below), just in time for Christmas presents!
The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit, a Poyser #ornithology monograph. #ukbirding
The Marsh Tit and the Willow Tit, a Poyser #ornithology monograph. #ukbirding
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
More evidence that the Trump/Witkoff “peace plan” for Ukraine came straight from the Russians - it uses Russian syntax.
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
November 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
More evidence that the Trump/Witkoff “peace plan” for Ukraine came straight from the Russians - it uses Russian syntax.
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
Are you an MSc student based at a UK university? Or do you know one?
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
Postgraduate opportunities
The RSPB is offering a variety of exciting research projects for postgraduate students in 2026.
www.rspb.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Are you an MSc student based at a UK university? Or do you know one?
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
In the small print: Trump commands the UK military if he feels like it.
A quick run through of the Trump administration's proposal for a Ukraine security guarantee, which is a security guarantee in the same way that the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is a party committed to liberalism and democracy. 🧵 x.com/BarakRavid/s...
Barak Ravid on X: "FULL TEXT OF THE U.S. DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR A UKRAINE SECURITY GUARANTEE: 🚨This Framework establishes the conditions for an armistice between Ukraine and the Russian Federation and provides a security assurance modeled on the principles of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty," / X
FULL TEXT OF THE U.S. DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR A UKRAINE SECURITY GUARANTEE: 🚨This Framework establishes the conditions for an armistice between Ukraine and the Russian Federation and provides a security assurance modeled on the principles of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty,
x.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM
In the small print: Trump commands the UK military if he feels like it.
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
A video from earlier in the autumn during some particularly heavy Pheasant migration in Highland! #highlandbirds
November 21, 2025 at 12:29 PM
A video from earlier in the autumn during some particularly heavy Pheasant migration in Highland! #highlandbirds
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
The full 28-point U.S. peace plan for Ukraine, reportedly backed by Trump, has been published by MP Honcharenko. This thread outlines the key points. What’s clear is that the so-called Witkoff plan heavily favors Russia while offering little to nothing for Ukraine.
1/9
1/9
November 20, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The full 28-point U.S. peace plan for Ukraine, reportedly backed by Trump, has been published by MP Honcharenko. This thread outlines the key points. What’s clear is that the so-called Witkoff plan heavily favors Russia while offering little to nothing for Ukraine.
1/9
1/9
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
Key findings:
• 42% loss of rough grassland, heath and wetland since 1930
• Pastures and meadows reduced by 29%
• Arable land up by one third by 1990
• Urban areas rose from 13% to 20%
A fresh perspective on how our landscapes changed over 90 years
www.ceh.ac.uk/press/maps-c...
3/ #LandUse
• 42% loss of rough grassland, heath and wetland since 1930
• Pastures and meadows reduced by 29%
• Arable land up by one third by 1990
• Urban areas rose from 13% to 20%
A fresh perspective on how our landscapes changed over 90 years
www.ceh.ac.uk/press/maps-c...
3/ #LandUse
Maps created by 1960s schoolchildren provide new insights into habitat losses
A new study of 1960s maps, many of which were created by young people, has provided important fresh evidence of the timing and extent of habitat losses caused by agricultural intensification and urban...
www.ceh.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Key findings:
• 42% loss of rough grassland, heath and wetland since 1930
• Pastures and meadows reduced by 29%
• Arable land up by one third by 1990
• Urban areas rose from 13% to 20%
A fresh perspective on how our landscapes changed over 90 years
www.ceh.ac.uk/press/maps-c...
3/ #LandUse
• 42% loss of rough grassland, heath and wetland since 1930
• Pastures and meadows reduced by 29%
• Arable land up by one third by 1990
• Urban areas rose from 13% to 20%
A fresh perspective on how our landscapes changed over 90 years
www.ceh.ac.uk/press/maps-c...
3/ #LandUse
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
🍃 Considering applying for our Postgraduate Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques?
Join us online on Thursday 4 December at 13:00 to find out more about the course, get to know the course team, meet our former students, and ask any questions you may have.
🔗 Register here: buff.ly/CdqjObj
Join us online on Thursday 4 December at 13:00 to find out more about the course, get to know the course team, meet our former students, and ask any questions you may have.
🔗 Register here: buff.ly/CdqjObj
November 19, 2025 at 12:02 PM
🍃 Considering applying for our Postgraduate Certificate in Ecological Survey Techniques?
Join us online on Thursday 4 December at 13:00 to find out more about the course, get to know the course team, meet our former students, and ask any questions you may have.
🔗 Register here: buff.ly/CdqjObj
Join us online on Thursday 4 December at 13:00 to find out more about the course, get to know the course team, meet our former students, and ask any questions you may have.
🔗 Register here: buff.ly/CdqjObj
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
The International Swan Census (ISC) is taking place on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 (WeBS January Core Count weekend), counting Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. Follow these simple steps to get involved 👇
@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social
#UKBirding #Ornithology
@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social
#UKBirding #Ornithology
November 18, 2025 at 10:27 AM
The International Swan Census (ISC) is taking place on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 (WeBS January Core Count weekend), counting Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. Follow these simple steps to get involved 👇
@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social
#UKBirding #Ornithology
@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social
#UKBirding #Ornithology
Minus 5 celsius locally last night, but a Red Admiral still on the wing today.
November 18, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Minus 5 celsius locally last night, but a Red Admiral still on the wing today.
It's not just Jays, but Rooks are also agents of natural colonisation of woodland, dispersing and planting tree seeds that start off new woodlands. #rewilding
November 18, 2025 at 10:13 PM
It's not just Jays, but Rooks are also agents of natural colonisation of woodland, dispersing and planting tree seeds that start off new woodlands. #rewilding
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
PhD opportunity!
Focusing on ecological processes offers an adaptive approach to conservation at a time of rapid environmental change
But how do we measure & conserve these processes?
This PhD will explore the use of species traits to assess ecosystem condition
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Focusing on ecological processes offers an adaptive approach to conservation at a time of rapid environmental change
But how do we measure & conserve these processes?
This PhD will explore the use of species traits to assess ecosystem condition
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
PhD opportunity!
Focusing on ecological processes offers an adaptive approach to conservation at a time of rapid environmental change
But how do we measure & conserve these processes?
This PhD will explore the use of species traits to assess ecosystem condition
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Focusing on ecological processes offers an adaptive approach to conservation at a time of rapid environmental change
But how do we measure & conserve these processes?
This PhD will explore the use of species traits to assess ecosystem condition
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Richard K Broughton
New in #BirdStudy
Loyal as a Robin: low frequency of extra-pair paternity in a European Robin Erithacus rubecula population in the natural forest of Białowieża National Park (Poland)
doi.org/10.1080/0006...
#ornithology
Loyal as a Robin: low frequency of extra-pair paternity in a European Robin Erithacus rubecula population in the natural forest of Białowieża National Park (Poland)
doi.org/10.1080/0006...
#ornithology
October 19, 2025 at 2:25 PM
New in #BirdStudy
Loyal as a Robin: low frequency of extra-pair paternity in a European Robin Erithacus rubecula population in the natural forest of Białowieża National Park (Poland)
doi.org/10.1080/0006...
#ornithology
Loyal as a Robin: low frequency of extra-pair paternity in a European Robin Erithacus rubecula population in the natural forest of Białowieża National Park (Poland)
doi.org/10.1080/0006...
#ornithology