Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Matt Wood

The Seabird Group @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social · 14d

Have you signed up for the World Seabird Conference yet? 7-11 Sept 2026, Hobart, Australia 🐦🦘

Registration is open now, with abstracts accepted until 15 Jan 👩‍🏫🌊

A fantastic opportunity for #seabirders! Runs every 5 years. Accessible, inclusive, global 🌍 #WSC4

worldseabirdunion.org/world-seabir...

6 8

Reposted by Matt Wood

Paul Jerem @pauljerem.bsky.social · 14d

Thermal imaging opens multiple windows into wild animal physiology!

Our new systematic review surveys links between body surface temperatures and four key physiological processes to identify approaches likely to push the technique to it's full potential.

buff.ly/p4s37I5

#biology #physiology

3 2

Reposted by Matt Wood

RareBirdAlert @rarebirder.bsky.social · 20d

After decades of absence, the nocturnal calls of shearwaters once more echo from burrows on Northern Ireland's seabird island. www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/M...

Manx Shearwater Breeding Confirmed on Rathlin Island

After decades of absence, the nocturnal calls of shearwaters once more echo from burrows on Northern Ireland’s seabird island.

www.rarebirdalert.co.uk

6 25

Reposted by Matt Wood

BOU @bou.org.uk · 28d

EARLY VIEW in IBIS

Effect of a previous high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAIV) infection on the breeding success of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) | onlinelibrary.wiley....

Sue Lewis et al | #ornithology 🪶

1 9 21

Reposted by Matt Wood

Kirsty Franklin @kirstyfranklin.bsky.social · 28d

Very cool new #seabird paper showing no difference in breeding success between healthy and black-eyed gannets, but a worrying overall decline in productivity following the #avianflu outbreak. 🦠🐣

Read the paper here 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #seabirds #ornithology

A breeding pair of Gannets on the Bass Rock with their chick. One of the adults clearly has a black eye, an indicator of past exposure to highly pathogenic avian influenza, while the other is normal/healthy.

1 27 110

Reposted by Matt Wood

MASTS @mastscot.bsky.social · Aug 4

📢Abstract call for the 15th MASTS Annual Science Meeting - NOW OPEN.
Abstracts for talks and e-posters are now invited for our general science sessions or one of our five special sessions, and are open to everyone.
Deadline for all abstracts: 29th August.
🌊All the info: masts.ac.uk/annual-scien...

2

Reposted by Matt Wood

Alice Edney @aliceedney.bsky.social · Aug 1

Really pleased to have contributed to this epic survey of >59,000 pairs of gannets! The St Kilda colony was less impacted by HPAI than other colonies, perhaps because steep cliffs reduced disease transmission. Flatter areas of the colony suffered greater losses.

#ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds

St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · Jul 31

Results from the 2023 #StKilda Gannet census are to be published in the December issue of #ScottishBirds, revealing relative stability in what is once again the world's largest colony, despite fears that #HPAI may have had a greater impact on the population
#NTSSeabirds
@scottishbirding.bsky.social

A bird’s-eye view of the gannet colony at St Kilda

The first drone census at St Kilda has revealed the islands are now home to the world’s largest gannet colony.

www.nts.org.uk

8 29

Reposted by Matt Wood

Chloe Cargill (She/Her) @meta-kittiwake.bsky.social · Jul 9

PhULMaR continues! Peer support and networking, collaboration and data sharing group for PhD and MRes #seabirds and marine #ornithology students in the British and Irish Isles 📢🐣 Please share with students and colleagues 🙏🏻

PhULMaR @phulmar.bsky.social · Jul 9

Hello! We're now on #Bluesky! PhULMaR is a PhD lab group for those around the British and Irish Isles studying birds that use the #marine #environment. Currently headed by @bardseyben.bsky.social @dianepavat.bsky.social, we meet online on the last Friday of each month. Get in touch to join!

6 13

Reposted by Matt Wood

wordsfromwez.bsky.social @wordsfromwez.bsky.social · Jul 13

Some of the many hundreds of Kittiwakes raising families in the heart of Scarborough at present. Red listed in the UK, with an increasingly vulnerable population internationally too, Black-legged Kittiwakes are a familiar sight in a small number of coastal towns. #SuperSeabirdSunday #ReMeMaRe 1/..

1 8 33

Reposted by Matt Wood

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · Jun 23

Tukey

xkcd.com/3104/

Comic. [block quote] “Far better an approximate answer to the *right* question, which is often vague, than an *exact* answer to the wrong question, which can always be made precise.” -John W. Tukey, The Future of Data Analysis (1962) [caption] Happy Approximate Birthday to John Tukey, author of my favorite statistics quote, who was born 110.000 years ago sometime this week.

19 430 2.9K

Reposted by Matt Wood

Joseph Tobias @josephtobias.bsky.social · Jun 24

🚨 Behold a second impressive paper from @kerrys189.bsky.social to celebrate her just-finished PhD. A rising 🌟!

This study examines AVONET data to show how even threat abatement leaves large areas of avian functional diversity at risk, and in need of targeted management.

🧪🌐🪶

Kerry Stewart @kerrys189.bsky.social · Jun 24

New paper!
"Threat reduction must be coupled with targeted recovery programmes to conserve global bird diversity" www.nature.com/articles/s41....

Great working with @mgs-cielo-azul.bsky.social, @josephtobias.bsky.social, @cpcarmona.bsky.social, @expecocons.bsky.social, Chris Venditti and Jo Baker.

Threat reduction must be coupled with targeted recovery programmes to conserve global bird diversity - Nature Ecology & Evolution

Projections of extinctions of bird species and losses of functional diversity over the next 100 years suggest that even immediate and widespread threat abatement would be insufficient to prevent losse...

www.nature.com

5 20

Reposted by Matt Wood

BOU @bou.org.uk · Jun 16

🔈 NOMINATIONS OPEN

Know someone in #ornithology deserving of recognition? Nominate them for a BOU award now! 🪶

🥇 Godman Salvin Prize
🥇 Alfred Newton Lecture
🥇 Janet Kear Union Medal
🥇 Early Professional Award

Deadline: 15 September 2025

Nominate: bou.org.uk/about-the...

14 13

Reposted by Matt Wood

Alice Risely @alice-risely.bsky.social · Jun 11

🦠 SAVE THE DATE! 🦜

I'm excited to announce that the theme of the 2027 BOU conference is Avian Disease Ecology!

📍 Nottingham, UK
📅 6–8 April 2027

🔗 Full details: lnkd.in/gPvFFDJe

Please share widely!

#BOU2027 #Ornithology #WildlifeDisease #AvianDisease #EcoHealth

2 29 50

Reposted by Matt Wood

Helen Baker @helenbaker.bsky.social · Jun 16

Job alert: We are looking for an enthusiastic and adaptable marine ornithologist to join the JNCC Marine Species Team. More info here: www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cg...

1 26 16

Reposted by Matt Wood

Ed Kroc @edkroc.bsky.social · Jun 6

A nice article on urban gulls' eating habits that doesn't paint them in a negative light. With some commentary from me, @alice-risely.bsky.social and others.
www.wsj.com/articles/sci...

Scientists Can’t Get Enough of Watching Seagulls Steal Your Food

Birds’ ability to seamlessly swap marine food for a Big Mac—and outwit humans to get it—is a source of fascination

www.wsj.com

2 11 31

Reposted by Matt Wood

UK Seabird Monitoring Programme @smp-seabirds.bsky.social · Jun 6

📖SMPnews is out now - Issue 3 | Spring 2025🌱

This newsletter is for anyone interested in #seabirds, #wildlife, #CitizenScience or simply enjoys a good read! Thank you to everyone who contributed.👏

🔭 Check it out at www.bto.org/smp-news 👀

@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

11 11

Reposted by Matt Wood

Dr Katrina Siddiqi-Davies @katrina-siddiqi.bsky.social · Jun 3

Am super excited that our new paper is out, it looks at how reproductive role can constrain foraging and restrict evening diving opportunities for males during the pre-laying period in Manx shearwaters🥚

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Pre-laying sex differences in reproductive roles can constrain foraging behaviour in a monomorphic seabird - Marine Biology

Sex differences in foraging behaviour can arise in monomorphic species when reproductive roles differ. How these differences shape foraging behaviour during the pre-laying period—an understudied repro...

link.springer.com

9 21

Matt Wood @woodmj.bsky.social · May 31

Single whimbrel calling high over Woodchester just now #glosbirds

Matt Wood @woodmj.bsky.social · May 26

Continuous stream of thousands of Manx shearwaters heading west past St Govans Head this afternoon, headed back to the 450,000ish breeding burrows on @skokholmisland.bsky.social & @skomerisland.bsky.social Bonus points for spotting the kittiwake! #seabirds #ornithology

3 17

Reposted by Matt Wood

Bardsey Lodge & Bird Observatory @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social · May 16

We are pleased to announce the we will be running another Student week for 18-24 year olds from 9th to 16th August this year.

The week is funded by West Midland Bird Club, British Birds and West Midlands Bird Club.

See tinyurl.com/Bardsey-stud...

6 16

Reposted by Matt Wood

Debs Allbrook @debsallbrook.bsky.social · Apr 9

Listen up anyone working in the Irish Sea this summer! We tagged a bunch of kitts in Liverpool Bay and want to gather as many resightings as we can. If you spot these yellow colour rings please give me a shout ([email protected]) 🐦💍💛

(Modelled by our very own VIP 😌👑)

#Seabirds #IrishSea

A juvenile kittiwake in the hand, wearing a 3-digit coded yellow colour ring, a red plastic ring and a metal ring.

2 64 110

Reposted by Matt Wood

Sophie Bennett @bennett-sophie.bsky.social · Apr 2

1/6 Monitoring some #seabird species using observer-based methods is difficult, this can lead to infrequent data collection, or none at all

Little data on populations= limited ability to understand how threats may impact these species

#BOU2025

Title: Bioacoustics as a tool to monitor european storm petrels. A hand holds an AudioMoth against a background of the Mousa broch and a cartoon storm petrel. The BTO and RSPB logos are on the slide and the author list headed by the presenter: Sophie Bennett

3 29 72

Matt Wood @woodmj.bsky.social · Mar 28

Look out #seabird world… here’s the awesome Dr Edney!!! Superb thesis, been a privilege to play a small part as supervisor

Alice Edney @aliceedney.bsky.social · Mar 27

Very very happy to have passed my PhD earlier this week!

Thank you to my examiners @sheldonbirds.bsky.social & Richard Phillips, my supervisors Tom Hart, @gannetguy.bsky.social, @ellingbry.bsky.social, @woodmj.bsky.social, & Katrina Davis, and everyone else who helped me along the way! 📷 🐣

My two examiners and I are standing and smiling in front of the camera.

Alice assembling a camera to monitor breeding seabirds.

1

Matt Wood @woodmj.bsky.social · Mar 25

This was a while ago, offspring’s hands are much larger now! Agree quail, prob pinched by a cheeky jackdaw or some discarded picnic leftovers

1 1

Reposted by Matt Wood

Alice Risely @alice-risely.bsky.social · Mar 15

There is also a nice accompanying gallery article in the @theguardian.com highlighting the photos submitted to project - unfortunately not credited to the Gulls Eating Stuff project though!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Octopus? Ice cream? Is there anything gulls don’t eat? – in pictures

Gulls are known for being ravenous – check out a selection of things they like

www.theguardian.com

3 8 15