Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ben Porter

@bardseyben.bsky.social

1.3K followers 450 following 200 posts

Passionate Welsh naturalist & photographer fighting for a wilder World. PhD student studying #seabirds Often found running in the mountains ⛰️ 👣 https://www.benporterwildlife.co.uk #StubbornOptimist | #GenerationRestoration

www.benporterwildlife.co.uk

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Nov 30

Shwmae pawb! 👋
Pecyn cychwynnol ar gyfer ecoleg, bywyd gwyllt a chadwraeth yng Nghymru! // A starter pack for ecology, wildlife, conservation and more in Wales 🌿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🐧⛰️

Please let me know if you'd like to be included on this list, or suggestions for others to include. Diolch! 🐌

go.bsky.app/MeJG8QH

14 10 38

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Sep 10

This is good to see. Thanks for sharing!

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 18

Thanks a lot for the grant! Looking forward to addressing this questions in the #Faroes this season with Feliksa Żurawska. Will report back 😄 🌊

1 4

Reposted by Ben Porter

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

We funded 4 research projects this season 🏦 Here's a little more detail on our recent research grant awardees... (1/2)

Izzy Burns @izzyburns.bsky.social is looking at nest microclimate in kittiwakes 🐣

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social is asking whether storm petrels make good parents 👨‍👩‍👧

2 10 16

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 18

Thanks Alex. That's useful to know - seems to be that the Irish Sea colonies of many species are doing a lot better than their northern cousins...

1 1

Reposted by Ben Porter

Anne Ausems @anneausems.bsky.social · Aug 14

Our not-a- #stormpetrel chick is getting suspicious of us. #puffin @jasonwalczak.bsky.social @trevormaclaurin.bsky.social @bardseyben.bsky.social

2 6 21

Reposted by Ben Porter

Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · Aug 13

Very excited to visit the west Wales village of Nantycaws this afternoon (the name can arguably be translated as “stream [of] the cheese”), and was delighted to discover that the name of the village chapel (established in 1809) is “Philadelphia”.

2 3 14

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 12

Week three of #fieldwork in the Føroyar…a summary of activities amidst classic Faroese weather, as the Storm Petrel season advances and the snowstorm of Fulmars begins along the basalt cliffs.

bardseyben.substack.com/p/week-three...

Week three of fieldwork in Føroyar

Wrestling with nest cams, low fat Puffins and how to (try) surveying a Storm-petrel colony

bardseyben.substack.com

2 9

Reposted by Ben Porter

World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social · Aug 7

🌊 Proposal deadline for WSC4 extended to Aug 15 🐦
Help shape seabird science at “Wings of Adaptation: Seabirds in a Changing Climate”
📍 Hobart, TAS | 📅 Sept 7–11, 2026
📝 Submit: [email protected]
🔗 bit.ly/4e6wQdc
#WSC4 #SeabirdScience

6 10

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 7

Yeah, that would seem to align with the trend from previous years related to SST and food availability...😔

1 1

Reposted by Ben Porter

Dr Ingrid Pollet @ingridpollet.bsky.social · Aug 7

It's important to have a mentor. Let's make the #seabirds community a better one.
⬇️

The Seabird Group @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social · Aug 6

Early career researcher who'd love a mentor? Or mid-career (onwards) looking to give back AS a mentor?

Sign up below for the new round of Guillemates 🥰🐧
Mentees👉 forms.gle/cdktNREkhUDb...
Mentors👉 forms.gle/uwA9X9giUPnA...

Such a great learning (or supporting!) opportunity 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦
Pls share! #seabirds

5 12

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 6

Interesting. Seems also to be mirrored by very poor productivity in Arctic skua colonies here this year & kittiwakes/arctic terns etc :(

Reposted by Ben Porter

Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · Aug 6

The reality of the UK government's despicable Palestine-related policies

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Ella Baron on Palestine action, proscribed and approved – cartoon

Israeli officials say Benjamin Netanyahu is planning an offensive to fully occupy Gaza, but there are splits in the government

www.theguardian.com

2 7 11

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 5

Yes, that would seem to be the case - a sporadic and insufficient supply of target food source (sand eels). Difficult to say at present if this is linked to the extreme marine heatwaves that have been experienced across the N Atlantic this year (and last year)

1 2 2

Reposted by Ben Porter

Journal of Animal Ecology @animalecology.bsky.social · Aug 4

🐝 Our latest Special Feature, "Network Ecology in the Anthropocene", is now accepting proposals.
📝 The Special Feature will be accepting submissions to all 7 of our British Ecological Society journals.

1 19 26

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 4

Looking like a poor season for #Puffins in the #Faroes from local accounts and observations so far - lots of adults still feeding young chicks which should have fledged by this time of year, many dead chicks in the colony and very low numbers in general :( any others finding similar? #seabirds

5 22 33

Reposted by Ben Porter

BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · Aug 2

Our Scottish and Irish tagged Cuckoos have made it across the Sahara Desert in Africa! 😀 Follow their migrations at www.bto.org/cuckoos #Ornithology 🌍 🪶

Image of a world map showing locations of BTO satellite-tagged Cuckoos. Nine are in Africa and three in Europe. Headshots of the two new Cuckoos to reach Africa, Sayaan and Cuach Cores, feature. A speaker graphic holds the wording: Cuckoo update. Another two survive the Sahara crossing.

1 32 110

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 4

The #marineheatwave update for this week from @mercatorocean.bsky.social shows some pretty intense conditions off the Norwegian coast, and sustained abnormal #SST around the UK and Bay of Biscay. I wonder how such an extreme year in the #NorthAtlantic will affect #seabird productivity this year...

3 7

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 4

New #substack! Week two of #fieldwork in the Faroes for this year's Storm-petrel research season. Transects in vertical boulder scree, night-time ringing activities and some updates from the nestbox monitoring as the incubation gets underway...

bardseyben.substack.com/p/like-a-fai...

Like a fairy being sick

Week two of Storm-petrel fieldwork in the Faroe Islands is underway, as summer's grasp begins to ebb and the nights draw in

bardseyben.substack.com

1 7

Reposted by Ben Porter

TG42Birder🇵🇸 @tg42birder.bsky.social · Aug 1

Great to see some climate realism that follows the science from Mr Corbyn.

Compare it with Starmer’s offsetting emissions against research nonsense today. 🤣

1 4 10

Reposted by Ben Porter

Stop Rosebank @stopcambo.bsky.social · Aug 1

📢#StopRosebank Info Call: Aug 6, 7pm📢

On Sep 6, people across the UK will take action to stop the disastrous Rosebank oil field.

Join us for an info call next week to hear from people planning actions in their area and learn how you can get stuck in 💪.
actionnetwork.org/events/stop-...

Stop Rosebank Day of Action: Info Call

📣 I’ve just signed up to the Stop Rosebank information call about the September 6 Day of Action! This is a key moment in the fight to stop Rosebank. Let's show the government that people across the U...

actionnetwork.org

3 5

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 1

It's certainly a busy place to do any ringing - tapes are never used here! Makes for a much more peaceful night too 😆

Ben Porter @bardseyben.bsky.social · Aug 1

Such awesome #seabirds - one of ~430 Storm-petrels ringed in the Nólsoy colony last night w/ @jasonwalczak.bsky.social @trevormaclaurin.bsky.social @anneausems.bsky.social, plus one UK-ringed bird. No tapes used, just one 18-metre mist net - the colony is quite dense!

1 6 33

Reposted by Ben Porter

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Jul 30

Great news: the High Court has granted permission for a full judicial review of the government's order proscribing Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act.
Let's hope he government's idiotic and draconian order is overturned.

57 630 2.5K

Reposted by Ben Porter

Anne Ausems @anneausems.bsky.social · Jul 28

Our local not-a-storm-petrel chick decided to store some of its food for later. That or someone needs to sew this #puffin youngster a bib. #FaroeIslands @trevormaclaurin.bsky.social @jasonwalczak.bsky.social @bardseyben.bsky.social

2 9