Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · 6h

Cattle egret are still hanging around in Lionel.
#nature #wildlife #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdsofscotland #ukbird #isleoflewis #outerhebrides

8

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · 28d

Had deer left and right on my way out this morning, watched an otter at Loch Stiapabhat (along with the usual suspects), came across this grey phalarope at Bragar, and then a fly-by white-tailed eagle on the way home. Sunday birding at its finest.

3

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Sep 10

Distant, but close enough to be sure it's our first osprey seen on the Hebrides. Seen today over Bernera.

3

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Aug 24

Young male hen harrier today at Loch Stiapabhat. I love how the female-type plumage still shows here and there.
#birds #birding #birdwatching #birdsofscotland #ukbird

1 16

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Aug 19

Roughly 60 common dolphins versus two sooty shearwater. No contest, the sooty shearwaters made our day today crossing back to Stornoway.

2

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Aug 16

These two "articles" in my Google feed this morning. I can only assume AI generated slop.

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Aug 13

"Herds of sheep grazed intensively on upland pastures, tearing up vegetation and compacting the soil. The result was reduced water retention, collapsing topsoil and declining biodiversity."

But this was Troy, 2400BC, when people had no clue what they were doing.

theconversation.com/troys-fall-w...

Troy’s fall was partly due to environmental strain – and it holds lessons for today

Long before industry, ancient societies were already pushing their ecosystems to the brink

theconversation.com

1

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Aug 2

Cutting grass with a scythe is pretty exhausting (for a geek),but seeing the family of stonechat feast on the glut of insects made accessible in the shorter grass made it more than worth it.

1

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 20

Bit of an unusual bird, this Knot at Bragar today.

(What, on the other hand, was absolutely the usual as always was the dogwalkers with their out-of-control dogs, making sure them foreign ground-nesting birds go back where they came from.)

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 20

"Over the past decade, more than £32m has been paid to Dartmoor commoners through higher-level stewardship schemes – schemes that exist specifically to improve nature on sites that should be protected by law. Not one common has improved, and many have got worse."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Sheep are destroying precious British habitats – and we taxpayers are footing the bill | Chris Packham

Large parts of Dartmoor have been denuded of wildlife, harmed by farming and a mess of government schemes that are costly in every way, says naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham

www.theguardian.com

2

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 16

It's remarkable what the UK is willing to accept when it comes to sheep.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘The place is bleached, a dead zone’: how the UK’s most beloved landscapes became biodiversity deserts

National parks, famous for their rich natural heritage, should be at the heart of efforts to protect habitats and wildlife. Instead, experts say they are declining – fast

www.theguardian.com

1

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 13

Cross-posting as NFU Scotland don't seem to be on BlueSky

1

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 13

Most unexpected bird of WeBS count at Bragar this morning: two common swift.
#birds #ukbirds #outerhebrides #isleoflewis

11

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 5

An angel tern for your weekend timeline.
#birds #ukbirds #commontern

1 10

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jul 4

Learning that there's a "Paradox of tolerance" (Karl Popper) really helped to understand that tolerance should have limits

9

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jun 8

Did a BBS transect this morning on the moorland near Brèascleit, and virtually the first bird was this short-eared owl. Rather uncommon bird on Lewis

3

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jun 3

Badgers. Can you guess? Yep, let's kill them too

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Badger cull expansion given go-ahead by officials against advice of own science chief

Exclusive: Supplementary culls set to begin in nine areas from Sunday and 10 areas from September

www.independent.co.uk

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Jun 1

Sea eagles. Let's kill those too

www.welovestornoway.com/index.php/ar...

Sea Eagles 'pose worst threat to island lambs'

For the local news and events in the Western Isles, We Love Stornoway connects our island communities, highlighting key happenings and sharing positive stories.

www.welovestornoway.com

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · May 31

Gulls. Let's kill those too

news.stv.tv/north/scotti...

Scottish Government to hold seagull summit to tackle 'dangerous menace'

An elderly Moray resident previously broke her leg in a seagull attack.

news.stv.tv

1

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · May 31

Just makes me livid. Nature being natural, farmers don't like it, and the only "solution" is to kill the wildlife. Definitely not an intelligent species.

news.stv.tv/highlands-is...

Ravens could be culled in new scheme to protect island livestock

Juvenile ravens are forming 'mobs' and attacking young calves and lambs on Orkney.

news.stv.tv

3 1

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · May 25

We have a large, messy pile of wood, branches, twigs, cuttings etc. It's where the local sparrows and starlings hang out. Robins, wren and song thrush visit occasionally. I'm very happy that it's also deemed a safe place for the young stonechat.
#nature #wildlife #birds #ukbird #isleoflewis

4

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · May 11

Absolutely gorgeous American golden plover at Bragar this morning.
#nature #wildlife #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdsofscotland #ukbird #isleoflewis #outerhebrides

2 28

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · May 7

Back from a weekend on South Uist, just a wonderful place. We enjoyed seeing plenty of short-eared owls, a few hen harriers, and even one rather unexpected marsh harrier.
#nature #wildlife #birds #birding #birdwatching #southuist #outerhebrides #birdsofscotland #ukbird

11

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Apr 20

The Ness area is just lovely for a birding day out.
#nature #wildlife #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdsofscotland #ukbird #isleoflewis #outerhebrides

9

Simon Niederberger @sniederb.bsky.social · Apr 6

Meet the Bragar gang.

2