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Richard D. Gregory

@richgreg3.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1.9K following 74 posts

Professor, Ecologist, Conservationist, Ornithologist, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science & Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, University College London - #biodiversity #conservation #ornithology #stateofnature – birder - views my own .. more

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Environmental science 69%

Geography 17%

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Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · Dec 13

NEW Decline of European bird populations continues especially birds of farmland. Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS) presents updated wild bird indices 1980–2023. Data = 168 bird species 30 countries⬇️ @rspb.bsky.social @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social @ec.europa.eu @uclcber.bsky.social 📉🐦

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

BOU @bou.org.uk · 2d

Wild Birds Affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Worldwide: Epidemiological Insights Into the Recent Panzootic | onlinelibrary.wiley.... | Global Change Biology | #ornithology 🪶

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Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · 4d

Great views of Red-tailed shrike at @nationaltrust.org.uk Dunwich this morning - then a fly over white-tailed eagle at Minsmere - lovely staff & vols at a windy @rspbminsmere.bsky.social - #RareBirdsUK photo @alicegroom.bsky.social 🐦

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

Reposted by Richard D. Gregory, Kathleen Kennedy

British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 12d

Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in areas where Common Pheasants Phasianus colchicus are released, according to new research.

Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
🥇Subscriber Content

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory, Eleanor Robson

Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve @kingfishersbridge.bsky.social · 13d

💗 We're thrilled to stock some of @katiefullerart.bsky.social beautiful greetings cards in our Visitor Centre shop!
👩‍🎨 Katie is a really talented local printmaker who uses innovative techniques and inks to highlight Fenland wildlife. All printed on sustainable materials in compostable packaging too!

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · 13d

Did you know? Plumicorns aren't for hearing

The long, pointy feathers on some owls' heads are neither horns not ears, but specialised feathers called plumicorns. Their function is not yet fully understood but could help with camouflage

#ScienceFactFriday

A Long-eared Owl stares through foliage at the camera. A label points to the long horn-like feathers on its head, labelling them as plumicorns.

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

Kirsty Franklin @kirstyfranklin.bsky.social · 14d

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.

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

BOU @bou.org.uk · 14d

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 🪶

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

Prof Duncan Westbury @duncanwestbury.bsky.social · 15d

Not good. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Wild bird numbers continue to fall in UK with some species in ‘dramatic freefall’

Species index fell by 4% between 2019 and 2024 – although data shows woodland populations beginning to stabilise

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory, Stephen D. Murphy

Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) @bbs-birds.bsky.social · 15d

3. The Woodland indicator has shown worrying recent short-term declines, but shows signs of stabilising. Favourable climatic conditions may explain this, favouring species like Blackcap. Nightingale too is shows a recent increase. But Willow Tit and migrants like Spotted Flycatcher are in decline.

Adpated image from the Defra official statistics for specialist woodland birds showing the long-term changes in percentage change - 1970-2023 on the left and short term changes (2018-2023) on the right. Species are ordered by the value of the long term change, with the largest declines at the top (in red/orange) to largest increases in green/blue). Species with no detectable change are in grey. Willow Tit and Wood Warbler are highlighted as species in trouble, Nightingale as species which have experienced big long term declines are showing some signs of improvement and Chiffchaff as a species with huge increases over both time periods

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

Kevin Thornton @lowcarbonkev.bsky.social · 15d

R4 Farming today: Farmland birds down *down 11%* in last five years 2019-24 (05:20 in).
RSPB prof: "rapid nosedive.. no research for period to hand yet.. can only speculate.. is it land use/farming practice changes or is it additional emerging climate change factors, just don't know at this stage"
🤔

Farming Today - 24/09/25: New farmland bird stats, Corn Buntings, precision Plum growing. - BBC Sounds

England's farmland birds are continuing to decline according to new government figures.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory, Patrick Dunleavy, Jonathan Hopkin , and 1 more Richard D. Gregory, Patrick Dunleavy, Jonathan Hopkin, Björn Heile

Dr Charlie Gardner @charliejgardner.bsky.social · 15d

A 7% decline in English birds in just 5 years is astonishing

The web of life is unravelling fast

Wild bird numbers continue to fall in UK with some species in ‘dramatic freefall’

Species index fell by 4% between 2019 and 2024 – although data shows woodland populations beginning to stabilise

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · 16d

Latest government stats show a continued decline in many bird species across the UK 🪶🧪

www.gov.uk/government/s...

These data are made possible by the dedication of expert volunteers, allowing us to track common bird populations for >50 years

Wild bird populations in the UK and England, 1970 to 2024

www.gov.uk

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Reposted by Rob Marchant, Richard D. Gregory

BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 16d

1/ The Wild Bird Indicators, using BTO data, have been updated today by Defra! ⬇️

Sadly, the ‘all bird species’ index, comprising the population trends of 130 species, has been in a slow continuous decline in the UK since the 1970s, down by 18% and by 4% in the last five years. 📉 #Ornithology

Image of two Turtle Doves perching on branches over water, one leans down to take a drink. Wording to the left reads: Wild Bird Indicators. For populations in the UK and England, 1970 to 2024. Out now!

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory, Patrick A. Jansen, Mark Walters

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 16d

Wild bird numbers continue to fall in UK with some species in ‘dramatic freefall’

Species index fell by 4% between 2019 and 2024 – although government data shows woodland populations beginning to stabilise Wild bird species face an accelerating decline in the UK, new figures show, with some species heading for local extinction. Bird numbers have plummeted since the 1970s, and new government data shows that trend continuing; between 2019 and 2024 the species index declined in the UK by 4% and England by 7%. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

BOU @bou.org.uk · 17d

North American bird declines are driven by reductions in common species | www.science.org/doi/... | Science Advances | #ornithology 🪶

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Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · 17d

🗒️Great new paper ↘️ 'Beyond Species Richness for Biological Conservation'
The Society for Conservation Biology conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@rspbscience.bsky.social

conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · 18d

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Balancing grazing and biodiversity: Arthropod responses to modern cattle farming practices

Ruminant production exerts severe pressure on ecosystems through land use change for pasture and fodder production, contributing to biodiversity loss,…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

BOU @bou.org.uk · 24d

EARLY VIEW in IBIS

Wetland location and captive breeding influence trans-Mediterranean movements in the endangered Marbled Duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris) | onlinelibrary.wiley....

Irene Pacheco-Guardiola et al | #ornithology 🪶

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

International Biodiversity @ibioconsultants.com · 25d

#OECD highlights rising interest in #BiodiversityCredits and mobilise private finance. Clear rules, robust monitoring & govn. oversight are vital to avoid greenwashing & ensure integrity. Benefits exist, but risks must be weighed. #NatureFinance #Conservation 🌍

www.oecd.org/en/publicati...

Biodiversity credits: Scaling Up Biodiversity-Positive Incentives

To halt and reverse nature loss, economic incentives must swiftly be aligned with global biodiversity goals. This OECD report provides strategic guidance on scaling up biodiversity-positive incentives...

www.oecd.org

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Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · 26d

www.birds.cornell.edu/home/avilist...

AviList: A Unified Global Checklist of the World's Birds is Now Available

AviList, a unified global checklist of birds, that provides the most current and authoritative taxonomy of birds around the world was released today by experts in taxonomy, nomenclature, and bioinform...

www.birds.cornell.edu

Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · 26d

Yep, you have first shot curlew sandpiper 🐦👍

Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

International Biodiversity @ibioconsultants.com · 26d

New Zealand aims for Predator Free 2050 - eradication of #InvasiveAlienSpecies which harm native species (especially birds like the kiwi). It will be one of the biggest #conservation programs worldwide 🌍

#BiodiversityAction #IAS #PredatorFree2050 #EndangeredSpecies

www.npr.org/2025/09/08/n...

New Zealand's bold plan to save endangered animals: kill millions of invasive animals

Many of New Zealand's unique birds are heading toward extinction. So the country is taking on an ambitious conservation project: eradicating the invasive species that prey on them.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Richard D. Gregory

International Biodiversity @ibioconsultants.com · 27d

Biodiversity Credits:

Does the world need a new credit market place or are we all being conned? 🌍

dialogue.earth/en/nature/th...

The tangle of biodiversity credits

Funding is needed to reverse global biodiversity loss. A credits market has been touted as a solution, but environmental groups say ‘don’t be fooled’

dialogue.earth

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