Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Rachel Taylor @fidhw.bsky.social · 9d

Latest kinetic sculpture “We Were Angels” available to buy or exhibit - I love it in my home, but it seems selfish not to offer others the chance to enjoy the light glowing from these birds…

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Allan Mee @kerryeaglemee.bsky.social · 5d

Fascinating study on historical nest items in Bearded Vulture nests by Margalida et al

"Even more surprising was that several items were well over 600 years old, according to carbon-14 dating. Results from one shoe dated back to around 675 years ago"
#RaptorResearch 🪶

phys.org/news/2025-10...

Bearded Vulture nests found to have hoards of cultural artifacts—some up to 650 years old

Many people have probably seen birds picking up small pieces of man-made materials, like strips of a plastic bag or paper litter, and taking them into their nest. This behavior appears to be fairly wi...

phys.org

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Natalia Jagielska @nataliajagielska.bsky.social · 12d

And that's how you integrate digital elements into an exhibition. Part of the temporary "China's Dinosaur World" at the Shanghai Natural History Museum, China. Closing this November.

Video source: Shanghai Let's Meet

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Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · 12d

From the current WJO issue: Cannibalism of second eggs and the adaptiveness of egg-laying synchrony in Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens). #ornithology doi.org/10.1080/1559...

a group of gray and white glaucous-winged gulls stands on a gravel-covered slope, with low green vegetation and more gulls visible in the background

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 14d

On the blatant double standards the media - BBC included - deploys while showcasing Nigel Farage. He is constantly given a free pass not granted to other politicians. bylines.scot/news/the-far...

The Farage ‘mirage’: how the media is warping our politics

It is time that the media fulfils its role to critically examine politician’s statements and call them out when they stray from the truth

bylines.scot

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Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 14d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

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PiedFly.Net @piedflynet.bsky.social · 20d

Fully funded PhD with me, @uniexecec.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social working on insectivorous bird declines - hopefully esp. House martin www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 19d

I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.

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UK Seabird Monitoring Programme @smp-seabirds.bsky.social · 28d

Varied plumages makes identifying gulls tricky! This graphic identifies key features to look for on some of our common species. More tips on small gull identification can be found in the latest SMP news: www.bto.org/smp-news #seabirds #birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · Aug 18

@theseabirdgroup.bsky.social

Aaron Straight @astraight.bsky.social · Aug 18

@currentbiology.bsky.social has always been one of my favorite journals but I think they have now outdone themselves www.cell.com/current-biol.... And picked up by the @nytimes.com as well! www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/s...

Periodic excretion patterns of seabirds in flight

Uesaka and Sato report on the excretion patterns of seabirds in the open ocean determined using a rear-facing video logger.

www.cell.com

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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · Aug 18

If you want to believe it, check it twice
::clap clap::
If you want to believe it, check it twice
::clap clap::
Doesn’t matter if it’s awful
Doesn’t matter if it’s nice
If it confirms your bias, check it twice!
::clap clap::

High Priestess, Low Patience @cheriepriest.com · Aug 18

if the rage-bait works too well it might be fake
::clap clap::
if the rage-bait works too well it might be fake
::clap clap::
look, we’ve all been fooled before
when a deep-fake makes us sore
but kindly doublecheck your source, it might be fake
::clap clap::

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Jonathan Eisen @phylogenomics.bsky.social · Aug 8

Got this really cool, ghostly picture by accident the other day in Dillon Beach, CA. It is a Heermann's gull with both it's shadow and reflection.

#birds

Juvenile Heermann's gull (very dark all over) in flight, flying over very very shallow water. Flying to the right maybe two feet off the ground. It's shadow is to the right. Just below the shadow is a reflection on the sheen of water.

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Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · Aug 5

Thinking about gulls today.

A two-panel comic with a herring gull standing against a blue background. In panel 1, the text says "some people call this a seagull. That's not the correct term. The correct thing to call it is" In panel 2, the gull now has a crown. The text says "Your Esteemed Majesty."

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Robert Francis @birdhistory.bsky.social · Jul 29

Actually my favorite bird etymology is that in 1400s England they gave human nicknames to birds (Jenny Wren, Tom Tit) but some of them stuck. Jack Daw became Jackdaw, Maggie Pie became Magpie. With Robin Redbreast they just dropped the original name of the bird entirely.

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · Jul 3

GPS tracking revealed that a seagull traveled 160 km inside a trash truck from San Francisco to California twice. The first time, perhaps by mistake. The second, perhaps to reach the compost center again

(paper) bioone.org/journals/wat...
(paper) www.mercurynews.com/2018/07/13/h...

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Sarah Dalrymple @sarahdalgulls.bsky.social · Jun 23

Huge differences in the health of Yellow-legged gull chicks at colonies in the Basque country

laruseus.blogspot.com/2025/06/la-g...

Article in Spanish and Basque, linked paper in English (drive.google.com/file/d/19v8m...)

#Seabirds #Gulls

Colonia a colonia: la desigual lucha por sobrevivir de la Gaviota Patiamarilla - Hanka-hori kaioa Gipuzkoan: oreka ekologikoaren adierazle bizia

Durante más de una década, desde Aranzadi hemos seguido de cerca la evolución de las crías de Gaviota Patiamarilla ( Larus michahellis ) en ...

laruseus.blogspot.com

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Steve McKerrall @photosteve.bsky.social · Jun 15

A female peregrine falcon parent feeding her young fledgling mid-flight (though it doesn’t end how you expect… 🧵 ⬇️)
#birds #raptors

A female peregrine falcon flying with her wings and tail wide, with a pigeon hanging from her bill beneath her.

A fledgling peregrine falcon grabbing a pigeon hanging from its mother’s bill mid-air

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Tara Okon @rivers-disguise.bsky.social · Jun 7

Haven't posted for a while so here are a few more behind the scenes sketchbook pages #birdart #birds

Sketchbook page - head of shore lark, wigeon, spoonbill - black drawing pen ' surrounded by paint patches, numbers and writing

Sketchbook page - heads of avocet bitterns flying (black drawing pen) surrounded by writing scrawls, numbers and paint patches

Sketchbook pages - aquatic warbler (colour), dipper, Pied flycatcher and swifts - black drawing pen. Colour paint patches, outline of snake.

Sketchbook page - rabbit, badger drawings surrounded by colour paint patches

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Dr Ingrid Pollet @ingridpollet.bsky.social · Apr 28

All this plastic is making my head spin. I don’t think one can grasp the amount of our own produced junk you can find in sable shearwaters. All the pieces here (60g - 778 pieces) were in one (1!!!) chick. That’s roughly 20% of its body weight. @adriftlab.bsky.social @thelabandfield.bsky.social

Plastic pieces found in one sable shearwater chick, artistically displayed by @alixdejersey.bsky.social

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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · Apr 21

1/ Have you seen these Curlew? Please report any Curlew you see with yellow leg flags ➡️ bit.ly/ReportACurlew Here’s why these birds are so special. ⬇️ #WorldCurlewDay #Ornithology 🌍

Image of young Curlew being held in the hand. The bird has a yellow leg flag with the letters JP on and an orange ring on its legs. Image credit reads: Curlew by Katharine Bowgen/BTO.

Image of Curlew being held in the hand. The bird has a yellow leg flag with the letters NH on, an orange ring on its legs and a GPS tag. Image credit reads: Curlew by Katharine Bowgen/BTO.

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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · Apr 20

Enjoy the stunning Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits before they leave Ireland/Britain in a few days.
Did you know that they smell different in breeding plumage?
Here's why:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/s...
#ornithology

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Brendan Godley @brendangodley.bsky.social · Apr 19

Cornish crowdfunder using upcycled plastic to make nurdle removing toy to get kids involved by Odyssey Innovation
🌍🦑🦤
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/scuttlethe...
#nurdle #microplastic #microplastics #marineplastic

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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · Apr 13

1/⚠️ Blackbirds are in trouble & we need your help! Threatened by the Usutu virus, we need you to submit your garden Blackbird sightings so scientists can better understand the virus’ spread & potential impacts on these songbirds. 🌍 Sign up ➡️ www.bto.org/blackbirds #UKBirding #Ornithology

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Lyme Disease UK @lymediseaseuk.bsky.social · Apr 13

⚠️ The Lyme disease rash often looks like a red, circular "bullseye" – a key sign of early infection. If you spot it after a tick bite, see a healthcare provider ASAP! Early treatment is crucial.

Learn more: lymediseaseuk.com/lyme-rash/

#LymeDiseaseAwareness #BeTickAware #LymeRash

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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

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