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Matt Livesey

@mlivesey.bsky.social

480 followers 190 following 78 posts

Wildlife photographer; conservationist and countryside-lover. Photographs represented by RSPB Images. Cambridgeshire. https://www.mattliveseyphotography.com/

www.mattliveseyphotography.com

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Mar 26

How do we save Britain's most elusive bird?

It was great to help lead the first national workshop on Lesser spotted woodpecker last week, together with @lesserspotnet.bsky.social. The ultimate case of playing conservation on the "legendary" difficulty setting!

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 5d

A great thread dismantling the latest 'conservation populism' to be floated in Britain. With funding available for species recovery, this is business for some. We'll see more of this pitching for commercial projects that scientists & species experts think is useless. #ornithology #ukbirding

Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · 5d

More ill thought out 'conservation' translocations 🌍
www.theguardian.com/environment/... - so much to unpack here #Ornithology #UKBirding 🧵

‘It proves this can be done’: Berlin the blueprint to bring goshawks to UK cities

Conservationist plans release of 15 each of the apex predators sourced as chicks into Chester and London

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 7d

Operation Turtle Dove has issued an official statement expressing their disapproval over the captive breeding and releasing of European Turtle Dove in the UK:

Operation Turtle Dove issues statement over captive releases

Operation Turtle Dove has issued an official statement over the captive breeding and releasing of European Turtle Dove in the UK. The statement confirms that the partnership does not currently support captive releases and cites habitat creation and restoration as the most important conservation measure at present.

bit.ly

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · 27d

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

‘Smart’ trap trial raises hopes American mink can be driven from UK

Conservation groups target ‘impossible dream' of eradicating invasive predators after success of East Anglia trial

www.theguardian.com

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · 27d

The mink cull has been successful in wiping them out from East Anglia, to the benefit of water voles. Now looks like it might be repeatable nationally. Ruddy Duck cull has also been successful. But obviously for Curlew culling is a short term measure, & not a substitute for more fundamental action.

Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · 27d

In the short term this is likely necessary and the only pragmatic option to prevent local extinction in some areas, but in the long term we will only really solve the problem if we tackle the route causes of why UK has such abnormally high mesopredator numbers

Reposted by Matt Livesey

Bernoid @bernoid.bsky.social · Sep 3

Autumn is coming #FungiFriends #illustration #mushroomart

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Aug 30

Generally BirdTrack best for birds, iRecord for all else

Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Aug 25

Hi - are you able to follow me so I can drop you a message? My colleagues at Natural England working on the Swallowtail recovery programme are keen to speak to you and Rick about this! Matt

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Aug 25

I wasn’t aware they had ever been documented using anything other than milk-parsley in the wild? So either implication would seem quite ground breaking?

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

Lesser Spot Network @lesserspotnet.bsky.social · Aug 18

1 Pleased to be presenting the latest results gathered by Woodpecker-Network volunteers on Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and what we can do to conserve them better #BOUatEOU www.woodpecker-netwo...

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Aug 7

The slash denotes "not appropriate" OR "self sustaining", but I agree could have been clearer

Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jul 23

They don't exist close to sensitive sites unless you build houses nearby. Sites further away from built up areas have less disturbance. Access to nature is only a good thing if both the people & nature benefit, if the former damages the latter then it isn't. Most of that is an education thing though

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jul 23

It's not at the moment (we can thank agricultural intensification for that by a long shot), but it will steadily rise up the ladder. And of course the impact of housebuilding isn't just from the buildings themselves, recreational disturbance is also becoming a rapidly growing issue.

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

Gary Brannan @garybrannan.bsky.social · Jul 13

Anyone got a video of a hare having the shit scared out of it by a curlew — ah, don’t worry, got one anyway!

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jul 13

Great work by @bramblebotanist.bsky.social as part of a project to begin unravelling the mystery of these enigmatic orchids in Britain

Alex Prendergast @bramblebotanist.bsky.social · Jul 13

Ghost Orchids Epipogium aphyllum in SE France this week. An awesome experience seeking out these enigmatic spirits and finding them in such abundance, in beautiful sub-alpine woods #wildflowerhour

Reposted by Matt Livesey

Ian Carter @iancarter67.bsky.social · Jun 29

No mention of the disease risks. Or the welfare concerns of releasing birds into places that don’t suit them. This is pretend conservation, dressed up as the real thing and given a free ride by a serious environmental journalist. Hugely damaging.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Conservationists race to rescue England’s turtle doves from extinction

Hundreds are being released across the country to reverse 98% decline in mating pairs since the 1970s

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · Jun 25

Just recorded a Turtle Dove in a fenland bird survey, but no way of knowing if it’s a wild bird or one of these idiotic amateur releases. This really matters for conservation. Treating Turtle Doves like pheasants masks the decline. Maybe that’s the point...

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Conservationists race to rescue England’s turtle doves from extinction

Hundreds are being released across the country to reverse 98% decline in mating pairs since the 1970s

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

Lesser Spot Network @lesserspotnet.bsky.social · Jun 23

2025 was a record breeding season for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests monitored by our volunteers. None failed & where we were able to check the nest contents the number of chicks fledged was the highest since we started the project in 2015. Full story www.woodpecker-network.org.uk/index.php/ne...

Woodpecker Network - Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers – the 2025 breeding season

A forum to encourage and facilitate the study of woodpeckers in Britain and Ireland

www.woodpecker-network.org.uk

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jun 21

Barn owls were added to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, to get on top of all the releases. I believe the same could be done for any species, although obviously requires legislative change

Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jun 20

Yep. Risks jeopardising the whole recovery programme, just for some instant gratification.

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jun 20

Releasing captive bred Turtle Doves is at this stage highly inappropriate, as risks jeopardising the efforts to save the wild population due to potential disease risks from captive populations of uknown origin, as well as altering their migratory behaviour. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Conservationists race to rescue England’s turtle doves from extinction

Hundreds are being released across the country to reverse 98% decline in mating pairs since the 1970s

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Matt Livesey

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · Jun 17

A great win, with national implications. At last, councils will have to take into account the cumulative effects of livestock factories on river catchments.
It's all about increments of excrement.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Poultry megafarm in Shropshire halted over river pollution concerns

Planning permission quashed by high court after officials failed to consider impact of spreading manure on land

www.theguardian.com

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jun 1

How many nests across the country is that now? Must be approaching a record!

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Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · Jun 1

Always nice to get the first Privet Hawk of the year!

#moths

Reposted by Matt Livesey

Lesser Spot Network @lesserspotnet.bsky.social · May 26

Fantastic news 19 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests found and being watched/monitored by our volunteers so far. Most have 4 chicks, well fed by the adults. Nests are so difficult to find & these are only a tiny proportion of the several thousand LSW pairs in Britain, but all very positive this year.

Three Lesser Spotted Woodpecker chicks in their nest cavity in a dead Oak tree

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