Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
wimvandenbossche.bsky.social
Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
@wimvandenbossche.bsky.social
Conservation officer BirdLife Europe & Central Asia/ no more illegal killing of birds / ❤ bird migration / ex @mijnnatuurpunt
❤ tuinvogels / NL-UK
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐲 𝐎𝐰𝐥. 💔

For the first time in 20 years, a bird species has disappeared from the country.
December 17, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Current H5N1 avian influenza viruses replicate better in human respiratory tissues than a historic one, warranting "the urgency to prevent cross-species transmission to humans by controlling spillover events to mammals and limiting viral spread in farmed mammals." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
December 16, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
4/4
Finally - a reminder.
If birds are being 'asked' to carry tracking devices then we should make the most out of the data they collect:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ConservationScience🌍
December 16, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
😡In a final vote, the European Parliament stripped away remaining environmental safeguards in EU farm policy.

Two rushed “simplifications” gutted years of progress, giving Big Agri what it wanted: public money to pollute, no strings attached.

Here’s what we lost ⬇️
December 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
☠️The continued threat of toxic NSAIDs to South Asia's Critically Endangered Gyps vultures.

🤝Among the researchers are our Partners @rspb.bsky.social, BNHS in India and BCN in Nepal: doi.org/10.1017/S095...

#BirdConservation #Ornithology #Conservation #Research
#vultures #CriticallyEndangered #Asia
December 15, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Also reports today in the Dutch news of seizures of wildlife products & whole taxidermied animals in the Netherlands as part of Operation Thunder. nos.nl/l/2594110
December 11, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
😱 The EU plans to remove renewal deadlines for most pesticides. That means companies wouldn’t have to test for new risks & toxic pesticides could stay on the market indefinitely.

📢 Speak up now and tell the Commission: people, farmers, and nature come first - not industry profits!
#ProtectMyPlate
December 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Counts carried out this autumn on the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border have logged more than 5,000 Sociable Lapwings – one of the largest gatherings of this Critically Endangered species recorded in recent decades:
Bumper Sociable Lapwing count offers hope for global population
More than 5,000 Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwings were counted at a major migration stop-over in Turkmenistan in autumn 2025. The record high offers rare good news for the species and highlights the importance of key staging sites.
bit.ly
December 7, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
A Motus antenna at Saltholme RSPB has tracked the movements of two Jack Snipe between Sweden and the UK, offering new insight into the species' migration routes:
Motus tracks Jack Snipe from Teesside to Swedish breeding grounds
Saltholme RSPB's new Motus station has tracked Jack Snipe migrating between Teesside and Sweden, providing rare insights into their routes and showing the importance of wider coverage across northern England.
bit.ly
December 5, 2025 at 9:57 AM
December 3, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Record-breaking 75-year-old mother #bird prepares to nest.
Wisdom has been laying #eggs since the Eisenhower Administration. #Albatross #WorldsOldestBreedingBird #Bird

Link for more info, #photos & video: www.popsci.com/environment/...
December 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Kamerbrief van Minister Wiersma van LVVN over kittens met vogelgriep en andere vogelgriep onderwerpen. Zoals de verhoging van het risico op virusinfectie van laag-gemiddeld naar gemiddeld, voor mensen die beroepsmatig met besmette dieren in aanraking komen. www.tweedekamer.nl/downloads/do...
www.tweedekamer.nl
December 1, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Overzicht van gevallen van hoog-pathogene vogelgriep in pluimvee en wilde vogels in Europa in het afgelopen jaar, maand en week. In Nederland zijn 21 commerciële pluimveebedrijven besmet in het afgelopen jaar (tot 26 november), waarvan 7 in de afgelopen week.

www.wattagnet.com/poultry-meat...
Avian flu hits poultry farms in 13 European states
Over the past week, almost 90 of the region’s commercial poultry flocks have been confirmed with infections of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), while cases in wild birds have been fo...
www.wattagnet.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Natural Resources Wales has published a pioneering report identifying more than 3,000 species in Wales that now occur in five or fewer locations – putting them at very high risk of extinction in the country:
Species in Peril report reveals Wales's most endangered wildlife
A new Species in Peril report from Natural Resources Wales identifies more than 3,000 species in Wales now found in just five or fewer locations. The study highlights butterflies, beetles, lichens and more – and suggests simple, low-cost habitat management could help secure their future.
bit.ly
December 2, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
“Een kwart van de onderzochte levende eenden in Nederland draagt de zeer besmettelijke vogelgriepvariant H5N1 met zich mee. Dat is het hoogste percentage besmette wilde vogels dat ooit is vastgesteld.”

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...
In Europa waren nooit eerder zoveel wilde vogels besmet met vogelgriep
Vogelgriep: In vergelijking met dezelfde periode in ‘rampjaar’ 2022 zijn dit jaar zeker twee keer zoveel wilde vogels besmet met het virus. „Dit ziet er zeker niet goed uit.”
www.nrc.nl
November 26, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Message from European Food Safety Authority, European Union Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, and external experts: Avian influenza in Europe: enhanced surveillance and strict biosecurity needed as detections surge
www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/avia...
Avian influenza in Europe: enhanced surveillance and strict biosecurity needed as detections surge
Between 6 September and 14 November 2025, 1,443 detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses were reported in wild birds across 26 European countries – four times higher than t...
www.efsa.europa.eu
November 24, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
BirdLife Malta’s scientific research and evidence-based studies have once again delivered results, securing stronger protection for vital natural sites for the benefit of our country.

#MaltaSPAs #LIFEPanPuffinus #BirdLifeMalta www.independent.com.mt/articles/202...
St Paul’s Islands and Northern Cliffs receive highest level of protection - The Malta Independent
St Paul's Islands (Selmunett) and the stretch of cliffs from iċ-Ċumnija to ix-Xaqqa have officially been declared Special Protection Areas (SPA), strengthening their existing status as
www.independent.com.mt
November 23, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
🌊Investigating where Swinhoe's Storm-petrels go across the north-western Pacific and Indian Oceans

🛰️Insights from geolocators recovered from four birds: doi.org/10.1017/S095...

#BirdConservation #Ornithology #Conservation #Research
#Swinhoe's #stormpetrel #seabird #tracking #migration
November 21, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Latest BirdTrack data show Woodcock arriving en masse over the the last fortnight. Sadly, Woodcock are prone to colliding with buildings while they migrate. If you find a dead Woodcock in these circumstances, please add the record to BirdTrack or email details to [email protected]

#ukbirding
November 19, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
In October, our Flyways Conservation Officer, Lilla Barabás, travelled to Cyprus to witness first-hand the amazing work that @birdlifecyprus.bsky.social is doing to tackle the illegal killing of birds. 💔🪶

Find out more about their amazing projects here 👉 flightforsurvival.org/fighting-for...
November 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
Worrisome: HIghly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, likely H5N1) was reported in a poultry farm (62 thousand layer hens) in Terschuur, The Netherlands. This farm is located in the poultry-dense Gelder Valley, with 195 other poultry farms in a 10-km radius. (1/3)
www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieu...
November 18, 2025 at 5:19 AM
Reposted by Willem (Wim) Van den Bossche
French minister publicly committing to defend illegality.

Its hard to fathom how damaging this is to democracy, the rule of law, citizens' trust in institutions, the credibility of the European project.

Shameful.

www.lpo.fr/qui-sommes-n...
Le Ministre délégué chargé de la transition écologique en...
En visite dans les Landes à l’invitation de la Fédération départementale des chasseurs, Mathieu Lefevre a répété sa détermination à défendre le piégeage des...
www.lpo.fr
November 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM