Peter J Morgan

Reform UK gets £9mn donation from Christopher Harborne Nigel Farage’s party attracts far more funding than both Labour and the Conservatives

Reform gets largest ever political donation by an individual in UK history from a crypto baron living in Thailand

This is not normal

www.ft.com/content/db73...

A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the trunk of a tree. A grey box to the left features the words: New study. Bioacoustics as a tool for the detection and monitoring of a scarce woodland bird – the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. ww.bto.org/LSWBioacoustics. BTO logo is top left of the image. Image credit bottom left reads: Lesser Spotted Woodpecker © Denja1 from Getty Images via Canva.com.

1/ A new study from @lesserspotnet.bsky.social & BTO in @britishbirds.bsky.social looks at how passive acoustic monitoring is an effective way of surveying Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ➡️ www.bto.org/LSWBioacoust...

#bioacoustics #ornithology @simongillings.bsky.social @hosbirding.bsky.social

Curator of Natural Sciences - Warwick,Warwickshire job with Warwickshire County Council | 250490 About Heritage and Culture Warwickshire Heritage and Culture Warwickshire (HCW) provide a wide range of services that help local communities and ...

Curatorial job with significant geological and palaeontological collections at Warwick Museums.

www.wmjobs.co.uk/job/250490/c...

Tracking bird flu – how you can help Sadly, across parts of the UK, there has been a spike in the number of reports of birds affected by High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) – bird flu – this winter, raising concerns that we may …

Sadly, it looks like it’s going to be another bad winter for #birdflu. It may already be at Roath Park Lake, Cardiff. I counted five dead Mute Swans there today.

You can help inform decision-making on how best to respond by reporting affected birds. More info here: shorturl.at/X7Tiv

Great news from #CITESCOP20: Governments have agreed to ban commercial trade of Galápagos iguanas.

“Ecuador is deeply committed to protecting the natural heritage of the Galápagos,“ said WCS’s Sebastián Valdivieso, “and this decision reinforces that commitment.”

🌎 newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...

Royal or African Crested Tern still distantly from both Cockwood and Dawlish Warren Hide #ukbirding

BREAKING NEWS

Over a third of Welsh Labour Senedd Members have written to Keir Starmer to stop undermining devolution.

They say:

"If this was being done by a Tory Government, we would be calling for a judicial review. This must never happen again."

1/2

Citril Finch population collapses in Germany amid broader European declines Citril Finch has nearly disappeared from Germany’s Black Forest, with numbers plunging by over 97%. Across Europe, habitat loss and climatic change threaten this mountain specialist, prompting urgent calls for coordinated conservation action.

Citril Finch is disappearing at a dramatic rate across its range in Germany, amid wider declines in Europe:

Congrats, everyone seems to be waking up.

Over £500,000 of public money spent on a doomed attempt to "reintroduce" European hen harriers to the UK.

It seems Natural England will do anything to avoid confronting the landowners, hunters, farmers and game keepers who persecute these birds. They also go to great lengths to avoid transparency.

Have had the ringing details on the Pied Flycatcher back from @btobirds.bsky.social.
It was ringed as an adult female on 20th May 2024 at Afon Artro, Gwynedd, 155 km NNW of Glebelands Park.
#gwentbirding #birdingWales

I walked around Cardiff Bay again this morning, trying to enjoy any sunshine while it lasts, & I finally caught up with both the male & female Goldeneyes currently hanging out behind the Ice Rink. The 2 Common scoters are still in the Bay too. #birdingWales

The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust is looking for a manager for their seabird recovery programme. www.wildlifetrusts.org/jobs/project...

More detail on Natural England’s decision to close Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction Project Back in September, Natural England announced its decision to end its controversial plan to ‘reintroduce’ Hen Harriers to southern England (see here). The decision was widely welcomed by…

More detail on Natural England's decision to close its Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction Project (& a discussion on how much public funding has been wasted on this pointless project).

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/02/m...

📣 NEWS! Last week a key paper defending #glyphosate, ghostwritten by #Monsanto (now #Bayer), is retracted after undermining safety decisions for 25 years!

👉 This should lead to the EU to reconsider glyphosate's permit on the EU market.

😡 But EC and Big Polluters team up to weaken safety rules

🌊 Contaminación, colisiones con barcos, ruido submarino…

Un estudio identifica las áreas donde una gran riqueza de especies coincide con un intenso tráfico marítimo y advierte de la urgencia de reforzar las medidas de conservación.

🔗 www.ebd.csic.es/divulgacion/...

📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

One of my abiding impressions of Brexit is the way it slammed doors of opportunity in the faces of young people several rungs below Boris Johnson’s countless children on the ladders of privilege & advantage.

Valid link to the paper:
mapress.com/zt/article/v...

Asked for comment by Sky News, the IDF responded: "Earlier today, IDF troops identified two suspects who crossed the yellow line, conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached IDF troops operating in the southern Gaza Strip, posing an immediate threat to them. "Following the identification, the IAF eliminated the suspects in order to remove the threat."

They were 8 and 11 years old

Although Starmer is now more critical of Brexit, he is still couching it in terms of it being implemented badly, rather than inherently unworkable.

This is a gift to Reform, and makes it clear that Labour's Brexit position, if it's shifting at all, is doing so with the speed of continental drift.

Solar-lit fishing nets cut sea turtle bycatch by 63%, Mexico trials show In the waters off Isla el Pardito, where rocky reefs meet mangrove swamps in Mexico’s Gulf of California, marine biologists and veteran fishers are using the power of the sun to protect endangered sea...

Solar-lit fishing nets cut sea turtle bycatch by 63%, Mexico trials show...

news.mongabay.com/2025/11/sola...

Hen Harrier found poisoned on a grouse moor in North Yorkshire I’ve blogged recently about a number of illegally-killed Hen Harriers whose deaths have not been publicised by the authorities (Hen Harrier ‘Susie’ who was found dead with gunshot…

Hen Harrier found poisoned on a grouse moor in North Yorkshire.

Once again, details have only come to light through scrutiny of a spreadsheet - where's the publicity from the Police? This is supposed to be a national wildlife crime priority!

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/01/h...

My 500th Kenyan bird species today at Nanyuki Sewage Works west of Mount Kenya was this secretive Highland Rush Warbler. Now onto 600, lots of good birding to be had on the way. #kenya

Goshawk dies from gunshot injuries in Aberdeenshire – Police Scotland appeals for information Press release from Police Scotland (1 December 2025): APPEAL FOR INFORMATION AFTER BIRD OF PREY SHOT IN ABERDEENSHIRE Officers are appealing for information after a bird of prey was shot in Aberdee…

Goshawk dies from gunshot injuries in Aberdeenshire. Police Scotland appeals for information.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #BirdingScotland

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/01/g...

A quick dash to Spiggie this afternoon to see this female SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT released back in to the ‘Bumblebird’ wild bird crop. Clearly autumn isn’t over for us here in Shetland!

#BirdingScotland #UKbirding #RareBirdsUK #Birds #UKWildlife

1] The global threat posed by invasive non-native species is outlined in the 2023 IPBES assessment report, the most comprehensive analysis of its kind. Its findings are based on the work of 80 international experts reviewing 13,000 scientific papers. Their conclusions are unequivocal. ipbes.net/ias

Peregrine Falcon Populations Under Threat Again Click on the article title to read more.

Peregrine Falcon Populations Under Threat Again
#RaptorResearch
Voting to "downlist" and lower the trade protection for the Peregrine Falcon will take place 2. December. See this new paper why it is "bad timing"
doi.org/10.1111/acv....

Massive decline in Cairngorms National Park Peregrine population linked to intensive grouse moor management Press release from Cairngorms National Park Authority (24 November 2025) PEREGRINE NUMBERS IN DECLINE IN CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK The last UK-wide survey of peregrines took place in 2014 and covere…

Massive decline in Cairngorms National Park Peregrine population linked to intensive grouse moor management raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/30/m...

Gaelic and Scots now recognised as official languages The milestone is one of a number of new measures taking effect on St Andrew's Day from the Scottish Languages Act.

From today, Gaelic and Scots are recognised as official languages.

A significant moment on St Andrew’s Day. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

www.bbc.com/news/article...