William (Bill) Sutherland

At end of excellent CCI meeting about future plans we remembered Jane Goodall (who did her PhD in Zoology). Instead of a minute silence we opted for a minute noise - full of clapping and hooting. Much more suitable!

Delighted you find it useful Miguel.

Only evidence, Lee Brook, a winterbourne #chalkstream, is still a live river through Chippenham en route to join the River Kennett at Freckenham and thence the Lark, is a bit of Fool's Watercress & some river restoration structures. Even the sewage works isn't getting it flowing. #MyWalk #Rivers 1/2

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts Conservation grazing: how different species shape habitats

What are the ecological consequences of using different grazing species? In this video I discuss the issue with Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell. youtu.be/ozHdOKKtpzU?...

Agree with this. Seen many other farmers do this.

For #CtenophoreDay an experience so extraordinary & exquisite if I hadn't captured it on camera I'd have thought it was a dream. Last month, heading into the sunset at end of #MySwim at Shimoda, found myself in a vast raft of ?Mikado Comb Jellies (Bolinopsis mikado) #cilia #CtenoTakeover #Japan🧵1/6

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Thanks. Another today.

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts How embedding tests into conservation practive transforms effectiveness

Hugh Possingham, one of the worlds most respected conservationists, describing how embedding simple tests into practice helps deliver learning and effective conservation. Without testing there is little learning and we don’t know if effective. youtu.be/qcQvYTldF_0?...

Yep, I've spent $M's on cons proj's with no follow up, there's been $10'sM on EEC proj's (BGGW) with no baseline data, no follow up, no proper monitoring (some photos if you're lucky). Spend the budget, get the next grant.

Most staff delivering don't have proper training, background or support.

Conservation concepts for undergraduates and postgraduates - YouTube Key concepts underpinning undergraduate ecology and conservation courses

Are you a student studying ecology or conservation? Do you lecture ecology or conservation? I created this playlist for you and hope it is useful. youtube.com/playlist?lis...

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts Why most conservation projects fail to learn

Excellent advice from Hugh Possingham on monitoring conservation projects and why most Monitoring and Evaluation is flawed. youtu.be/qa6Ewt-W5mU?...

Thanks for these ideas.

Historical Ecology - YouTube How history can help understand the environment and possible conservation measures

Understanding ecological communities requires understanding their history (a long interest of mine). Created a Historical Ecology playlist on YouTube. Am busy planning further videos. Suggestions welcome! youtube.com/playlist?lis...

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts A novel method for creating ant hills

Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus) is an important species in the ecology of biodiverse, well-drained grasslands. As you will see, Prof Bill Sutherland @billsutherland.bsky.social is on the case www.youtube.com/watch?v=y37_... 🧵

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts regenerative agriculture: food production and nature together

Latest video has Jake Fiennes, author of Land Healer, explaining regenerative agriculture and how to achieve both food production and nature youtu.be/B7Ur03wSpuE?...

Post-breeding flocks of Swallows write their own music on the wires of the Lowther Estate in Cumbria. One of the benefits of livestock country, graced by Longhorn Cattle, in creative nature recovery mode.

Here in West Suffolk, barely enough swallows for even a brief jingle.

#BirdsSeenIn2025

How do we measure life on Earth? 🌍🌱 The new summary report from the 2025 US-UK Forum on Measuring Biodiversity, hosted by the NAS and @royalsociety.org, explores tools, challenges, and solutions for tackling the #biodiversity crisis.

Read here: bit.ly/460RB7R

To celebrate #InternationalVultureAwarenessDay & begin a 🧵on #BirdsSeenIn2025 in Zimbabwe, around Victoria Falls, the phenomenal Vulture Restaurant at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge which does so much to raise awareness of horrific plight of African Vultures such as these White-backed & Hooded. 1/25

Thanks Nick Meade for access & @timholtwilson.bsky.social for arranging it, near Earsham had our furthest downstream swim in River Waveney, abounding in Roach, plus a pool of gorgeous Dace where the river flowed fast, constricted by a grove of Club-rush. #MySwim #Suffolk #Norfolk #rivers #fish 🧵1/8

Last month it was amazing to swim in the strobe disco of huge shimmering shoals of Minnows in Ullswater. Water surprisingly clear. Such a different story swimming in a lake compared to a river bsky.app/profile/nume....

#MySwim #Cumbria #LakeDistrict #fish #teamfish #fishsky #Nature #Wildlife 🧵1/7

After Ely Nature-Friendly Farming Zone Water Vole Survey (nul points), swam down & up 500m of River Little Ouse. Not best snork; poor vis, sun vanished, encountered none of wonders have been seeing upstream. Wish people wouldn't litter & release helium balloons. You can't win 'em all! #MySwim 🧵1/8

Why we should all mourn the slender-billed curlew A bird that hasn’t been photographed since 1995 has now been declared extinct. Its fate is cause for wider alarm

Great piece today by Simon Barnes, one of last to see a Slender-billed Curlew observer.co.uk/news/science... following research confirming extinction @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social @naturalis.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social @ucllifesciences.bsky.social

This is all really interesting. Vaccaries a new work for me. Thanks.

Indeed!

Interesting. Thanks. Have an interest in Teesdale and read about the history. Seems greater diversity including crops.

Fascinating Bill. My dad is a historian. I had a chat with him about this once, what the documents he studies say about farming in in the Durham Dales and uplands in the 14th & 15th Century. Not much on tree/shrub cover, but a lot fewer sheep, & more cattle than now. I'll send this to him

Thanks to expertise & interest of
@timholtwilson.bsky.social, & encouragement to find them, here's his assessment of bones I found at Wretton. Not easily distinguishable from extant, now North American, Wood Bison, but probably extinct Steppe Bison, prolific in later Pleistocene of East Anglia.

YouTube video by Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts Upland wood pasture: a forgotten habitat

So what did our uplands look like? Was it upland wood pasture with scattered trees and flower rich meadows? Did farmers used to mix trees, grassland and hay meadows? Can we recreate this habitat e.g. in Yorkshire Dales? youtu.be/YiK0mKLUzTU?...