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Dara McAnulty

@naturalistdara.bsky.social

20 ~ autistic ~ award winning author of β€˜Diary of a Young Naturalist’ and the β€˜Wild Child’ series ~ Nature Nerd and biology student ~ University of Cambridge. He/him πŸ“Co Down / Cambridge https://daramcanulty.com/

7,397 Followers  |  52 Following  |  31 Posts  |  Joined: 20.09.2023  |  1.9756

Latest posts by naturalistdara.bsky.social on Bluesky

For those of your outside of Ireland - Birdsong is still available to view online for a little while, as is the live Q&A we did after the online screening! It was a really lovely chat.

26.11.2024 00:08 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 17    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
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We've just published our latest report: COLLATERAL DAMAGE, highlighting the widespread poisoning of birds of prey in England by the misuse & abuse of rodenticides.

Govt scheme to reduce exposure has failed.

Read the report: wildjustice.org.uk/general/coll...

14.11.2024 11:14 β€” πŸ‘ 487    πŸ” 207    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 11
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Limits to Growth reports vindicated as Earth faces overshoot and collapse The critical lesson of the Limits to Growth reports – that there is no such thing as infinite growth on a tiny, fragile, finite planet – has escaped our consciousness

"We don’t need astronauts to tell us that there is no such thing as infinite growth on a (tiny, fragile) finite planet. [Yet] we march on, lemming-like, towards overshoot and collapse."

Great @irishtimes.bsky.social piece by Sadhbh O'Neill.
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

29.09.2023 09:29 β€” πŸ‘ 80    πŸ” 28    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 1

I read once that she starts each day with a cartwheel and I can attest that it is a wonderful way to start the day - a little breathless and very smiley - without much effort 🀣

27.09.2023 08:45 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you 😊

25.09.2023 21:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I will truly miss the depth, contours and ever changing landscape of Co Down when I return to horizontal Cambridge this week. It’s always so hard to leave but 2nd year student life awaits after crossing the sea on the Stena Line & the long drive to Queens’ College. Bittersweet yet very exciting 🌿

25.09.2023 14:28 β€” πŸ‘ 85    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
A woman (me) in sunglasses and a fleece holding up a section of a permafrost core.

A woman (me) in sunglasses and a fleece holding up a section of a permafrost core.

Here is a brief primer on permafrost carbon. Permafrost (frozen soil) stores a HUGE amount of carbon because ancient life took up carbon dioxide, built biomass, then died. These organisms' organic matter (~50% C) slowly accrued in Earth's best freezer for 1000s of yrs. 1/

23.09.2023 22:08 β€” πŸ‘ 93    πŸ” 47    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 3

Ach, I was nearly there in person this year…alas, too close to going back to Cambridge!

23.09.2023 16:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you πŸͺΆ

23.09.2023 16:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Ah, thank you!

23.09.2023 16:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
So you decided to join BLUE SKY
[it's not twitter]
#1 upload an avatar
#2 set Moderation Settings

(box showing moderation hand symbol) Moderation (arrow pointing to) Content Filtering

So you decided to join BLUE SKY [it's not twitter] #1 upload an avatar #2 set Moderation Settings (box showing moderation hand symbol) Moderation (arrow pointing to) Content Filtering

(arrow pointing to drawing of toggle) Toggle to enable Adult Content
THEN choose Hide, Warn, or SHOW
(star) tip: images are AI moderated so some slip thru & some G-rated images get tagged as "explicit", so "Warn" may be the bet choice atm
#3 Go to SETTINGS
(box with drawing of toggle) toggle require alt text on images (please β™₯)
(arrow points to) Home Feed Prefs
(star) Use these settings to control seeing reposts & replies on your TL

(arrow pointing to drawing of toggle) Toggle to enable Adult Content THEN choose Hide, Warn, or SHOW (star) tip: images are AI moderated so some slip thru & some G-rated images get tagged as "explicit", so "Warn" may be the bet choice atm #3 Go to SETTINGS (box with drawing of toggle) toggle require alt text on images (please β™₯) (arrow points to) Home Feed Prefs (star) Use these settings to control seeing reposts & replies on your TL

#4 Go to My Feeds
Go to "Discover New Feeds" to search for interesting feeds like "Only Posts"
Click the "+" to add the feed
(box) Go to the (gear icon) [edit my feeds] here you can pin and unpin feeds
(side note) pinned feed will appear at the top of your TL
Don't forget to "β™₯" the feed when you click on it to preview, this helps others find it!

#4 Go to My Feeds Go to "Discover New Feeds" to search for interesting feeds like "Only Posts" Click the "+" to add the feed (box) Go to the (gear icon) [edit my feeds] here you can pin and unpin feeds (side note) pinned feed will appear at the top of your TL Don't forget to "β™₯" the feed when you click on it to preview, this helps others find it!

Hey I made a quick welcome guide to BlueSky :)

There's tons more, but I think these few steps will get you up and enjoying it quickly.

21.08.2023 22:35 β€” πŸ‘ 6891    πŸ” 4136    πŸ’¬ 169    πŸ“Œ 313

They are so special! Last year I went on a walk with writer Rob Macfarlane and we found an entire Jay wing! We shared the feathers between us but I have given quite a few to people :)

23.09.2023 14:15 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A sunken lane or Holloway with dappled autumn light

A sunken lane or Holloway with dappled autumn light

Happy Autumn Equinox! I prefer the shadows to the intense glare of summer, dodging between darkness and light until winter comes: when I enter my most contented state. Surely I mustn’t be alone in this?!

23.09.2023 14:13 β€” πŸ‘ 66    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 0
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On some walks you just get really, really lucky. A gorgeous Jay Feather. Incandescent joy! πŸͺΆ#birds #nature #walking

23.09.2023 14:03 β€” πŸ‘ 58    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

I do like it here but it has got an air of being in jail.
You’re a bit isolated, always on the lookout for trouble and the people you love only turn up once every couple of months.

23.09.2023 07:05 β€” πŸ‘ 354    πŸ” 38    πŸ’¬ 37    πŸ“Œ 2

Hello! Lovely to see you over here πŸ‘‹

23.09.2023 11:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A narrow tarmac road in winter. Bare trees either side of the road make a tunnel, sunlight streaming through.

A narrow tarmac road in winter. Bare trees either side of the road make a tunnel, sunlight streaming through.

Cumbria, as winter truly bit.

22.09.2023 14:40 β€” πŸ‘ 303    πŸ” 57    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 0

Ah, hello Bob! Lovely to see you too!

22.09.2023 16:22 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Exactly that!

22.09.2023 16:21 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I honestly don’t have a clue what people like to see here, so just testing the air.

22.09.2023 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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β€˜So many precious things were lost’: Rhodes after the fires – photo essay The photographer Gideon Mendel travelled to Rhodes a month after the fires, seeking to document the impact on lives and landscapes

"I come every day to our burned house to water the trees that either died or partially survived."

Heartbreaking and extraordinary images and interviews of life in the aftermath of the terrible wildfires that swept across Rhodes in July. #climatecrisis

www.theguardian.com/world/2023/s...

02.09.2023 09:15 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This BBC radio documentary is a thing of beauty. It’s about a sound recordist in the primeval Polish forest, BiaΕ‚oweiza. Listen to it in the bath. Listen to it in the car alone, with the windows wound up. Turn up the volume. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

06.09.2023 12:58 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

Now you’ve reminded us all! πŸ˜–

22.09.2023 15:45 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Dara McAnulty is holding a copy of his book A Wild Child’s Book of Birds there is an elm tree in the background

Dara McAnulty is holding a copy of his book A Wild Child’s Book of Birds there is an elm tree in the background

My recent children’s book has been long-listed for the 2024 UK Literacy Association Awards!! Chuffed to bits!

ukla.org/news/outstan...

22.09.2023 15:40 β€” πŸ‘ 58    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Phew! Thank you 😊

22.09.2023 15:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Night Time Economy is the title of Floodgate's next collection of original writing to be published in June next year and you could be part of it. Send unpublished fiction and creative non-fiction that uses this title as a stimulus to: floodgatepress.co.uk/submissions

19.09.2023 22:39 β€” πŸ‘ 35    πŸ” 34    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

Fantastic. What a bird! Blue tits can squeeze in through the tinniest space!

22.09.2023 15:25 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Lucky lucky!!

22.09.2023 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I feel like I’ve walked from an dangerously unfriendly bar in a western movie to a very nice welcoming establishment, happy to leave the Twitter doors swinging on their hinges πŸ‘‹ (no offence to western movies obvs - so no pile-ons - do people do this here?)

22.09.2023 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

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