Friends of Dumbarton Foreshore

As the sound of woodpecker drumming fills canopies up and down the country, @willrose.bsky.social releases the latest of his fantastic What Bird is That? videos, this time teaching you to distinguish between Green, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted woodpeckers https://buff.ly/3EUhuLd

A great opportunity to get involved with this wonderful charity and help make a difference.

Stabilimentum: zig zag pattern made by some spider species, typically vertically down through the centre of webs. Their purpose may vary between sps and is still debated.

European ash, aka Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

Large, black, four-sided buds growing opposite each other on an olive-green woody stem. Very beautiful.

#WinterTwigWednesday

Name That Twig

(Habitat: deciduous woodland, west Scotland)

(correct answer below)

Did u know? A lot is written about the relevance of insects as pollinators, but their presence is vital in so many other ways. For example, baby birds are fed, almost exclusively, on insects. Nurture, protect & accommodate them in your wild spaces & all life will follow. 🌿🌱🐙🪲🦋🐜🐦‍⬛🐝🐛🦟🌍

My dead, brown Evening Primrose stems are attracting charms of goldfinches!

A greeny-brown seaweed with some large bladders, shaped like small bird eggs (various sizes). Air bladders help the wracks reach light to photosynthesize; broken pieces of A nodosum also disperse by means of these flotation devices. This seaweed is edible and has health benefits, but also absorbs heavy metals; only fresh growth should be consumed.

#SeaweedSaturday
Ascophyllum nodosum (Egg or knotted wrack), another of Scotland's 5 native wracks. Note the singly-spaced air bladders (one per year) along thick, un-ribbed fronds. Supports barnacles, periwinkles and isopods, providing food for birds. Common and edible.

Highly recommended non ID book about moths. It has inspired me to do more than back garden trapping in 2025. A fabulous read about the joy of moths and early mornings #teammoth #mothsmatter #moths #books #naturalhistory @britishnatureguide.bsky.social #uknature #mothing

Araneus diadematus

Bee fly (Bombyliidae)

Continuing with our 2024 bug wrap up

Thank you for all the small lives you saved this year through kindness

#entomemeology #entomology

Serrated wrack is usually brown, the edges are jagged like a carpenter's saw and down the middle of the fronds is a deep grooved midrib. In the pic the piece is hand-sized, but the species can reach up to 1m.

#SeaweedSaturday
Fucus serratus (Serrated Wrack aka Toothed or Saw Wrack) is one of 5 native Scottish wracks. Note the saw-like edges, deep midrib and absence of air bladders on flat fronds. Supports over 100 marine species; fresh tips can be eaten in salads/stews. Common/widespread

A photograph of a small fish peeking out of a dark hole in its coral home. It has a red background colour with aquamarine dots on the side of its face and a bright green eye. Its chin is also covered in small delicate bristles.

So for #TeamFish today we have a Paragobiodon modestus from the Philippines. They are a bit shy in their coral home - but I’m sure they are looking forward to the start of #25DaysofFishmas tomorrow.
#MarineLife

Extracts from the online AI summary of negative impacts to birds caused by human lighting - altered feeding behaviour, disrupted breeding cycles, stress and reduced fitness

C/td Disrupted migration, attraction to dangerous human structures, altered feeding

Being attracted to a tree full of wiring is a great example of how it's bad for them

Light pollution can impact wild birds, disrupting their circadian rhythms, disorienting migration, attracting them to danger eg buildings, altering foraging behaviour, leading to reduced breeding success and population decline. Worst of all for nocturnal birds (who rely on natural darkness to navigate)

In fact, there are multiple research papers confirming artificial light negatively affects wild bird populations as well as a major bird food source, insect populations. Here is a summary of results

Did u know?We wouldn't like it if our bedroom was lit up all night & we had to contend with neverending background noise. It's not natural/healthy. So, how do you think these 100's of Pied Wagtails cope,trying to roost in this tree in the centre of Bath at dusk? Be more 🌑🌑

Save Coul Links protected nature (Loch Fleet Ramsar SSSI & SPA) from golf development vandalism A planning application was submitted to Highland Council to construct an 18-hole international golf course on Coul Links, Sutherland but the applicant is not Trump Golf. The target lies within Loch Fl...

UK PETITIONS
#SaveCoulLinks Loch Fleet SSSI, SPA & Ramsar wetland
from Mike Keiser's new golf developments.
1st planning application was rejected by Scottish Government MSPs: Vandalism you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/co...
2nd submitted with hoodwinkery: Groundhog you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

it’s #sturgeonsaturday!! 🧪🌎👩🏻‍🔬🐠

did you know that sturgeon don’t have scales? Instead they are covered in rows of bony plates called scutes! Scutes are as beautiful as they are protective & can be quite sharp in some life stages & species

Check out the rows of scutes that look like white diamonds 👇🏼

I’ve been illustrating insects which love living in long grass ….

😮

Still no lego dragon yet 😏 Any day now 🤞

Today's shore litter pick fun find, a miniature red plastic figure of Marvel's Iron Man superhero. Superpowers: genius intellect, scientist and engineer. Can relate 😂

Did you know? Ted Hughes wrote a sequel to The Iron Man. "The Iron Woman has come to take revenge on humankind for its thoughtless pollution of the seas, lakes and rivers". Iron Woman, we need you! #litter #pollution #river #sea

The knitted jumper beetle 😍

Nice to have the date on the pottery! Encouraging result 💚💪🌊

Hey! Heading over here as increasingly disillusioned by the social media site owned by Melon Husk. Mostly posting about beach cleans, sea swims and my rescue dog Pebble.

Good vibes only, life’s hard enough already without online arguments and hatred 💙

Image shows the road gritters in Scotland with their names which includes Taylor Drift, Skate Bush, Air Salter Scott, Me Snow it all, Spready Mercury

It's the time of year to appreciate the names of Scottish gritters! #Scotland

They are! Yes, it's been a terrible year for many species both here and Britain-wide, eg Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue butterflies. We fight on for them 💪💚

Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) - Norfolk Moths Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) - The Moths of Norfolk. In association with the Norfolk Moth Survey.

One of the Wave moths (Geometridae); I think Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria) www.norfolkmoths.co.uk/index.php?bf...

A litter picked palm-sized plastic donkey on a shore rock; the bright afternoon sunlight has lengthened the shadow of its ear, creating a unicorn silhouhette

Bluesky beachfind 3:
Crouching donkey, hidden unicorn
#litter #rivers #conservation