@rspbscience.bsky.social
Research, reports, and citizen science from the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science
A Bittern stares intently into the water, text reads: Did you know? Bitterns eyes are made to look down.
Did you know? Bitterns’ eyes are made to look down
Bittern eyes are placed lower down on their head than many other birds so they can easily look for prey beneath them in the water
#ScienceFactFriday
We're hiring!
Seasonal Research Assistant and Senior Research Assistant positions for 2026 🪶
Deadline: 11th Jan 26
Apply here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...
High resolution tracking projects such as these can help us understand how seabirds use the sea
And importantly, predict how development- or climate-driven changes to ocean processes may alter seabird habitat use
A Kittiwake flies, wings outstretched, across the water.
Use of tidal mixing fronts varied between birds based on individual space use and the habitats and ocean features they encountered
Birds whose foraging ranges overlapped most with tidal fronts were more likely to switch to foraging near these features
Colours show foraging paths of Kittiwakes tracked from a) Flamborough b) Filey. Outlined circle represents colony location.
To understand the context of individual birds’ responses to fronts, authors used tracking data to cluster birds by foraging area and test how environmental context shapes their response to fronts
Bird movements were then categorised as either resting, travelling or foraging
A Kittiwake sits amongst the grass looking out to sea.
Tidal mixing fronts are often highly productive areas, where nutrient enrichment and prey aggregations create important foraging hotspots for marine predators
Scientists used GPS loggers to track 144 Kittiwakes from neighbouring North Sea colonies close to the Flamborough Front
Can GPS tracking reveal how #seabirds make use of tidal mixing fronts when foraging? 🧪
New research shows a bird’s use of ocean fronts may relate to its regular foraging areas
Read on for more
Or read the full paper: doi.org/10.1007/s002...
@ellingbry.bsky.social
📣 New paper out now in @conbiology.bsky.social!
#Headstarting - hatching eggs and/or rearing chicks in captivity & releasing them back to the wild - has been increasingly used for #wader #conservation. But it can be challenging and expensive.
So why do it and when❓
📷WWT/Bob Ellis #godwit
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Conference attendees photographed outside the venue.
Last month our Conservation Science dept. conference returned!
-131 attendees
-32 talks
-18 posters
-9 workshops
-1 winning quiz team
We heard about biosecurity, breeding waders, biodiversity monitoring, seabird tracking and more. Look out for some exciting papers in 2026...
A Redshank stands on a stone wall, its orange-red legs clearly visible. Text reads: Did you know? These aren't knees....
Did you know? Birds keep their knees hidden
The back bend in bird legs is actually the ankle not the knee. Birds’ knees are hidden higher up, closer to the body
#ScienceFactFriday
A researcher from BirdLife International partner ACBK looks over maps with a local farmer, identifying spaces where livestock and Saiga may be competing for food and water.
This research highlights the need to balance conservation action with community livelihoods
By involving local communities in management decisions and co-developing interventions, conservation programmes can reduce the potential for conflict in the landscape
📷 Sorrel Jones
Using these key drivers, authors then mapped water, livestock and Saiga distributions
They identified >60 areas where conflict was likely to occur
These maps could be used to target conflict reduction action and even potentially avoid it
Results revealed a few key drivers of conflict:
- Crop damage
- Competition for water and grazing
- Concern over livestock catching diseases from Saiga
They also found conflict was highest during the calving period in spring and in winter, when demand for hay and water is high
Western Kazakhstan hosts over half of the world’s Saiga, intensifying conflict between local communities and the species
To identify and map the causes of this conflict, researchers conducted >100 interviews with local herders
A herd of Saiga graze on open grassland in Kazakhstan.
Saiga populations have undergone a huge recovery thanks to conservation work
But new research shows when hay and water is scarce, competition between Saiga and livestock can lead to conflict 🌏 🧪
Read on to learn more…
Full article: doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...
📷 Albert Salemgareyev
A landscape of forestry and peatland at RSPB Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve stretches into the distance.
New #PhDproject with @thinkuhi.bsky.social 🧪
Blurring the edges: assessing impacts from the spread of non-native conifers on birds, plants and hydrology in Scottish open blanket bog habitat mosaics
Closing date: 09-01-26
Location: Thurso, Scotland
Apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
A Black-tailed Godwit walks along, probing its long beak into the mud for food. Text reads: Did you know? Some birds can bend their long beaks.
Did you know? Some birds can bend their long beaks
Rhynchokinesis allows birds like Snipe and Black-tailed Godwits to flex the end of their upper beak, allowing them to be efficient in picking out prey from deep mud or sand.
#ScienceFactFriday
A solitary Lapwing stands in the middle of a bare farmland field.
Current guidance recommends wader AES areas be ≥30m from woodland
However, these results show the distance should be ≥500m to fully benefit waders
As woodland creation is set to increase in the UK, it is essential future sites are selected with sensitivity
📷Ben Andrew
A Redshank picks its way through flooded grassland.
Results also revealed differences in wader habitat preference:
• Curlew and Snipe preferred areas with more rush
• Redshank and Snipe preferred wetter fields
Demonstrating that AES management can be tailored to favour certain species
📷Andy Hay
Graphical abstract showing the increase in predicted density as distance from woodland increases for four wader species: A) Snipe, B) Redshank, C) Curlew and D) Lapwing.
Results showed densities of all four species increased away from woodland edges
For every 100m away from woodland, predicted wader density increased by ~10% for at least 500m
Most waders favour wide, open landscapes. Potentially to avoid predators associated with woodlands.
A tractor cultivating farmland using a Lapwing-friendly approach.
Agricultural Environment Schemes (AES) created to support threatened waders could potentially be undermined by proximity to woodland
To measure the scale of these ‘edge effects’, densities of Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank and Snipe were modelled across farms in Scotland
📷Andy Hay
An ariel view shows the stark boundary between farmland and woodland.
New paper 🪶
Proximity to woodlands may be reducing the effectiveness of conservation interventions for farmland waders
Read on for a summary
Or find the full paper here:
doi.org/10.1111/1365...
@kirstyjpark.bsky.social
@naturescot.bsky.social
@stir.ac.uk
📷Ben Andrew
Studying for an MSc in the UK this year and looking for a research project? 🧪🌍
Check out our list of available MSc projects now live: www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
Huge congratulations to our colleague Rhys Green on winning the 2025 Nature of Scotland Outstanding Achievement Award for a lifetime of scientific dedication to Corncrake conservation
@rspbscotland.bsky.social
A Barn Owl hangs in the dark sky, gazing down at its prey. Text reads 'Not all owls are silent fliers like this one'.
Did you know? Some owls aren't silent fliers
Unlike many other owl species, fish owls make noise when they fly because their wings have fewer sound blocking combs. This is because they don't need to sneak up on prey with sensitive hearing.
#ScienceFactFriday
Restoring peatland.
Capturing carbon and providing breeding habitat for waders.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/08/16/p...
Paper by Rob Hughes & Chris Bingham
#ConservationScience🌍
Dead birds can also be reported to @birdtrack.bsky.social, which helps provide data to increase our understanding of population impacts:
www.bto.org/our-science/...
Please report any dead birds found to Defra in GB: www.gov.uk/guidance/rep...
Or DAERA in NI: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/services/dae...
To help wild birds:
- Avoid disturbing wild birds
- Avoid feeding waterfowl at this time, as feeding could encourage them to congregate and increase the risk of the virus spreading.
A Whooper Swan looks back over its folded wings at the camera.
Sadly, we have seen a big increase in avian flu cases in the UK - particularly in waterfowl
Whilst the risk to the public remains assessed as very low, Government advice is not to touch any visibly sick or dead birds, and to keep pets away
Read on for ways to help:
📷Ben Andrew
