Steve Rowland

I went through a big Mattheissen phase a few years ago, started with The Snow Leopard, loved the Tree Where Man Was Born, and Birds of Heaven helped inspire a series of expeditions across the Mongolian Steppe. Is the biography written well and worth a read.

"They found a striking pattern: a fivefold spike in malaria cases after the fungus arrived and the frogs died"

Who supports Reform and why? The charts that show who favours Farage’s party Based on largest poll of supporters, these charts and maps show five distinct groups that could hand Reform a majority

Who supports Reform and why? The charts that show who favours Farage’s party - " Research based on a poll of 11,000 Reform UK supporters, the biggest survey of its kind, tells us more about who is intending to vote for the party than has been previously known.." www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Bill Sutherland's Conservation Concepts My mission is to explain the natural world and how to protect it. I am a conservation scientist determined to improve the planet. Each short video will explain an ecological concept and describe why ...

Delighted my YouTube channel has >1/4 million views and >5k subscribers. Keen to find new audiences especially students and practitioners. Also keen for new subjects either in UK or online interviewing someone in the field. Ideas welcome!
youtube.com/@bill_suther...

Always love late autumn on the Norfolk coast when thousands of thrushes and Starlings make landfall here. Today st Holme there was a steady passage of Starlings and lots of Blackbirds, Redwings, and Song Thrushes in the bushes.

Whilst no2 son attended Hockey training this morning I spent part of my day off at the Fisherfleet in King's Lynn Docks trying to get some arty shots of the Herring Gulls feeding by the fish processing plant outflow pipe. It was a fun if rather a smelly way to spend 90 minutes.

‘Crash for cash’: moped riders target your insurance details Fraudulent insurance policies are being taken out by scammers using details you do not need to hand over

www.theguardian.com/money/2025/o... "...After an accident, drivers are required to exchange names, addresses and vehicle registration but nothing else. Avoid sharing any unnecessary information such as copies of an insurance policy or your driving licence..."

Why birds on the edge stay there: Study sheds light on murmuration mysteries They twist and turn across the sky in dense, whirling formations—murmurations of birds that seem to move as one, captivating watchers and puzzling scientists for decades. Now, a new analysis suggests ...

phys.org/news/2025-08... "...Now, a new analysis suggests that one of the most mysterious features of these aerial displays—the behavior of birds at the edges—may stem from accident rather than intent.." @rspbengland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @wadertales.bsky.social

Took no1 and no2 sons to see @leicestertigers.bsky.social beat Sale 36:35. As they get older its nice to have things like this that we can do together. Cultural mishmash of Rugby, Bhangara drums and dancing, and a group in fancy dress as Crusaders, oh and not forgetting the Guinness!

Took no1 and no2 sons to see @leicestertigers.bsky.social beat Sale 36:35. As they get older its nice to have things like this that we can do together. Cultural mishmash of Rugby, Bhangara drums and dancing, and a group in fancy dress as Crusaders, oh and not forgetting the Guinness!

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? www.theguardian.com/technology/2... "... when merchants raise their prices on Amazon, they are required to raise their prices everywhere else, even on their own direct-sales stores.."

bsky.app/profile/thea... @campaignstrat.bsky.social might be of interest

Not sure she'll last long enough to fight an election?

Why I have had it with entitled dog owners | Arwa Mahdawi You know the types – they let their hound jump all over you and don’t clear up after them. Bring on their poo-nishment, writes Arwa Mahdawi

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... "...Last year it made DNA tests for dogs compulsory so that any abandoned excrement could be tested, and its owner then tracked down and fined..."

Late morning walk RSPB Titchwell Marsh down to Thornham Point where for two minutes this Black Redstart popped out of the Sea Buckthorn. @rspbengland.bsky.social

A small flock of Swifts sweep across a clear blue sky, their slim bodies and crescent wings cutting sharply above the roof of a house. A beloved summer sight - and one at risk of disappearing if protections for nature are lost.

The tree you climbed as a child. Gone. The Swifts over your town. Gone. The air you breathe. Polluted. The river. Unsafe.

This is the reality of deregulation.

Cutting protections would mean disaster for nature & our economy.

Our CEO sets out why: rspb.org.uk/whats-happen... 👈

With the wind in the East, I took the day off work and had a q6km stomp through the coastal dunes and woods at Holkham with Dave Tipling. Didn't see a huge amount, but find a southbound pair of Ring Ousels was a small reward for our efforts. And now for a curry.

Autumn sunshine filtering through the trees at #KenHillWoods this afternoon.

19km walk at #Holkham Norfolk today under a blue sky and a warm September sun. Saw some great birds, including skeins of newly arrived Pink Footed Geese, 4 Hobby's hawking for Dragonflies, and 3 Whinchats. But perhaps the highlight of the day was half a dozen Clouded Yellow butterflies.

#Ospreys occupy a special place in my life. I started volunteering for the @rspb.bsky.social / @rspbscotland.bsky.social back in the 1980s when their recolonisation of the UK was starting to pick up steam. Decades later it was a joy to see one this morning at #RSPBTitchwellMarsh on the Norfolk coast

Glossy Ibis flying over #WallaseaIsland today against a backdrop of Southend on Sea. A climate refugee on a reserve built to help the coast adapt to a changing climate. Apt as today, 10 years after breaching the seawall, I met up with members of the project team that created this amazing landscape.

Had a couple of hours to play with this afternoon grabbed the chance to go & look at a couple of good local birds. First stop near Ringstead for a distant & hunkered down Dotterel & then down to Thornham for this Red Backed Shrike. Any day with a #Shrike in it is a good one in my book! #Norfolk

The Meadowlands Ideal The protections that made its balance possible are disappearing.

www.theatlantic.com/science/arch... "...ecologists have come to value wetlands not only as wildlife habitats but also as carbon sinks, defenses against rising seas, and filters for harmful pollutants..."

Meta‐analysis of predator identity in nest‐camera studies in the British Islands Nest predation is the primary cause of nest failure across many bird species. Interventions to support declining or threatened species frequently involve measures to reduce nest predation, through le...

New meta-analysis underlines that Grey Squirrels are really a very minor nest predator in UK, despite once considered probably very important in woodland bird declines. Good example of evidence overturning dogma, allowing focus on real issues. #ornithology
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

How can England possibly be running out of water? While famously rainswept, climate crisis, population growth and profligacy mean the once unthinkable could be possible

How can England possibly be running out of water? "...The Environment Agency (EA) assess that 15% of surface water bodies and 27% of groundwater bodies in England have unsustainable levels of abstraction..." www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

A Crow eating the contents of a rabbit’s head that it has wedged into windscreen wipers

Long-stay car park, Edinburgh Airport today. I pity the traveller who’s going to return to find that a Crow’s wedged a rabbit’s head into their windscreen wipers in order to pick the brains out 😂 #birds

What a Major Solar Storm Could Do to Our Planet Disturbances on the sun may have the potential to devastate our power grid and communication systems. When the next big storm arrives, will we be prepared for it?

Some scientists believe that there is an approximately 12-per-cent chance of a severe solar storm striking the Earth in the next decade—which could devastate our power grid and communication systems. Are we prepared?

Wall Brown butterfly on lichen covered headstone

Popped into Little Snoring churchyard yesterday evening. Wonderful long golden grass framing the old church, which had House Martin's nesting under the eaves. And on the gravestones were Wall Brown butterflies sunning themselves. A species that has undergone huge declines finding a home here.

Not seen this before a #Stonechat with a young Common Lizard in it's beak. The Stonechat's fledged young were nearby begging so I guess one of them was in for a treat. # DersinghamBog @naturalengland.bsky.social

Road deaths are a policy choice.