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Carl Sayer

@carlsayer.bsky.social
2.5K followers 935 following 451 posts

Professor at UCL, Restoration of freshwaters, ponds, lakes, rivers, meadows, plants, diatoms, fish, eels, burbot, crucians, palaeoecology, rewilding, Norfolk: www.ucl.ac.uk/geography/carl-sayer

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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Coast ghosts project end of day 2 & we have a finished restored #ghostpond!!! It is going to be a beauty by next summer... on to another smaller lost pond tomorrow @fwageast.bsky.social @farmwildlifeuk.bsky.social @nffn.bsky.social
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"Young man" #Ghostpond #archaeology #coastghosts
A sign saying YMCA found while digging a ghostpond on the North Norfolk Coast
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Going down!!! We started our new "Coast Ghosts Pilot" project today funded by @ournorfolkcoast.bsky.social. This coastal #ghostpond was filled in during the 1980s & we had to dig down 2.8 m to find it below all sorts of infill. Norfolk nearly has 1 more pond back! @timholtwilson.bsky.social
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Alexander Christie-Miller @achristiemiller.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I volunteered for @carlsayer.bsky.social ‘s phenomenal Norfolk Ponds Project today (norfolkponds.org). Incredible work with inspired and interesting people.
norfolkponds.org
Norfolk Ponds Project
Visit the post for more.
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Tim Holt-Wilson @timholtwilson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Out in Breckland today, the 'ghost pond' team @carlsayer.bsky.social @hburningham.bsky.social excavating a backfilled Ice Age doline pit, had to contend with sediments full of smelly burnt wood, barbed wire and mutilated tree trunks, before reaching the sought-after organic-rich sediment layers.
A group of pond sediment investigators in a partly excavated 'ghost pond' site. They are hoping to find seeds buried in the mud which might be in a fit state to sprout again.Two people taking sediment cores from the dark-coloured floor of a 'ghost pond' excavation trench about 6 ft / 2 m deep. There is a yellow dumper truck in the background.A pile of excavated 'ghost pond' sediment with decaying wooden posts and rusty barbed wire recovered from the infill of a pond site. 
A large, mutilated oak tree trunk being pulled out of a 'ghost pond' excavation trench by a mechanical digger.
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
James Lowen Wildlife @jameslowenwild.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
The ghostpond team are proper conservation heroes
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
1 ghostpond + 1 digger for 2 days + 2 years = 41 wetland plants + 2 national rarities. #ghostpond
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Join the best & most dedicated field botanists known to humanity who find rare plants & who keep local pubs open in the winter while they track down half dead flowers. Brilliant!!!
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
So proud of my Dads self-seeded hay meadow covered so very brilliantly (huge thanks) by @patrickbarkham.bsky.social in the Guardian today. ‘I love it. It’s hope’: the mysterious self-willed wildflower meadow that seeded itself | Biodiversity | The Guardian share.google/rqDHUdpZBXuy...
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‘I love it. It’s hope’: the mysterious self-willed wildflower meadow that seeded itself
Farmer Derek Sayer let a boggy field run wild and just one annual hay-cut has led to remarkable biodiversity
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Studys of bat use of restored farm ponds in Norfolk, eastern England led by the brilliant @davidjd.bsky.social of our partner @uclgeography.bsky.social. Overgown ponds restored by scrub & mud removal are massive hot spots for bats in the farmed landscape. Water = life 🦇
Setting up bat recording kit at dusk at a restored farm pondBat detector read outLeaving the pond after darkRestored pond at dusk. Low water levels due to drought
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Proud to present this book with Hilary Birks & @informed-enviro.bsky.social focused on the use & importantly identification of aquatic plant seeds & fruits. 10 yrs of work! Major uses in palaeoecology, archaeobotany, seed bank & diet studies @bsbibotany.bsky.social link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
link.springer.com
Seeds and Fruits of Aquatic Plants of Northern Europe - A Handbook
This book offers essential insights for identifying aquatic plant remains, enhancing research in palaeoecology and freshwater biology.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Selbrigg Pond, North Norfolk, eastern England. A small shallow lake fed by woodland seepage & hence v. low nutrient concentrations. While many other lakes & ponds are murky due to the heat, Selbrigg is crystal clear & vibrant with life. Low nutrients = greater resilience to climate change & warming
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Richard Walton @informed-enviro.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Big news for macrofossil enthusiasts! We have just published a book!! Now available from lnkd.in/eqgQ_gAx!! This book is a comprehensive tool to help aid in the identification of aquatic plants that leave remains in the sediment across Northern Europe. @carlsayer.bsky.social
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
George McGavin @georgemcgavin.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Vote Binface....
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Lots of wonderful Clouded Yellow butterflies in Sayer's Old Meadow, North Norfolk, eastern England last few days. Must have been a big influx. First time ever seen this butterfly close up - very thrilled!!! @bchighland.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Small Copper showing why Common Fleabane is an important flower in later summer. Sayer's Old Meadow, Norfolk, eastern England #wildflowerhour
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Where is the UK's most important freshwater wetland? ANSWER: Upper Lough Erne system, Northern Ireland. A huge area of satellite shallow lakes varying in connectivity to main Lough Erne. An analogue for the Norfolk-Suffolk Broads pre-eutrophication. BUT: it is under decline. Do we want to save it?
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
George McGavin @georgemcgavin.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
It's great to know how quickly nature can restore itself when we stop damaging it. It's high time we put nature first, for without it, we are nothing. www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/ju...
ucl.ac.uk
Abandoned farmland restored to wildflower meadow without sowing seeds
Abandoned farmland can be transformed into wildflower-rich grassland habitat without the need for expensive and labour-intensive seeding, finds a new study by UCL researchers.
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Kent Field Club @kentfieldclub.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
To quote from the piece: "our study poses the question: should we be employing patience over seed packet more often?” Yes we should, if we want rich, vibrant plant communities as part of nature recovery.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Day 4 of surveying plants in shallow lakes of the Upper Lough Erne system, Northern Ireland, our 20th year! - the most impressive freshwater wilderness in the UK, but hugely under pressure from eutrophication. Thick swamps full of rare wetland plants still hanging on @bramblebotanist.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
To save rivers we need to set farming & any necessay fencing way back from rivers. We need to support farmers to *farm back* from river channels in headwaters & floodplains lower down.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Fine-leaved water-dropwort giving lots of opportunity for insects at a restored North Norfolk farm #pond #wildflowerhour
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Huge crop circle in shape of a red deer this morning. Bodham, Norfolk, eastern England.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Have you ever tried walking 1/4 of a mile to survey a #pond in the middle of an oilseed rape field going against the grain? It only takes 4.3 days.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
No need to seed: restoring former arable land to species‐rich grassland by mowing & natural regeneration over 18 years. Paper published today by myself, with my amazing 86 year old father & farmer Derek Sayer. A visit to the meadow is like stepping back through time. doi.org/10.1111/rec.70487
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Seaching for "paydirt" aka seedbanks & lost #ghostponds in the Brecklands of Norfolk, eastern England today with heck of a team @timholtwilson.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
How do you cope with running a @norfolkponds.bsky.social @freshwaterbio.bsky.social #pond restoration training course in a heatwave in a super-heated metal & wood world war 1 village hall hut? Easy...you move it to the village church 200 m away. 10° C cooler & a wonderful welcoming atmosphere!
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Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
We just finished running a 2-day #pond restoration training course for @freshwaterbio.bsky.social at our demonstation restored pond landscape in Heydon, Norfolk. Brilliant fun & successful despite the heat in a metal world war 1 accomodation hut (village hall) @uclgeography.bsky.social
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Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Ponds are cooking!!! Out surveying #ponds restored in Autumn 2025 in Norfolk, eastern England. Water temperature of 34 degrees °C at 3.30 pm is too hot for pond creatures & surveyors 🥵
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Sayer's Old Meadow is covered in wildflowers 21 yrs post-arable. The soil must have healed & every 2 paces there are oak or other tree saplings. If we did not mow it would rapidly be trees. So do we really have to plant trees to get forest on former farmland? Or just patience & trusting in nature?
Oak saplings in a meadowA srunning species rich wildflower meadow full of orchids. No seeding has taken place to achieve it. Just annual mowing.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
No need to seed #meadows!!! Sayer's Old Meadow was an arable field bathed in chemicals until 2005. It was abandoned for 5 years & since then it has been mowed annually. No seeds/plants have ever been introduced to it. It is very species-rich. Ecological restoration is often best when we do less!!!
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Ghostpingo #pond restorations are doing what they needed to do! We are recovering a lost wetland flora buried alive out in the corn fields by careful digging @georgemonbiot.bsky.social @patrickbarkham.bsky.social @wildernorfolk.bsky.social @brecksfarmerswn.bsky.social @farmwildlifeuk.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Help with this sedge at edges of a #ghostpingo #pond, Norfolk. Want to call Common Yellow Sedge (Carex viridula agg.) which have had before but no beak on fruits. Help!!! Needs a proper botanist!!! @jo-the-botanist.bsky.social @bramblebotanist.bsky.social @astridbiddle.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
A lake edge full of abandoned toilet brushes? Either that or a bed of Marestail Hippurus vulgaris? @jo-the-botanist.bsky.social @astridbiddle.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Fun to show @norfolknats.bsky.social some restored ancient #ghostponds today at East Harling with the fab @timholtwilson.bsky.social. At least 40 wetland plants in this pond resurrected 20 months ago. Most successful form of ecological restoration known? @billsutherland.bsky.social #ghostpond
A beautiful restored ghost pond in Norfolk's Brecklands
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Rough weather might mean a night for eels? @greenleejw.bsky.social @themarshtit.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Want to learn wetland botany as part of your MSc? In our @uclgeography.bsky.social MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology & Restoration MSc we teach a mega loved Aquatic Macrophytes field module in Dorset that takes us to ponds, saline lagoon, lakes & chalk streams
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Come and do our amazingly popular @uclgeography.bsky.social MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology & Restoration. Now in its 24th year, the course famously underpins practical aquatic conservation & restoration with the very best science @tonyjuniper.bsky.social @craigbennett3.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
A four day fieldcourse to @kneppwilding.bsky.social as part of our @uclgeography.bsky.social MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology & Restoration & MSc Conservation Rewilding module. Beetles, eels (71 caught & recorded), birds, plants & mammals all closely studied in & around our "Wild Futures" camp!
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Thrift on the cliffs close to a smugglers low, Weybourne, Norfolk #wildflowerhour
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Reposted by Carl Sayer
Learn Dirt @learndirt.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
🌱 "Seeds carry knowledge of the ancestors and the future of what things are going to be." —H.P. Lovelace
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Come & do this brilliant pond restoration training course run by myself & Helen Greaves of @norfolkponds.bsky.social. Pond Restoration Training: 25th & 26th June 2026 — Freshwater Biological Association share.google/YcHC0RT99yAj...
share.google
Pond Restoration Training: 25th & 26th June 2026 — Freshwater Biological Association
Ponds are increasingly being recognised as critical to biodiversity conservation in UK landscapes. This two-day course will introduce participants to pond restoration science and best practice. Hele...
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Come and do the mega popular & frankly brilliant @uclgeography.bsky.social MSc Aquatic Conservation, Ecology & Restoration. Now in its 24th year, the course underpins practical aquatic conservation & restoration with science
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European Pond Conservation Network @epcn.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Join the first EPCN webinar of 2026 [UPDATED]! 🌿💧 📅 22 May | ⏰ 16:00 CET Topic: Mountain ponds Featuring the new EPCN Mountain Pond WG by @lfehlinger.bsky.social & a talk on climate change impacts (CIMaE Project). To register, please fill in the form: forms.gle/x8rz2t718A48... #ponds #webinar
Next EPCN Webinar on Mountain ponds, introduced by Dr. Lena Fehlinger. The follow-up talk titled "Mountain Ponds and Climate Change: Thr CIMaE Project" is held by Dr. Marie Lamouille-Hebert, whose research focuses on mountain ponds, particularly aspects related to water permanence, climate change scenarios, and their implications for biodiversity.
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Marsh marigold patch edging a small North Norfolk coastal stream, eastern England. Locally known as Kingcups #wildflowerhour
Marsh marigold in a small stream
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A cuckoo flower floodplain meadow this morning to the sound of a #cuckoo. @floodplainmead.bsky.social
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Carl Sayer @carlsayer.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
I have been running the Norfolk Crucian Project since 2008. We have genuinely saved this fish species from extinction in the wild in Norfolk & have benefitted many other species (& people!) along the way. We think we have increased #crucian carp distribution by >40-50%. But onwards & upwards!!!
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Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Another day searching for #crucian carp in Norfolk #ponds & small lakes. SUCCESS!!! One new unknown population found. #crucians2016
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Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Europe's golden fish! The #crucian carp #crucians2026
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Norfolk Ponds Project @norfolkponds.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Return of the #Crucian carp. We started our Norfolk Crucian Project back in 2008. We are saving this rare European #pond fish species from extinction in the wild #crucians2026 @fishtwitcher.bsky.social @anglingtrust.bsky.social @caughtbytheriver.bsky.social @anglingtimes.bsky.social
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