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Ellie Owen

@ellingbry.bsky.social
259 followers 330 following 15 posts

Posting about the #seabird conservation work of the National Trust for Scotland. #citsci #puffarazzi #NTSseabirds

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Reposted by Ellie Owen
Ross Mackenzie @rossmackenzie.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Good to see the guillemot stacks filling up on a sunny Sunday morning at Sumburgh Head #Shetland #superseabirdsunday
Guillemot stackGuillemot colonyGuillemot colony White water in West Voe of Sumburgh
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Jim Lennon @alcatorda17.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Puffins from the Shiant Isles are having a tough winter of it with an almost unprecedented 'wreck' on European coasts.
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Great to see our #NTSSeabirds and marine life well represented at #EdinburghZoo 's #GiantLanterns exhibition last night 🙂 Thanks to #StKildaClub for the invitation to speak at their annual reunion. @n-t-s.bsky.social @edinburghzoo.bsky.social
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Alice Edney @aliceedney.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
The first drone census of the St Kilda gannet colony is now published in Scottish Birds! We counted 59,205 AOS in 2023 - similar to previous years. The overall impact of #HPAI appears less than at some other colonies, with notable declines in flatter areas 🧮 #ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
researchgate.net
(PDF) The first drone census of the Gannet colony on St Kilda, 2023
PDF | An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (hereafter drone) survey of Gannets at St Kilda was carried out in June 2023. The survey was the first census at St... | Find, read and cite all the research you need ...
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RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
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
doi.org
Fine-scale behavioural responses to mixing fronts are linked to variation in geographic space use in a medium ranging seabird - Marine Biology
Marine predators forage in dynamic, heterogeneous environments, where resources are unevenly distributed. Consequently, predators often concentrate foraging activity in areas where oceanographic proce...
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Alice Edney @aliceedney.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Read more here ⬇️ www.nts.org.uk/stories/a-bi... @stkildawhs.bsky.social, @craig-nisbet.bsky.social & @ellingbry.bsky.social 😊
nts.org.uk
A bird’s-eye view of the gannet colony at St Kilda
The first drone census at St Kilda has revealed the islands are now home to the world’s largest gannet colony.
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Steffen Oppel @steffopp.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
NEW PAPER in #ornithology and #conservation reviews the marine threats to #seabirds and other marine #megafauna and confirms that #fisheries are a severe problem: buff.ly/5SXNdqr
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Ellie Owen @ellingbry.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar... Love this #seabird #ornithology
bbc.co.uk
Shouting at seagulls may stop them from stealing food
Yelling
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Marine Ornithology @marineorno.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
On the importance of incorporating behavioural-state differentiation when identifying key spatial areas for seabirds. #seabirds animalbiotelemetry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
animalbiotelemetry.biomedcentral.com
A behavioural approach to key area identification in seabirds for threat mitigation and spatial management - Animal Biotelemetry
Background Identifying key areas of animal distribution using individual movement data is fundamental for conservation planning, threat mitigation, and spatial management. Methodologies which define t...
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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Do you sometimes see/report/handle dead wildlife as a scientist (including volunteer community scientists)? If so, do you have any strategies for dealing with the stress and grief that these encounters can cause? I'm building a toolkit for myself and for some other stressed out folks! context:
media.tenor.com
a woman is holding up a help wanted sign in a window
Alt: Gif of a woman taping a "help wanted" sign to a window.
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Hākoakoa/Skua BOTY @hakoakoa-boty.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
It's family values day here at Team Hākoakoa. You'll struggle to find a bird more devoted to its chicks than Skua. Just look at that fuzzy brown face. How could you not vote Skua for #birdoftheyear2025? #Skua @forestandbird.bsky.social
A photograph of a Hākoakoa parent with its fuzzy brown chick. The parent is displaying loudly while the chick is looking at you, already planning its next move. Text on the image says "More than a pretty (aggressive) vace, Skua are devoted parents who often form polyandrous family units. Chicks venture out to explore their world quickly." Photo credit Penny Pascoe via Australian Antarctic programme.
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
“Rich Grenyer, a biologist at the University of Oxford, said de-extinction is a “dangerous” distraction and that gene-edited animals are “at best a sort of simulation, rather like those unnerving animated AI portraits of dead relatives some… people create”.” www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
theguardian.com
Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years
Thousands of dodos could return within a decade according to Colossal Biosciences, a ‘de-extinction’ company – but experts warn of ‘moral hazard’
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Stu Butchart @stubutchart.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
This is a game changer for marine conservation. Now we need to build on the momentum and designate high seas marine protected areas to conserve Key Biodiversity Areas @keybiodiversity.bsky.social
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Thermoregulation is very important for humans and seabirds alike. Stay hydrated this week people! #NTSSeabirds
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
A Fulmar glides through the sunset with Carn Mor beyond. A quiet night up there, with many of our nocturnal seabirds now departed. #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
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The Seabird Group @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
Coming up online this Friday! 🗣️📓🐦 Deadline to sign up is this Wednesday 3rd September: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #Seabirds
docs.google.com
The Seabird Group - ECR talk
The Seabird Group is hosting an online talk for our early career seabirder members on 'Peer review'. We will be having a panel of seabird experts for you to ask questions to. The talk will be held onl...
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Steffen Oppel @steffopp.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
NEW PhD studentship in #ornithology studying foraging distribution of coastal #seabirds in #France: buff.ly/qBWQMVZ
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Steffen Oppel @steffopp.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
These two studies do not contradict each other but reinforce the desperate need to get strongly regulated and strictly enforced MPAs in place - not just boxes on a map with little effect
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St Abbs Marine Station @marinestation.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
On Monday there were a number of sightings of minke whales in the area. Marine Station staff and volunteers were lucky enough to get some great views and even captured this wee bit of video footage. Especially exciting for some, for whom it was a first!
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Ellie Owen @ellingbry.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o... The ‘our ocean’ podcast has some great #seabird content including guillemot jumplings and gulls - menace or marvel :) Find it wherever you get your podcasts. #NTSseabirds
podcasts.apple.com
Seagulls - Menace or Marvel?
Podcast Episode · Our Ocean · 08/08/2025 · 39m
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
The Bonxie in the foreground is one of the few remaining ringed birds (WSWR) from an intensive study conducted between 2007 and 2009 here on #StKilda. Great to see this bird, ringed as an adult in 2009, still going strong post #HPAI outbreak. #NTSSeabirds @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social
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RSPB Scotland @rspbscotland.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
A dark day for Scotland’s seabirds. We're incredibly concerned that Scottish Government have granted consent for the Berwick Bank offshore windfarm, which could catapult some of our most vulnerable species toward extinction 🚨 We will carefully scrutinise the details and consider our next steps.
“This is a very dark day for seabirds.
Berwick Bank would be catastrophic for Scotland’s globally important seabirds which are already facing alarming declines. Its impacts are so damaging it will make it very difficult for other, less-harmful windfarms to come forward. We are incredibly concerned that Scottish Government have granted consent for a project which could catapult some of Scotland’s most-loved seabird species towards extinction.”Gannet pair courting
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Results from the 2023 #StKilda Gannet census are to be published in the December issue of #ScottishBirds, revealing relative stability in what is once again the world's largest colony, despite fears that #HPAI may have had a greater impact on the population #NTSSeabirds @scottishbirding.bsky.social
nts.org.uk
A bird’s-eye view of the gannet colony at St Kilda
The first drone census at St Kilda has revealed the islands are now home to the world’s largest gannet colony.
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Alice Edney @aliceedney.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Really pleased to have contributed to this epic survey of >59,000 pairs of gannets! The St Kilda colony was less impacted by HPAI than other colonies, perhaps because steep cliffs reduced disease transmission. Flatter areas of the colony suffered greater losses. #ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
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Ellie Owen @ellingbry.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Important to say that some parts of the colony did have big losses, especially the flat dense parts, but the pointiness of st kildas steep slopes may have helped break the transmission of the virus.
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Blue Kirkhope @bluekirkhope.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Front page! It was a real pleasure to work on this story with @craig-nisbet.bsky.social @stkildawhs.bsky.social @ellingbry.bsky.social on the first drone census of the gannet population at St Kilda, which has determined that it is once again the world’s largest colony #NTSSeabirds shorturl.at/PQxSg
‘Gannets milestone for St Kilda’ story on the front page of the Herald‘St Kilda now has largest colony of gannets in the world’ story on page 7 of The Herald
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
Most Guillemot jumplings will have jumped by now from #StKilda and be heading out to sea with their dads, whilst some Kittiwake chicks aren't far from fledging age now either. #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Check out the fabulous seasonal highlights board updated today by our amazingly talented biosecurity volunteer, Hebe! Those stormies are incredible 😍 @n-t-s.bsky.social #NTSSeabirds
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
intimate views of the #StKilda Gannet colony are a rare privilege, due mainly to difficult access, but we were able to land on Boreray a couple of weeks ago in order to conduct a census, for which the results will be shared when analysed. Glorious seabirds! 😍 #SuperSeabirdSunday #NTSSeabirds
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Out on the seabird cliffs with NTS volunteers Kate and Yvette today. They’ve been completely brilliant at helping to monitor the Kittiwakes on Mingulay. Chicks ahoy! 🐣🐥🐣🐥🐥🐥🐣🐥🐣🐥🐣🐥🐥 #NTSSeabirds
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
One of many young Fulmars taking shelter under their parents during a grey and drizzly couple of days on #StKilda this weekend. #SuperSeabirdSunday #NTSseabirds
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Fab NTS volunteers Kate and Yvette helping to collect guillemot diet study data. Sandeels and Clupeids (herring and sprats) seemed to be the most numerous fish being fed to chicks today 🐥 🐟 #NTSSeabirds
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
The smiling faces of 3 people who witnessed guillemot chicks fledge from the cliffs last night. SUCH a privilege to follow these birds from egg laying in early May, to hatching, rearing chicks and to see them successfully fledging. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!! #NTSSeabirds
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
A day playing the sound of calling European Storm Petrels into crevices in rocky boulder fields. If storm petrels are breeding on Mingulay, there’s a chance the real birds will call back to our portable speaker. No luck today, but a brilliant way to explore the magical island 🤩 #NTSSeabirds
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Ellie Owen @ellingbry.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Woohoo :) thanks!!!
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
The great news from #StKilda this #superseabirdsunday is that following a significant decline since 1999, our Kittiwake population is creeping ever closer back up to 4 figures this year, with 989 nests recorded last week! #NTSSeabirds @smp-seabirds.bsky.social
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Ellie Owen @ellingbry.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
www.nts.org.uk/stories/seab... it would be amazing if you could submit this picture :) thanks #NTSseabirds
nts.org.uk
Seabirds, camera, action!
We would love you to submit photos of seabirds carrying fish at any National Trust for Scotland place. This will help us monitor what food seabirds are…
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Huge WHOPPING thanks to Richard Luxmoore who has counted and mapped ALL of the Great Skua (Bonxie) territories across Mingulay. Total number of apparently occupied territories is 74 - up from 44 for the last 2 years. Hopefully a sign of recovery from avian flu 🤞🤞🤞 #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
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Alice Edney @aliceedney.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
A great 2nd week working for @n-t-s.bsky.social, helping to count #seabirds around Iona! 🐣 Getting accurate counts is an important first step in measuring and understanding long-term trends in seabird populations 📉 #NTSseabirds @smp-seabirds.bsky.social
Rocky island with grass on the top, viewed from a boat. If you zoom in really close you can just make out some seabirds on the island, including puffins! Scenic landscape showing grass in the foreground with the sea behind. There are rocky islets in the sea. Highland cow standing at the side of a quiet country road.
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Cracking day monitoring the seabirds on Mingulay with brilliant volunteer Tom. Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and shags ALL have chicks - 2025 seabird season is cooking on gas 🔥🧯🚒 #NTSSeabirds
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Lots of Puffins at the end of the rainbow on Dùn today for #SuperSeabirdSunday #NTSSeabirds
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Bec Jones @jbfarthing.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Plenty of Puffins to be seen at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Puffin Festival at Flamborough today, including this friendly character 🙂 #Flamborough #SuperSeabirdSunday #Seabirds
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Ellie Honan @elliehonan.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
The first paper of my PhD (and my first first-author paper!) is out now in Marine Biology 🌊 🎆 We tracked snow petrels in a season of extreme weather and little sea ice in east Antarctica❄️ read more on our #ANTSIE webpage here: www.antsie.webspace.durham.ac.uk/2025/06/06/snow-petrel-tracking/
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Mingulay and Berneray are proudly rat free! 🐀 Wonderful to welcome Rachel Cripps and Reid the dog from Biosecurity for Scotland to the islands today. Reid found no signs of rats during a sweep of the buildings and the boat landing areas. This is GREAT news for our seabirds! #NTSSeabirds
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Neus Figueras (she/her) @neusfigueras.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Beach season open! 🐠💦 This is an encounter I had with a young cormorant last summer, I think I spent 3 days talking about it 😁. Impatient for what I will discover this year! I'll upload it all to minka-sdg.org #cormorant #birds #nature #wildlife #beach #birdlovers #birding #seabirds #ocean #explore
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
BONXIES IN THE MIST! First Great Skua egg of the Mingulay 2025 season found today by ultimate champion volunteer Zoë Stevenson. #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Puffin productivity is monitored annually on #StKilda to establish trends in breeding success over time. The plot was visited for the first time this year by #NTSSeabirds Ecologist Liz and the St Kilda Ranger. Here's hoping for positive results this year. #SuperSeabirdSunday
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Liz @elalmoliz.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
The difference a few days makes on #stkilda Hoping the fog lifts so we can get out and monitor some #NTSseabirds today!
A mountain covered in fog
A sunny mountain landscape
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St Kilda World Heritage Site NTS @stkildawhs.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Catch up with us at the beginning of the #stkilda season with our first blog of the year www.nts.org.uk/stories/from... #islandlife #hebrideanlife #stkildaclub @n-t-s.bsky.social
nts.org.uk
From the edge of the world 2025 – part 1
Our St Kilda ranger team return to the islands for a new season.
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Mingulay Seabird Ranger @ntsmingulay.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
ELITE levels of Thrift on Mingulay at the moment! Can’t get enough of it 👌👌👌
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