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John Marchant

@johnmarchant.bsky.social
451 followers 287 following 77 posts

Birds, moths and other British wildlife: I have helped record our declining bird diversity for 50+ years as a BTO staffer and volunteer - in retirement, enjoying what’s left, and paying more attention to other taxa.

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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 12h
George is quite right on this. I discovered via FOI requests that just 5% of all woodland creation grants go to support natural regeneration of trees, and 95% to tree planting. I’ll continue to push DEFRA to fix this. www.theguardian.com/environment/... bsky.app/profile/geor...
theguardian.com
Government ‘failing to support natural regeneration of trees in England’
Campaigners say targets for woodland creation are unlikely to be met because 95% of grants are for planting
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John Marchant @johnmarchant.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“Recorders’ notebooks from the pre-digital era are a treasure trove, often lost in house moves or destroyed in clearances. We probably don’t appreciate that our own notes can contribute to future understanding of changes in an area’s wildlife. How much is already lost?”
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European Bird Census Council @ebcc.info · 24/09/2026
We are proud to say that generic bird-monitoring initiatives are growing across Europe, with over 15,000 volunteers participating annually ! Data quality also seems to be improving, and more schemes are publishing their results openly. More: pecbms.info/update-on-th...
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Tim Holt-Wilson @timholtwilson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
'Recording for nature recovery - how biological recording will benefit wildlife in crisis'. A joint conference @norfolknats.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social at Diss, Norfolk, Sat Oct 10th Oct. What should bio recording look like in the future? Booking via sns.org.uk. Please share.
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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Dream job for an #editor & nature lover! 🐦🌿Apply now ➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 📅 Full time, Permanent. 📝 £38,710.00 per annum. 📍 BTO HQ in Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid working). Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
A Nightingale perches on a branch amongst the green foliage of a bush. Wording over the image reads: We're hiring! Science Communications Manager.
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Grace Blakeley @graceblakeley.substack.com · 22/09/2026
This story is about so much more than one man and one company. It’s about the corruption of our British democracy through the subtle intermingling of the financial and political interests of our political class and the world’s most powerful corporations. open.substack.com/pub/zeteouk/...
open.substack.com
Why Is a Labour Lord Now Paid by Palantir – and What Does it Mean For Our Democracy?
Ex-Labour deputy leader Tom Watson just got hired by a controversial US tech company seeking taxpayer-funded state contracts. The intermingling of politicians and corporations corrupts our democracy.
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 22/09/2026
100 seconds of Greens standing up for our climate. Following Zack Polanski’s recognition in The Independent’s Climate 100, a reminder that Greens have always led the way on climate action. From protecting nature to ending our reliance on fossil fuels, we’ll keep fighting for a liveable future.
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Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Excellent use of FoI by @guyshrubsole.bsky.social reveals some large discrepancies in the so-called 'official' statistics on Pheasant rear & release in England. What? The UK gamebird shooting industry not complying with the law? Shurely shome mishtake. raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/09/21/r...
raptorpersecutionuk.org
Reported Pheasant numbers in England don’t add up
Earlier this month, researcher, writer and campaigner Guy Shrubsole blogged about his latest examination of reported Pheasants numbers in England. Pheasant (photo by Ronnie Gilbert) As he’s d…
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Mick Brooks @mick666.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Good to see Mya from @harbourbirds.bsky.social in the current issue of @btobirds.bsky.social News. Article about the great BTO Bird Camps, run to encourage and support young birders! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social #UKbirding
A page from BTO News with two young birders describing how BTO Bird Camps helped them feel part of a community and impacted their futures
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This should be the moment people finally realise that Farage has turned them into fascists. If you’re choosing this dangerous inhumanity over the rescue work of the RNLI, you’ve lost your minds to racism and hatred.
Reform UK
Follow
@reformparty_uk
Charities' actions in aiding and abetting the invasion of our country will be illegal under
Reform UK.

Photo of Farage on Gb news
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 18/09/2026
TAKE ACTION🚨 Add your name to demand that Ofcom takes immediate action. Sign the petition here: bestforbritain.org/petition/farage-…
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As former Labour minister Tom Watson joins Palantir, please read this devastating exposé by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social & @lucasamin.bsky.social of how the company, with Peter Mandelson's help, wormed its way into the UK government to sell its dire & dangerous products. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Peter Geoghegan and Lucas Amin · ‘This looks absolutely rubbish’: Palantir and the NHS
A decade ago Palantir was largely unknown in the UK. It now holds public contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds...
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 17/09/2026
“A real test of this government will be torule out new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. The reason they have decided not to announce that before the by-election in Holborn and St Pancras is incredibly telling.” Caroline Lucas on the government’s refusal to rule out new oil and gas on #BBCQT.
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John Marchant @johnmarchant.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A bit of poor-quality video of the Montagu’s Harrier on Havergate Island this evening. #birdingsuffolk
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Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
It’s extraordinary how much the world worried about the ethics of genetic advances like cloning & how little is done about the ethics of genAI now. Look at our institutions- a persistent wildly enthusiastic uncritical call for AI adoption in everything. Where is the call for ethical scrutiny first?
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TG42Birder🇵🇸 @tg42birder.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
As our burning of fossil fuels rapidly warms the planet, insects are disappearing & this is impacting birds, pollinators & food webs. The decline is global, in protected & non-protected areas, & in remote areas totally free from pesticide. 😮😮😮 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
More on Reform’s new super-donor: Delo agreed to pay a $10mn fine and was sentenced to 30 months’ probation, while the Department of Justice fined the exchange $100mn in January 2025.” www.ft.com/content/410b...
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Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Reform UK Is Now a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Corrupt Crypto Industry www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/reform-uk-...
adambienkov.co.uk
Reform UK Is Now a Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Corrupt Crypto Industry
As criminal investigations into Reform’s funding continue, much of the British press continues to give a free pass to Nigel Farage’s shady funders
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Oops!! I think we can safely say, then, that these are going to be given the green light So, everyone in Holborn & St Pancras, you know where to put your cross @zackpolanski.bsky.social @greenparty.org.uk www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
North Sea gasfield decision likely delayed until after Holborn and St Pancras byelection
Greens accuse Labour of hiding position to avoid criticism before contest, in which Zack Polanski is standing
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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We're looking for our next Editor of BTO News! Find out more about the role and apply here➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 😀 📅 Full time, Permanent. 📝 £38,710.00 per annum. 📍 Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid). Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
A bird called a Redstart perches on top of a post, showing its bright orange-red underparts, grey upperparts and black face and bill. Wording above reads: We're hiring! Science Communications Manager.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The question that keeps occurring to me is this: If a group of people had taken office with the deliberate intention of destroying the global standing, democratic claims, credibility and power of the United States, what would they do differently? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Trump says every adult American will get $5,000 if Republicans win midterms
Speaking at a party convention, the US president gave no details on how the plan would work or where the money would come from.
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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Mainstream conservation headed by Operation Turtle Dove (partners RSPB, Natural England, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust & Fair to Nature) is clear that such releases are reckless, unhelpful, not supported. Yet a National Park Authority is doing it anyway. #ornithology www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Turtle doves released in South Downs in bid to stop extinction
Conservationists release more than two dozen turtle doves in the South Downs National Park.
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Miaganga @miaganga.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’ve reached the point - well actually, I reached it a while ago - where I’m militantly anti-AI. Fine - use it in bioscience labs and radiology where it might help analyse data more effectively. Use it sparingly for systems engineering. Everywhere else, it can fuck off.
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John Marchant @johnmarchant.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 08/09/2026
Today the UK government announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. A critical and overdue step that the Green Party has long fought for. However, the government must go further and introduce an arms embargo, wide-ranging sanctions and end military and intelligence cooperation.
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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Why? Why should we be so arrogant as to assume that our behaviour and our natural history is the lens through which to understand Earth?” Excellent question: but those who demand we #Unlearn human exceptionalism & arrogance can expect angry resistance www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence
The long read: Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own place...
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Paul Hebden @paulhebden.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
What a ridiculous question. Once again the BBC drives a nail into it's own coffin.
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 07/09/2026
If only there were some legal term for where 12 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Protesters clash with police, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Portsmouth after the arrival of a small boat carrying migrants. It is mob rule. Private armies, masked and dressed in black roam the streets, blocking roads, attacking police. Whatever happened to the rule of law and order?
news.sky.com
Hundreds of protesters gather in Portsmouth after small boat arrival - as 'thuggish' behaviour condemned
A "substantial crowd" of demonstrators gathered chanting "stop the boats" and "send them back", with items thrown at police, Sky correspondent Barnaby Papadopoulos says. Watch his report from the scen...
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British Birds @britishbirds.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Latest issue’s Main Paper takes a look at the positive steps taken towards the banning of lead in the UK. Lead poisoning kills an estimated 50,000–100,000 wildfowl each year and other birds. 🖊️ Deborah J. Pain and Rhys E. Green 📸 Debbie Pain Read more: britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
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Adrian Ramsay @adrianramsay.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
There's been lots of talk of a Number 10 for the North, but we need a Number 10 for the future. Last week I asked Louise Haigh if she agrees that we need a climate protection unit in the Cabinet Office, one that drives a cross-government approach to climate breakdown.
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Brexit Bin 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 @brexitbin.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Here's another young woman being attacked and beaten by old Reform men consumed by hate. #RefUKkers
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Cold War Steve @coldwarsteve.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
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Richard Smyth @rsmythfreelance.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
In June 1934 the British Union of Fascists - the Blackshirts - staged a rally at the Olympia in London. One protestor after another was singled out and beaten up by the crowd. Here's how Ronald Blythe described it.
Description of the BUF Olympia rally, at which a series of hecklers were violently attacked by Blackshirts. The sadism, Blythe writes, reached "an erotic intensity". Stanley Baldwin's private secretary expressed shock and dismay: "It was a deeply shocking scene for an Englishman to see in London."
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Return of the Blackshirts. Dozens of men dressed in black, wearing balaclavas blocked the road at Dover. Organised to frighten people Crime and Policing Act 2026: "the wearing or otherwise using of an item that conceals identity when in an area designated by police" is a criminal offence.
theguardian.com
Black-clad protesters in balaclavas block road at port of Dover in Kent
Port authorities say access roads ‘free flowing’ again after large group forces road closures in both directions
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Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 04/09/2026
It's rare to see a mainstream news broadcaster explicitly referencing loss-and-damage finance, climate justice and big-emitter responsibility in its reporting. So this moment on the BBC's News at Ten really caught my attention. Report by @azadehmoshiri.bsky.social in Nepal
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Man at Reform conference yanks a woman by the hair, grabs her face, pulls her over, and multiple people assault her. Farage laughs then says, "She looked like she was going to do herself an injury." And then leads the crowd in a chant of "Boring, Boring, Boring". www.facebook.com/watch/?v=217...
Several people, including a man carrying a wooden stick, grab a young woman by the hair and pull her over, then grab her face and assault her.Nigel Farage saying "She looked like she was going to do herself an injury, didn't she?"
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RSPB Action @rspbaction.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Our birds of prey are still paying the price for wildlife crime. With over half of confirmed persecution incidents linked to land managed for gamebird shooting, stronger safeguards are way overdue.
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This is deeply shocking.
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Rich @pibasedlifeform.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
How on earth did he ever get through journo school?
Its peak Chris Mason as he unquestionably repeats what reform tell him without any context, or any attempt to like say "that might not be true"
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A six-month investigation by Byline Times reveals that with the support of Palantir's Peter Thiel, Reform's policy chief James Orr has used the University of Cambridge as a student recruitment ground for a hard-right, theocratic political project aimed at bolstering talent in Farage’s party
bylinetimes.com
Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Reform UK's Cambridge University Recruitment Pipeline Project Revealed
The world-renowned academic institution has nothing to say in response to a six-month investigation by Byline Times raising serious concerns about the safeguarding of students and foreign influence at...
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. www.channel4.com/news/exclusi...
channel4.com
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
‘Honest Bob’ Jenrick says he wants to “abolish” Natural England, and at the very least stop funding it, in the first 100 days of a putative Reform government. Reform may appear to be on the rocks currently but their plans are terrifying, mad & must be stopped. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Jenrick: “Even if you can’t abolish, I don’t know, Natural England within the first 100 days, you can stop funding it, you can turn the tap off and the tap will be turned off a lot of these quangos, and that will drive savings.”
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I can't remember a clearer smoking gun than that Channel 4 News footage. Nigel Farage and his senior aides all filmed discussing apparent plans to break the law by funnelling foreign money into British politics, plans which at least partly went ahead. A criminal investigation surely must follow
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Andy Brockman @andybrockman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The legwork, and the sting, which seems to have caught out James Orr, Nigel Farage and Reform-UK was carried out by Verbatim Investigations who have dropped their own take on the story.
verbatiminvestigations.com
Dirty Money: A Year Undercover in Reform UK
A yearlong investigation into Nigel Farage’s fundraising operation reveals a plot to break the law by bringing foreign money into British politics
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
channel4news.substack.com
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What if climate change isn't the greatest threat to life on Earth? 🌡️ 🌎 The Earth has physical limits called planetary boundaries, these are 'the safe operating space for humanity', the guardrails keeping Earth stable. 🧵 1/6
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
It is always the same betrayal: the public interest is sacrificed for the sake of immensely wealthy people. And Andy Burnham has already gone and done it. My column on how Burnham needs to defy the ultra-rich if he's not to follow Starmer out of the door. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham has already made a mistake that will cost him his premiership: he lost his nerve over political donations | George Monbiot
Being subservient to the interests of the wealthy now means that his hands are tied, and he will be unable to tackle Britain’s most pressing issues, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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