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Mick Jones

@mickdjones.bsky.social
201 followers 176 following 48 posts

Warden, Dancersend Nature Reserve, Bucks; MBE for conservation work; painter/writer; love beetles, fungi, slime moulds, the Chilterns & Armenia. Refugee from Twitter which used to be so good

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Reposted by Mick Jones
Pemberley Natural History Books @pemberleybooks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
✨ Freshly published! Discover the fascinating world of the #GlowWorm, from its remarkable light and life cycle to its #ecology, #behaviour and #conservation. A beautiful new guide to #LampyrisNoctiluca tinyurl.com/theglowworm @pelagic.bsky.social
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gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Google earth has updated its satellite images of Gaza. The destruction is almost incomprehensible.
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Butterfly Conservation @savebutterflies.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Since 1900, over 50 moth species have been declared extinct in Britain, and total abundance has plummeted by 33% between 1968 and 2017. Help us give moths the recognition they deserve by creating the first official Red List for Britain’s macro-moths 👉 www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/moths-matter
crowdfunder.co.uk
Moths Matter - Let's give them their moment
Will you help create a Red List for Britain’s macro-moths and give these overlooked species the recognition they deserve?
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Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust @bbowt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We’re hiring! 🌻 Community Organiser Join our team and help nature recover by working with communities around shared issues and interests. You’ll support people to come together, take meaningful action for nature, and create positive change that lasts. Apply now: www.bbowt.org.uk/jobs/communi...
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The size of *one* of the AI data centre buildings proposed for Great Torrington in north Devon, versus Exeter cathedral 🤯 From this useful piece profiling the local campaigns against it: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
A diagram comparing the size of one of the AI data centre buildings proposed for Great Torrington in north Devon, with Exeter cathedral. Source: Guardian piece linked to in post.
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The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation @xercessociety.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Every year we make the case for keeping leaves, branches, & plant stems in your yard. Bugs need them for shelter! That’s not to say you can’t tidy up: rake leaves into garden beds, around trees, or just in a pile out of the way. All we ask is that you #LeaveTheLeaves! 🍂🐝 xerces.org/blog/leave-t...
xerces.org
Leave the Leaves!
One of the most valuable ways to support pollinators and other invertebrates is to provide them with the shelter they need to survive the winter. Thankfully, all you need to do is do less yard work.
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Miles King @milesking.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
What a farce. As farmers fail to access funds to support sustainable farming, this will undoubtedly mean valuable wildlife habitat (recently created or much older) will be destroyed, as farmers feel they have no option but to intensify their farming systems. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Worse than the scramble for Oasis tickets’: England’s sustainable farming funds run out in just six hours
Entire £233m budget for 2026 allocated in less than a day, leaving thousands of farmers disappointed
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Abilu Tangwa. @abilutangwa.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Stop calling it a climate problem. Call it what it is: organized greed. The planet isn’t dying. It’s being killed for profit. The killers have names. And boardrooms. #ClimateJustice #StopEcocide
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Mick Jones @mickdjones.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Not all work parties at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend are spent scrub bashing. Last week we harvested fruit from the orchard and now I have 109 bottles of our Apple & Pear Juice - sold at BBOWT events in the area, raising funds for the reserve. Label shows Chiltern Gentian one of our special plants.
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Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust @bbowt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
We’re recruiting a Corporate Partnerships Officer 🌿 Build strong relationships with businesses, create engaging experiences for corporate supporters, and generate vital income to help nature recover and protect local wildlife and wild places. Apply now: www.bbowt.org.uk/jobs/corpora...
bbowt.org.uk
Corporate Partnerships Officer | Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust
We are looking for a Corporate Partnerships Officer to help nature recover by building strong relationships with businesses, creating engaging experiences for corporate supporters, and generating…
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George McGavin @georgemcgavin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A good point.....
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Lin Hawthorne @haggewoods.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Should you wish to indulge your love of beetles (and why wouldn’t you) this brilliant and scholarly website will certainly help. It’s a work of art by a human. www.rosspiper.net/2020/01/10/s...
rosspiper.net
Saproxylic beetles - Dr. Ross Piper
This is an intro and visual guide to the extraordinary diversity of beetle species associated with dead and decaying wood in the UK. Numbering some 650 species, this habitat supports the greatest dive...
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
As both an academic and a writer, I am repelled by the "this looks like a long document. Would you like me to summarize it for you?" that seems to appear at the top of every pdf viewer now. NO. The *entire point* of good writing (either books or journal papers) is that every sentence has a purpose.
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Charles Fourier @charlesfourier.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Bill Bryson’s words seem appropriate to post right now
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
One reason England does so well is our second generation immigrants outperform their peers which is not true in most OECD countries. We are also very good at integration. And it's v sad that this is never acknowledge in debates on immigration.
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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Just so we are clear: The 83yo priest on the left is a terrorist. The balaclava-clad men on the right are protestors with legitimate concerns
A photo from the BBC of an older woman, with grey hair, being led away by police. A photograph of a line of men in black clothes and balaclavas blocking the port at Dover.
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
As a very basic thing, we as citizens should not accept the presence of a private army of masked racist thugs on the streets of our towns... intimidating others and threatening to overthrow the state... There are some fairly obvious precedents for this stuff.
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Miles King @milesking.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Kent police said "Officers reacted to a spontaneous protest". How exactly do 100 far-right demonstrators appear at the same time in the same place in the same uniform, spontaneously? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
bbc.co.uk
Port of Dover delays: Disruption as masked 'stop the boats' protesters block roads
Hundreds of demonstrators, wearing black with their faces covered, caused delays to traffic reaching the port.
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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
These people must be thwarted, with extreme prejudice. They are not normal politicians, or normal people. They want to turn our nation into their Trump-style playground, to smash everything up and see how much money and fun they can wring out of it, while everyone else pays one way or another.
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Some 50 million pheasants are released into the countryside annually. Now DEFRA have opened a Call for Evidence on gamebird rearing, releasing & shooting, it’s vital that the public input - because you can be sure that the shooting industry will do so: consultations.defra.gov.uk/call-for-evi...
consultations.defra.gov.uk
Call for Evidence on Gamebird Release, Shooting and Welfare during Rearing in England
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is seeking evidence on the environmental and animal health and welfare impacts of gamebird rea...
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Martin Harvey @kitenet.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Good points from Alan, to which I'll add a shout-out for the Moth Trap Intruders group, see irecord.org.uk/activities/s... and www.facebook.com/groups/11909... #TeamMoth
irecord.org.uk
Home | iRecord
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Mick Jones @mickdjones.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Both Ebby the cat and I are standing transfixed at our back door, completely mesmerised by the heavy rainfall that has now been going on for well over two hours in North Buckinghamshire. Today has to be the first substantial rainy day since sometime in late May and it couldn't be more welcome!!
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The fallout from the collapse of this glacier - a torrent of mud surging down the valley - killed hundreds of people. Gone, in a flash. Those people were wiped out by anthropogenic climate change. Our governments are simply not responding quickly enough to this disaster which is already upon us.
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George McGavin @georgemcgavin.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I can't believe this London-based landowner is putting the iconic Glenelg to Skye ferry at risk. Support the local community - not millionaire financiers - and save the world famous Glenelg to Skye ferry by joining me and signing the petition today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Save the Glenelg - Skye ferry!
This ten minute crossing is famous around the world - and is believed to be the last turntable style ferry anywhere. It's an iconic part of Skye's history, but it's under threat thanks to a wealthy la...
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Judy Webb @judywebb.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Always a miraculous process to see..
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Frederik Seelig @frederikseelig.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
🪰🐝🦟‘If only people knew’: the fascinating lives of flies. Great article @flygirlnhm.bsky.social ! www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘If only people knew’: the fascinating lives of flies
Most people associate the insects with filth, but they are vital to the food cycle and sometimes even pretty
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Dale Vince @dalevince.com · 19/08/2026
The roots of Britain’s housing crisis is the Oligopoly of five big developers, private companies sat on ten years worth of land (at the rate they build) - drip feeding new homes into the market to keep prices where they want them.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This is what the billionaire press and many politicians were campaigning so hard to destroy. Their freedom to drive took precedence over our children's freedom to thrive. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Ulez led to better lung size and function among London children, study finds
Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zone
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Mick Jones @mickdjones.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Join me next Sunday 23 August at Dancersend Waterworks for an exploration of aristocratic obsessions, industrial archaeology, the history of British nature conservation and amazingly rich chalk landscape wildlife habitats - all in a 2.5hr walk. Tickets from cheshammuseum.org.uk/.../dancerse...
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Mick Jones @mickdjones.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Butterfly nos dropping with the ultra parched conditions at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend Extension but thrilled to finally see my first Hornet Robberfly of the year with its lovely silver beard - echoed a few steps later with the first Chiltern Gentians in flower with lovely silver fringes of hairs
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Richard Jones @bugmanjones.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
First proofs of New Naturalist — Woodlice arrived. And if I’m now an old naturalist, I put my enquiring spirit down to a combination of curiosity, frivolity, and an overwhelming awe at the natural world.
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
There's something else here, which I can't quite formulate, but it's a kind of absolutism in which 'transparency' in public life has moved from being about accountability to being about punishment; an unfettered 'right to know' as a prelude to self-righteous judgment. 1/2
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Adrian Littlejohn @yorksfella59.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
THIS is the real news today. Not some greasy little establishment spiv winning a pointless by election against no opposition. A real tragedy, for real people, in a world where our climate is changing for the worse with incredible speed. It's time to wake up... www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
bbc.co.uk
West Midlands fire crews tackle 'hotspots' as residents return to destroyed homes
Nineteen people were taken to hospital, according to the ambulance service, with 54 treated at the scene of eight different fires across the region.
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Nula Suchet is an @nulasuchet.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
£5million for his security and Farage pretends he’s been threatened and won’t turn up to thank the people who managed his monstrous tantrum by-election, staying up through the night counting votes… or the voters who let him get away with his gross abuse of power. From start to end, an epic disgrace.
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Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve @rowantnnr.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
This will be a really interesting webinar from Dr Tim King about @rowantnnr.bsky.social and the long term research on site
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Wildlife Trust BCN @wildlifebcn.org · 13/08/2026
🌿 Passionate about wildlife? We’re looking for a Volunteer Reserves Officer – West Cambridgeshire! Gain hands-on conservation experience, develop new skills and help protect nature. 🦋🌳 📍 West Cambridgeshire | 3 days/week Find out more: www.wildlifebcn.org/volunteering...
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Mick Jones @mickdjones.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Conditions are bone dry at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend Extension amazing that patches of tough wildflowers are hanging on. Chiltern Gentians pushing up and more purple than normal, Blue Fleabane loving it. Sadly, our pond is destined to dry out with no chance of rain for another week - so sad!
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Brigit Strawbridge @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I found Hummingbird Hawkmoth caterpillars on the Lady's Bedstraw in our mini-meadow last summer, using a UV torch, as recommended by John! Photo taken the following day...
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Mariana Lenharo @marilenharo.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
More than 40,000 insect species may live in a tiny patch of the Amazon, from the ground to the canopy. That's nearly half of all the insect species described in Brazil. I wrote about the ambitious project behind this estimate for @nature.com. It could uncover tens of thousands of species:
nature.com
Tiny patch of Amazon likely holds 40,000 insect species — many new to science
Megaproject involving hundreds of sites is cataloguing rainforest insects from the ground to the canopy.
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Nettlecake @nettlecake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
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alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social @alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
In Amsterdam, residents can apply for the city to remove the pavement stones and prepare a narrow planting bed helping Dutch streets become greener, cooler and better prepared for heavy rain. #ActOnClimate #Smartcities #ClimateActionNow
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 02/08/2026
Vance, Farage and Weidel posted fear-mongering messages about a Spanish migrant crisis that weren't true. They haven't retracted them. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
The Far Right Is Distorting Ceuta
We’ve seen this before.
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Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 02/08/2026
I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.
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Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Sir #DavidAttenborough “Things are going to get worse. This is the new extinction. We are in terrible, terrible trouble and the longer we wait to do something about it, the worse it is going to get." #ClimateEmergency
vox.com
David Attenborough, the voice of Our Planet: “Things are going to get worse”
The voice of some of the most stunning nature documentaries ever made is pessimistic about the future of wildlife on earth.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Neoliberalism in a nutshell. UEFA on FIFA's proposal: “The moment external investors acquire ownership interests ... football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. ... Every decision is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.”
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I can’t believe these arrests are still happening - the new PM could end this utterly absurd proscription if he chose. As Jonathon Porritt says - trying to save lives is not terrorism. Exposing this government’s complicity in genocide is not terrorism
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Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust @bbowt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
🦋 The wild flowers are blooming, chalkhill blue butterflies have finally arrived, small blue butterflies are breeding, and Volunteer Warden @mickdjones.bsky.social recently counted 62 caterpillars of the rare striped lychnis moth on dark mullein plants, extending its distribution in the Chilterns.
A striped lychnis moth caterpillar, a pale yellow colour with bold yellow stripes and black spots, climbing up a flower stem.A viper's-bugloss plant, with vibrant blue-purple flowers and a red-spotted stem.A chalkhill blue butterfly, with blue fading to reddy-brown on the forewings, and black spots on the edge of the hind wings.
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Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust @bbowt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Dancersend is BBOWT's oldest nature reserve, and one of the first ever reserves in the UK. 🌱 15 years ago we reseeded former arable fields at the Extension, as well as creating large scrapes to provide bare earth as a refuge for rare chalk grassland plants and insects. We can declare it a success!
Wild flowers including wild marjoram, scabious, and wild carrot, in the foreground, with a hilly grassland and woodland in the background.
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
This looks v. positive 👏 But to be meaningful it has to lead to immediate ruling out of *any* new fossil fuel drilling, including Rosebank & Jackdaw & the urgent reinstatement of international climate finance. For more on climate as a security threat, see my podcast for @therestpolitics.bsky.social
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