Sign in

Andrew Clarke

@mrandrewclarke.bsky.social
688 followers 1.9K following 296 posts

Art. Archaeology. Biomimicry. Birding. Botany. Conservation. Cymraeg. Entomology. Food. Foraging. Gardening. Health. Herbalism. Horticulture. Music. Natural History. Ornithology. Permaculture. Philosophy. Politricks. Spirituality. Sustainability + more

PostsRepliesMedia
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
@ukceh.bsky.social I notice that your wonderful iRecord app has been updated lately. I’m a huge fan of this tool for biodiversity reporting but am disappointed that the satellite view has been reduced in scale. I can no longer zoom in adequately to pinpoint small sections of a site. Please rectify!
100
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Bloody hell what a cracking garden bird. Then again Shetland birding is rather special. Congratulations!
010
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Michael Caterino @mcaterino.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
An outstanding review of the myriad ways insects are central to vertebrate survival. They appropriately call attention to how much we still don't know about these interactions and how to conserve them, but avoid (intentionally?) calling attention to the fact that we are included in 'vertebrates'!
1109
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
GP4Streets @gp4streets.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
What if streets were designed as health assets, not just traffic routes? Our new study highlights how nature-based street design reduces heat, noise and air pollution on urban roads Read more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @uniofsurrey.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social @greenin.bsky.social
0115
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) @ukceh.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🌾 AgZero+ datasets are now available as layers in the new Spatial Explorer. Explore hedgerows, fertilisers, pesticides, soils and recreation demands, using sensors, satellites, surveys and study farms to reveal insights into agricultural landscapes and land use. catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/documents/47...
0117
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
iLEAPS @ileaps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
How do greener cities contribute to healthier lives? Join our Colloquium Series this month to explore the benefits of urban greening for human health and well-being. Speaker: Dr. Laurence Jones, UKCEH Date: 28/09/2026. 14:00 UTC @pallavires.bsky.social @futureearth.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social
022
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Truly bizarre experience twitching a Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) feeding on the edge of the woodland whilst visiting Sheffield General Cemetery today. Has anyone seen them hunting in similar habitat? Left it ‘showing well’ at 1130 hrs. SK34248600 @shefbirdstudy.bsky.social #UKBirding
25910
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
BENHS @britentsoc.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
We're a proud sponsor of entoLIVE webinars (see @biologicalrecording.co.uk) and there's plenty coming up still this year, you can find a full list on our website: www.benhs.org.uk/entolive-2026/
benhs.org.uk
What's coming up in entoLIVE 2026 - British Entomological & Natural History Society
078
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The only time I ever reach for my balaclava is when navigating through the frozen mountains in a blizzard. And, like my ice axe, I can’t see any real justification for their use on the streets. They are literally enabling crime and disorder, as seen yesterday at the Port of Dover.
040
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Howard Vaughan - blueeyedbirder.com @howardvaughanbeb.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This obliging juvenile Red-footed Falcon was eyeing up its next meal in the middle of Lowestoft this evening. @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social @rarebirder.bsky.social
3619
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Cool paper in @ynuorg.bsby.social journal ‘The Naturalist’ gives context to the Whitby Tuna news. ‪‘Review of the Tunny or North Atlantic Bluefin Tuna in Yorkshire waters: history and trends.’ p43‬ ‪https://ynu.org.uk/about-the-ynu/publications/download-page?task=download.send&id=24&catid=2&m=0‬
c.a.in
000
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Dutch researchers have developed a surgical tool based on the egg-laying organ of parasitic wasps that could reduce invasive surgery by enabling tissue removal in deeper areas of the body while also further minimising trauma and patient recovery time. #biomimicry www.tudelft.nl/en/me/resear...
tudelft.nl
Surgical tool inspired by parasitoid wasp
010
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Bob Chapman @bobchapman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
A picture of today's male Verge Cricket attracted to light in Dibden Purlieu, S. Hants last night. Looking increasingly likely to be calling from a verge near you in the next few years. @hantsbic.bsky.social
1349
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
What a cool stridulation - thanks for recording and sharing. Certainly one to listen for in the future as this brand new immigrant cricket expands into England and no doubt further in time. Still less than a dozen records I think? I wonder how many new insect species have reached the UK in 2026?
000
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Birds of Poole Harbour @harbourbirds.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
An adult male Honey Buzzard came and landed on our Osprey nest briefly this afternoon, digging in the nest searching for a potential wasp or bees nest?! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social
311121
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Psycho Neighbour “So are you growing weed in that funny light box in the garden?” Me “Pardon me? It’s a light trap. For moths.” Her “So that’s why I’m getting lots in the house!!” Me “Your windows are open all night with lights inside. And we have street lamps.” Her: Slams door Me: 🤣 #TeamMoth
Red Underwing (Catocala nupta)
190
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
New insect species continue to arrive on these shores, no doubt influenced by this unprecedented hot weather. Third U.K. record of this species first discovered earlier this year.
120
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Back 1999 I was in Llangollen for the #eclipse and went for a walk on the moors to view proceedings over the picturesque Dee valley. As things kicked off I noticed a dot high in the sky circling down over the river; it was an Osprey! Afterwards it ascended and continued its journey. #ukbirding
020
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I hear a few people asking if the Swifts (Apus apus) have departed yet and when they usually leave… The graph ⬇️ is based on an 616,167 hours of systematic UK counts over the years with 2,128,309 birds logged by contributors to the amazing @trektellen.bsky.social project #UKBirding #Ornithology
082
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Hey @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscotland.bsky.social as a long standing member (literally paying your wages for decades) I would appreciate a response to my post. My concerns regarding the sustainability of your procurement process is a concern for many members. #ukbirding bsky.app/profile/mran...
021
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
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
25321
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
So @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscotland.bsky.social objected to the annual Gannet (guga) hunt on Sula Sgeir whilst they retail large amounts of unsustainably produced food at their reserve cafes inc. factory farmed chicken, eggs and salmon. As a long-standing member I’d like a comment on this hypocrisy.
111
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Birds of Poole Harbour @harbourbirds.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Local birder Brian Edge has just found a Cicada species going bonkers in a suburban Swanage cul-de-sac !!! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social
33510
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
NBN Trust: National Biodiversity Network Trust @nbntrust.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
NBN Trust Impact Report highlights 2025/26 achievements and 25 years of making data work for nature. Thanks to: members, funders, data providers, recorders and verifiers. Your support helps ensure biodiversity data informs better decisions for nature. #NatureData nbn.org.uk/tools-and-re...
074
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
George Gay @georgenorthron.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater becomes my 300th island bird after dropping back to 296 with the AviList update! What a bird to do it with! Was a nice surprise to see it hunting for bees as we drove past the fence at Burray! Not where Id of predicted it’d turn up! #OrkneyBirding
21116
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Natural History Museum, London @nhm-london.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Purple is relatively rare in nature - but there are some powerfully purple species across the globe! 💜 Let’s meet some of the purplest players seen in the natural world ⬇️
A vibrant purple toad with bright pink markings resting on a green leaf, credited to Nick Stacey @‌indicator_species
15634135
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Dr. Jeroen W.P. Wijnendaele @drdragases.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Good grief, this hits home.
324138034877
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The Sheffield Botanical Gardens were looking as stunning as ever today plus some interesting art on show.
031
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
@mothiduk.bsky.social I reckon these are looking good for Small Mottled Willow (Spodoptera exigua)? Both to a Skinner trap in suburban Sheffield overnight.
120
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Great to find my first Acorn Weevils (Curculio glandium) with two caught in a Skinner trap in Sheffield this morning. Apparently scarce in the region according to the @nbntrust.bsky.social These awesome beasts drill jnto acorns with their rostrum and lay an egg inside. @sorbynathissoc.bsky.social
082
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Prof. Jeff Ollerton @jeffollerton.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Keeping up with the scientific literature is difficult! I have been experimenting with #ChatGPT alerts to produce a weekly, curated #pollination briefing. In this post, I reflect on what makes that approach useful, and why it still needs informed human judgement: jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/07/24/k...
jeffollerton.co.uk
Keeping up with pollination: using ChatGPT as a research alert
There is too much science. That is not a complaint about the quantity of research being done. Quite the opposite: it is remarkable how much good work is now being published across the world. But th…
153
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
At least one Quail singing in cereal field at Bempton TA189743. Also two Corn Buntings in field to north. @flamboroughbird.bsky.social #YorkshireBirding
030
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
#RareBirdsUK Photo by Simon Hugheston-Roberts. Parking is extremely limited on narrow country lanes with cyclists, walkers and horses so drive very carefully. I’ve marked three areas to view. Bird is now visible from the bridge at south end, hide is middle point, top has better parking.
283
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I’ve seen many Holly Blue butterflies this year. DYK they have a relationship with an ichneumon wasp? Check this paper in the superb @ynuorg.bsky.social journal. ‘David R. R. Smith Time series analysis of Holly Blue records in Yorkshire – uncovering a parasitoid.’ ynu.org.uk/about-the-ynu/…
ynu.org.uk
020
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
This looks interesting! #panspecieslisting www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pan-specie...
eventbrite.co.uk
Pan-Species Listing: How to Become a Super-Naturalist
Graeme Lyons introduces Pan-species Listing, an initiative where naturalists compete to record the most species in the UK in their lifetime.
010
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Yvette Schoenmakers - Printmaker @studioschoenmakers.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Finished this coot on the river #linocut #reductionprint (30x51cm), printed in 7 subsequent layers, all carved from the same block of lino, thereby reducing the remaining linoleum with each layer. Edition of 18. 🪶
0256
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Crikey Andy these are just superb. Love the Mediterranean Gull especially!
120
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Juliet Turner @juliet-turner.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Have you ever seen a bee egg? Let me show you! 🐝🥚
1013325
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
I’ve been studying a few insects lately and thinking how meditative and deeply relaxing it can be (compared to say twitching!). Then @graemelyons.bsky.social and his superb blog led me to research an obscure beetle in a @britentsoc.bsky.social paper and this quote deeply resonated.
110
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Ashy-headed Wagtail, Red-rumped Swallow and White-tailed Eagle... there have been some rare birds around #NorthWales this week, but none as photogenic as this Hoopoe. Read more at @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes. 📷 Ashley Cohen #BirdingWales www.birdnotes.wales/blog/hoopoe-...
birdnotes.wales
Hoopoe swaps the Med for Flintshire
The first Hoopoe of spring was found at an equestrian centre near Gronant on Monday. It’s a bird frequently found by non-birders, so distinctive are its broad black-and-white striped wings and...
0266
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Some say ‘𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡’, ‘𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑦’ or ‘𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡’ but I’m so repulsed by the majority of these venal scoundrels that I propose a new collective noun: 𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐒 Cartoon: Osmani Simanca
020
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
This Monks Wood #rewilding (natural colonisation) plot is 30 years old this year. It's taken that long for this single Bluebell to migrate 20m from adjacent ancient woodland to colonise the plot. But now it's here, joining the growing trees & shrubs: future ancient woodland in the making.
29816
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Having been enjoying my first Orange-tips, Peacocks, Holly Blues and Speckled Woods of the year in the last few weeks, in various lovely gardens packed with wildlife friendly plants, I simply have to ask… what kind of dystopian plastic crap is this!?
001
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
MarcM381 @aquilabirding2.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
ROSS'S GULL ‼️ Titchwell, NFK. 📷 photos by Ashley Banwell.
0122
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/backyard-b...
eventbrite.co.uk
Backyard Bees: Private Green Spaces and Pollinator Diversity in Cities
Emma Plant (University of Glasgow) shares her research investigating how private green spaces support pollinator diversity in cities.
000
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Julian Hughes @penrhynbirder.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Thanks for the heads-up that the tagged Icelandic Merlin, that wintered around @bardseybirdobs.bsky.social and Uwchmynydd, made its first step north on Thursday and is now on @isleofmanofficial.bsky.social #BirdingWales
1356
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
NFBR @nfbr.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
@sarahwhild.bsky.social Biological recording: who, what, where & when did it all start? Join #NFBRConference2026 for a sideways, irreverent look at how #BiologicalRecording began, how it exploded in recent yrs & the big question: with all this data, what can we do & what should we do? bit.ly/4sZO4iz
bit.ly
Buy tickets – NFBR 40th Celebration: Data for Nature – The Signing Tree Venue
NFBR 40th Celebration: Data for Nature – The Signing Tree Venue, Thu 7 May 2026 - Fri 8 May 2026 - Help us celebrate 40 years of the National Forum for Biological Recording! The NFBR's conference on the subject of Data for Nature will show all the different kinds of data we most need in order to rescue the UK's natural environment. As we celebrate all the wonderful recorders a...
021
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Tom Cadwallender @tomcadwallender.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
#SuperSeabirdSunday Common Terns on the Northumberland coast @steelyseabirder.bsky.social
35611
Reposted by Andrew Clarke
Alick Simmons @parliamentarygoose.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Even allowing for the provision of accommodation, £30/week is a vanishingly small amount. It will be used as a stepping stone for other posts in conservation but paying so little effectively excludes people who aren’t bankrolled by others, that is, their parents.
241
Andrew Clarke @mrandrewclarke.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
1/ While I wholeheartedly support the work of this and other great @birdobscouncil.bsky.social sites it’s so very disappointing to see a pittance of £30/week being offered by @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social Some @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social also offer absolute peanuts to interns. #UKBirding
152