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Rob Thomas

@robthomasbirds.bsky.social
3.3K followers 2.8K following 1.3K posts

Bird-watcher & conservationist in and from Wales. Roles include Associate Researcher at Cardiff Uni, co-Director of Eco-explore CIC, Trustee of Wild Cymru / Cymru Wyllt, & Craig y Rhondda. Views are my own, but you are welcome to share them!

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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
✨ New Project Alert ✨ We’re working on a new partnership project looking at Curlew chick survival, key predation pressures & interventions in relation to population recovery. Your donation could support our work to restore breeding wader populations ➡️ www.bto.org/breeding... #Ornithology
A wading bird known as a Curlew is amongst green grass showing its brown mottled plumage and long decurved bill. Wording above reads: Support BTO's work with breeding waders.
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Funded 3.5 year PhD🎺 The effects of gamebird release and management on the lowland ecosystems of S England Lots of fieldwork. A robust and resilient student is required. Focus on reptiles and ecto-parasites Any Qs, please DM or email me Please RT www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Crazy staring pheasant glares at camera
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
And the winner of this year's Marsh Award for Ornithology is... my line manager, Will Peach! Congratulations Will :)
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I do think that as lecturers we feel the details very strongly, whereas the students tend to focus on the big picture messages that we provide -I'm sure you've done a good job there Rafael, no matter how you feel about it right now.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
In the words of WB Yeats, “it’s never too late to start a long-term dataset, especially when standardised by time of year and weather conditions”* * I’m pretty sure that’s what he said but it was a noisy pub.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This was an excellent event in Cardiff today, once again. Next year I’m proposing the Cardiff half and half - where competitors race around a 13 mile road route, and then eat 13 bags of chips. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Everything you need to know as Cardiff Half Marathon returned
The 23rd edition of the race had 30,000 runners registered to take part this weekend.
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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Congratulations to @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social our winner of the Dilys Breese Medal 🎉We’re pleased to award Brigit this medal for using her online platforms to encourage nature interaction and conservation in an accessible manner, and her enthusiasm in participation and promotion of BTO surveys!
An image of Brigit Strawbridge features in a circular frame. Wording over the image tile reads: Winner. Dilys Breese Medal. Brigit Strawbridge. The BTO logo features top right of the image.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Here is Rufus receiving his award at the opening night of the annual exhibition of the Society for Wildlife Art, at the Mall Galleries in London.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Congratulations to Rufus on this very well deserved award - the Marsh Award for Young Ornithologist, 2026.
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Mind-boggling - just mind-boggling Now expected to peak at an extraordinary 4.2C in December
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worm @rfksbrainworm.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
If you ever wondered why visible light is those particular wavelengths, it's because life evolved to see in the narrow range where water is transparent
Diagram of absorption of emf by water. There's a gap right that dips in the 500 nm range
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Martin George @jannerbirder.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“Every year an estimated 95,000 #seabirds, including Razorbills and Guillemots, are accidentally caught in nets off European coasts.” “But simple deterrents tested by Cornish fishers and devised by scientists and the RSPB have been shown to reduce the toll by about two-thirds.”
theguardian.com
Floating scarecrows: how Cornish fishers are stopping seabirds drowning in their nets
Simple deterrents can slash the number of razorbills and guillemots being trapped underwater, two-year study shows
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Great to meet you and Rob this evening and many congratulations on the award -very well deserved!!!
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
One does not simply walk into Morden -it is recommended to take the Northern Line instead.
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nagunkgunk @nagunkgunk.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
these things called birds
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Prof. Jeff Ollerton @jeffollerton.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Want to conserve #birds, #mammals and other vertebrates? Then don’t forget their #insects. Our new Nature Reviews Biodiversity paper explores the many ways vertebrates depend on insects — for food, shelter, protection and much more. I’ve written about it here: jeffollerton.co.uk/2026/09/30/w...
jeffollerton.co.uk
Want to conserve birds and mammals? Then conserve their insects – our new paper in Nature Reviews Biodiversity sets out the details
It’s sometimes easy to forget quite how much of the living world depends upon insects. That might seem an odd thing for someone who has spent much of his career studying insects and their relations…
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Probably nothing to worry about...
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Review of the Week: 21-27 September 2026 Stunning observations at the continental shelf edge south-west of Scilly formed this week's big news, but the arrival of Upland Sandpiper and Western Black-eared Wheatear were also key talking points:
f.mtr.cool
Review of the Week: 21-27 September 2026
Britain's first modern-day White-faced Storm Petrel was an exceptional find in the South-West Approaches, Dursey Island's sterling run continued with a Western Black-eared Wheatear and an Upland Sandpiper was in Scilly. Sam Viles rounds up the action in the BirdGuides Review of the Week for 21-27 Se...
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RSPB Scotland @rspbscotland.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Exciting update from @saveourwildcats.bsky.social 🐾 The project is celebrating 50 wildcats released in the Scottish Highlands! Releases have taken place across the @cairngormsconnect.bsky.social landscape since 2023 and results are promising, with births in the wild for three consecutive years.
Wildcat partially concealed amongst grass and other greenery looking toward cameraAbernethy Site Manager Ben Oliver Jones with James Shooter, Rewilding Europe, and members of the Saving Wildcats team including Helen Senn, RZSS Head of Conservation and Science Programmes and Saving Wildcats project lead, Louise Hughes, all facing camera smilingSaving Wildcats team member in the outdoors at a high point overlooking a Loch and Pine forest, holding up aerial
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Prof William Ripple @williamripple.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We invite everyone (nonscientists) to endorse the Declaration of a Planetary Emergency, part of the upcoming World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Third Notice. Add your name and share widely. Endorsement helps show public concern about the future of our planet. forms.gle/vAARd7mv2yS7...
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Gwent Ornithological Society @gos-birds.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
On Saturday 3/10/26 will be Jon Gower, a former BBC Wales arts and media correspondent, will talk to us about his lifelong passion for birds and his book Birdland. Where: Goytre Village Hall,.When: Arrive at 7.15pm for a 7.30 start.#gwentbirds #birdingwales www.gwentbirds.org.uk/2026/09/28/c...
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Liam Olds @liamolds.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🌿 Help shape a new wildlife & heritage project in the Ogmore Valley! @gloinatur.bsky.social are exploring a potential project at Ogmore Washeries and Wyndham/Western Colliery, bringing wildlife, coal-mining heritage and community activities together. We’d love to hear from local people! 👇
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A huge songbird trapping site has been shut down in northern Italy, according to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter:
f.mtr.cool
Huge Pied Flycatcher trapping site shut down in Italy
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter estimates that hundreds of birds were being caught every day.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
#lifegoals
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Legend.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Wow, that’s an awful lot of strength -I’m surprised they managed to arrive together with the coffin…
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Wow, that’s an awful lot of strength -I’m surprised they managed to arrive together with the coffin…
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Plus many boxes of academic journals, which I’m pretending don’t exist for now…
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Cataloguing the Rhondda Wildlife Library - just passed the 1,000 book mark, with a couple of shelves still to do. What a fantastic collection, soon to be made available to Black Mountain College students at the Treherbert campus.
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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
New in #BirdStudy DNA metabarcoding shows Tree Sparrows at 3 UK sites heavily relied on ground beetles to feed to chicks. Baseline spatiotemporal patterns in the invertebrate diet of Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus chicks revealed using DNA metabarcoding doi.org/10.1080/0006... #ornithology
Tree Sparrow feeding chicks, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spatz_HH02.jpg
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Joe Noonan @joenoonan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Arrest Warrant details
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Oxfam Ireland @oxfamireland.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“Nobody will be able to say that we did not know. Let it not be said that we did not act," Taoiseach Micheál Martin said of the Gaza genocide in today's address at the UN.
irishtimes.com
When true horrors of Gaza are fully revealed ‘it will shame the world’, Martin tells UN
Taoiseach says the prospect of a two-state solution is being deliberately undermined and calls for stronger international cooperation
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Thank you Patrick for this honest and honouring account of who Joe was, and how he changed the conversation for the better in so many ways.
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Lily @landersart.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Another year, another #artvsartist 🌿
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Congratulations Lucy - really proud of you, and looking forward to seeing what you get up to next :)
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
To be fair, Alan has an amazing publication record.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I always thought it was the al in et al., which is well known to be Latin for "and Alan".
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Superb, Steph!
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Liam U. Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A Leach's Storm-Petrel makes a dramatic exit from its underground nesting burrow in a rainstorm on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Well I can send you some pizza ;)
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I'm not on commission, but Bryde is performing at Acapella Studio in October. You can arrive early and have pizza, so what's not to like... acapela.co.uk/events/bryde/
acapela.co.uk
Bryde in concert Cardiff Wales - Acapela Studio
Bryde aka Sarah Howells, is a woman and an electric guitar, playing fierce and fragile songs. Tickets available now.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I have often returned to something that the wonderful musician Bryde / Sarah Howells said during a performance at Between the Trees Festival last year; that "creativity is a superpower". No amount of AI slop can replace it. Check out Bryde's music here, and beyond: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFSb...
youtube.com
Bryde - Epilogue (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by Bryde
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Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Marsh Harrier found shot in North York Moors National Park. Police appeal for information & some commentary by me 🔽 #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/09/22/m...
raptorpersecutionuk.org
Marsh Harrier found shot in North York Moors National Park – Police appeal for information
Press release from North Yorkshire Police (21 September 2026): Marsh Harrier found shot in North York Moors On 28 August 2026 a juvenile Marsh Harrier was found in the Westerdale area suffering fro…
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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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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“I bet you weren’t expecting this, Derek!”. To his eternal credit he did give me a wry grin before continuing on his way.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Derek gave me one of my all-time dad-joke triumphs. I was sheltering from a torrential downpour in a shop doorway in Bristol, when a smartly dressed man ducked in to take shelter next to me. Realising it was my favourite weatherman, I said… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
BBC weatherman Derek Brockway to walk away from role after 30 years
The presenter covered the biggest stories, including the Beast from the East and Storm Dennis.
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DAPPER DON DHARSHI @dapperdondharshi.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Greylag geese flying in formation alongside a boat. What an incredible moment to witness up close! 🪿🚤
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Ian Denton @iand777.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Reported Pheasant numbers in England don't add up 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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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
That’s great Pete - glad you enjoyed it :)
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Fantastic!
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