iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com is recommending books as an antidote to some of the less appealing aspects of Bluesky and they all sound great. The starting point is: bsky.app/profile/youn...

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Congratulations on an excellent find! Girdle Ness has had quite a day today by the look of it.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That's a wee stunner! Surprisingly distinctive too, in those pics at least.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Some shots of the small flock of pale-bellied Brent Geese that were at Ness Point, Lowestoft, this evening. They were not at all bothered by our presence and it was a delightful experience to be able to watch them at such close range.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Although he doesn't seem to have one: jimmoir.com/product-cate...

jimmoir.com

Birds Archives - Jim Moir Art

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

There are a few reptiles and a genus of plants too. I followed eBird for the apostrophe placement to avoid having to deal with that question!

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Pedantry alert: she's actually a Reeves's Pheasant. No relation as far as I am aware.

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Schmidt Ocean Institute @schmidtocean.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

This is a deep-sea isopod. Dr. Johanna Weston, a deep-ocean biologist and guest investigator at @whoi.edu, is confident this is Bathyopsurus nybelini, one of her favorite animals. Learn why via the YouTube caption: youtube.com/shorts/DenUj...

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Very nice, but I suspect actually seeing one would be somewhat underwhelming given how closely they resemble domestic cats.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I'm going to leave the condemning to you, I think there are bigger fish to fry.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

No argument with that except possibly with the scale issue. At very small scales the activity would still be unethical but would have no practical impact. At that point I'd be turning my attention to other issues but that does come down to individual choices and I think that's where we differ.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I think that's a good way to look at it.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The loss of fish through discarding was, and probably still is, orders of magnitude greater than the usage for photo-ops. Feeding fish to gannets instead of humans may be considered unethical but in terms of fish and fisheries it's a long way down the list of issues I'd be concerned about.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Some of the major supermarkets have stopped buying mackerel because of the stock’s conservation status. That could have a real impact on demand and potentially have a positive impact on fishery management decisions.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I recognise that there is a wider point that we don’t tend to consider commercially valuable fish species as ‘wildlife’ and hence apply different standards. Given that the main reason these things are killed is to feed humans this is perhaps inevitable.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I'm not convinced. The fishery mainly involves relatively few, large vessels which will fish until they've taken their quotas so there isn't a strong link with demand. Also, photo-ops don't require high-value bait, anything cheap and available will do. Gannets, famously, aren't that fussy.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

And yes, the mackerel stock is decreasing and is in a poor state but the only thing that will make a difference to that is effective limits on the commercial catches.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I suspect that most of the time the mackerel will be bought locally before the trip. In this case the fish are initially caught/killed because the fisherman could make money by selling them. How those fish are used once they’ve been sold is secondary and doesn't impact demand.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Both are true but it is the change in distribution which has led to the failure to control catches for the reasons I outlined. This in turn has led to the sharp decline of the stock. The ICES advice I linked to gives the most recent information on the stock status.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I think the key issue here is the continued failure to reduce total catches of mackerel to sustainable levels. Against that background, the fact that a tiny proportion of those catches is used to bring gannets closer to photographers seems neither here nor there.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

While there is clear scientific advice on the need to reduce catches (ices-library.figshare.com/articles/rep...), the states exploiting the stock have not been able to agree on how the total catch should be shared-out between them. Hence, everyone sets their own quotas and catches remain too high.

ices-library.figshare.com

Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in subareas 1-8 and 14 and in divisions 9.a, 12.a, and 12.b (Northeast Atlantic and adjacent waters)

ICES advises that when the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach is applied, catches in 2026 should be no more than 174 357 tonnes.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The with the main issue mackerel stock in the North-east Atlantic is that the summer distribution has shifted north and west due to climate change. This means that fisheries have developed in areas like Iceland and Greenland in addition to those off the UK, EU and Norway.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I struggle with the idea that 'huge amounts' of e.g. mackerel are used in this way. I've never been on one of those trips but I'd guess they'll take a couple of baskets of mackerel on each trip so around 20 to 30 kg. For context, recent commercial catches have averaged around a million tonnes/year.

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 07/07/2026

Farage seems to have taken Belgium's victory quite badly.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Indeed; I recently decided against twitching a local Hoopoe because it was in a housing estate. I'm a big fan of @rosemarymosco.com, her work is always very well observed.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Each to their own! I think I'll stock to actual fresh linen.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

They do have a certain character, though I'd struggle to call them lovable.

A Turkey Vulture standing on a dead seal pup on a Nova Scotia beach.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

True, but they can give you a nasty suck. It does look remarkably like Jaws in that clip too.

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

In East Anglia they even put their civic/ football beefs on road signs

A blue sky with clouds. In the foreground is a green Primary Route exit sign for the A140. The destinations given are Ipswich Diss Norwich. It’s a image I took from
google Maps as I wasn’t quick enough on the draw with my camera.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

I was in Ontario last year and the large majority of the Grey Squirrels I saw there were black.

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Samira Ahmed @samiraahmeduk.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I made a whole BBC TV series (2020) about the remarkable resilience of the people of Iran and their culture over centuries of threat and callous rule. You can watch it right here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

bbc.co.uk

BBC Four - Art of Persia

Broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed reveals the remarkable story of Iran.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

I suspect it's a Sowerby's Beaked Whale. They do occur in the North Sea fairly regularly but are only really known from stranded individuals. On this close inshore is a long way from its normal habitat.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Nice to be able to compare Iceland and Glaucous Gulls at Horsey today. The Grey Seal were pretty photogenic too.

A pale, first winter, Iceland Gull flying left low over the sea

A first winter Glaucous Gull flying right low over the sea.

A first winter Iceland Gull (left) and a first winter Glaucous Gull (right) both facing left perched on rocks in front of the sea.

A Grey Seal lying on the beach looking pleased with itself with a wave crashing behind it.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

A genuinely fantastic spectacle!

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Highlights of an excellent day at @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Carlton Marshes. Tundra Bean Goose, Caspian Gull, AMerican Wigeon and a suitably aquatic Chinese Water Deer.

First Winter Caspian Gull in foreground.

Drake American Wigeon with drake Eurasian Wigeon.

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Drawn & Quarterly @dandq.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

If your Sunday Scaries feel just a little stronger than usual, fear not. Scientists have proven there's no way around it... from PHYSICS FOR CATS by Tom Gauld

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

One for the Thursday quiz I suspect.

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Stuart Reeves @stuartreeves.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

A few photos from a morning's birding in a Madrid park.

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Steve Gale @stevewg.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Chaps! Do yourself a favour and get a blood test done to have your PSA levels checked. I did last month and my elevated levels triggered off a scan, biopsy and prostate cancer diagnosis. The good news is that is a tiny amount, confined and not aggressive. Seems a good time to urge others to check!

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Reposted by Stuart Reeves

Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Sharing this again as I'm so tired of this bullshit.

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