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Steve Williams

@valleynature.bsky.social
64 followers 53 following 18 posts

Naturalist out and about in the South Wales valleys. Ruminator and over-thinker. Prog, classic rock, vinyl and album cover artwork. Now retired ecology professional.

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Reposted by Steve Williams
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
The multimillionaire Nigel Farage rails against climate action, while gliding from one air-conditioned building to another. He knows that he and his ilk will suffer least. But he is prepared to sacrifice everyone else to the demands of his fossil-fuelled funders. So much for "the man of the people".
A painting which depicts Nero fiddling while Rome burns.
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Mountain Birder @dawson61.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Tawny Owl at one of my nest boxes #gwentbirds #welshbirds
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The end of the notebook era From battered notebooks to eBird lists, David Campbell charts his journey from pen to phone – and wonders why he misses the old ways, even as he embraces the new:
bit.ly
David Campbell: the end of the notebook era
From battered notebooks to eBird lists, David charts his journey from pen to phone – and wonders why he misses the old ways, even as he embraces the new.
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Darryl @darrylspittle.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Vote for a bunch of talentless racists,… get bonus unelected talentless racists. #Reform #Wales www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Reform Senedd worker's Facebook had dozens of racist and anti-Muslim posts
Derek Roberts, who had planned to stand for the Senedd until he quit, now works for Member of the Senedd Gaz Thomas.
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Pelagic @pelagic.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Published today! The Biological Recording Handbook by Sarah Whild 📖 This fascinating book brings all the principles of biological recording together in one place, with an emphasis on evidence-based data for conservation biology. Learn more and order your copy ➡️ tinyurl.com/mukkahx9
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Steve Williams @valleynature.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
One benefit of retirement is the ability to get out early. Two consecutive dawn starts birding in the Blaenavon landscape produced, Curlew, Lapwing, Snipe, Red Grouse, Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, Cuckoo, Wheatear, Stonechat, Linnet etc.
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Darryl @darrylspittle.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Brexit, Farage’s wet dream, 6-8% loss to GDP, £60-90 *billion* annual reduction in public revenues, investment down by 15-18%, trade with Europe reduced by 15%. observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
observer.co.uk
The British people know Brexit has failed them. They also...
No amount of political noise can hide the fact that leaving the EU has been a disaster. Britain rejoining is a case of when, not if
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
'Gwanwyn - Spring' Spring at the Lasgarn Woodland, abersychan has to be one of my favourite times. Wild Garlic defines the path in this part of the wood, which was once dominated by the quarrying of limestone for use by the ironworks. Flowers are beginning to appear as well.
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Rob Thomas @robthomasbirds.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
This is a very interesting development...
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Amanda Tuke @amandatuke.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
I'm leading a FREE Wild Pavements plant hunt as part of the Books in the Park festival in Beckenham Place Park, S London. Saturday 25 April at 11:30. Details and how to register for a place here 👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exploring-... #urbannature #pavementplants #urbanplants
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The Well-read Naturalist @wellreadnaturalist.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
As my impromptu urban naturalizing activities have mostly only gained me quizzical looks and the odd hesitant question, I long thought I was the only person who did such things. Then I recently discovered the writings of @amandatuke.bsky.social. #Booksky www.wellreadnaturalist.com/2026/04/wild...
wellreadnaturalist.com
Wild Pavements
As my impromptu urban naturalizing activities have mostly only gained me quizzical looks and the odd hesitant question, I long thought I was the only person who did such things. Then I recently discov...
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Andy Musgrove @andymus.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
This is really excellent, I've been using it for a few weeks now. Great job, everyone involved
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
True patriots, ‘Farmers For Action’, claim to be planning a UK-wide action to blockade roads over fuel prices. Because with Iran and now Trump blockading the strait of Hormuz, let’s all just join in, right?! Never mind that ‘red diesel’ for tractors is already heavily subsidised…
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
'Dwy Bont - Two Bridges' Looking through the arch of Bridge 51 on the Mon and Brec Canal at Griffithstown to the railway bridge beyond. Beautiful light this morning, in between the downpours!
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Revealed: Farage’s farming adviser calls for wheat prices to double - despite cost of living crisis Coupled with Reform’s policies to import US chlorinated chicken & frack rural areas, it’s clear that Farage would be a disaster for the countryside: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Nigel Farage’s farming adviser calls for wheat prices to double
Exclusive: critics warn Reform UK use of trade policy would increase food costs amid cost-of-living crisis
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Stephen Barlow @steb77.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
I often use this quote, from Aldo Leopold's, A Sand County Almanac, publish posthumously, in 1949. It is crushing to fight so hard for something, and to be almost totally ignored, even though you're repeating verifiable facts.
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MaryEsther Judy @fallenstarmary.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
"There is a particular kind of exhaustion that does not come from long hours alone. It comes from paying attention." Mind yourselves, people. And each other. Good article, by the way.
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
'Y gwanwyn ar hyd y gamlas - Spring along the canal' A delightful scene of golden Lesser Celandine along the Mon & Brec Canal, Pencelli, Talybont yesterday.
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Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Looking forward to campaigning tomorrow (Sunday): not too late to sign up! actionnetwork.org/events/big-s...
actionnetwork.org
Big Sunday Out In Gorton and Denton - 22 Feb
BIG SUNDAY OUT IN GORTON AND DENTON! It's the final weekend of the by-election campaign to get Hannah Spencer elected as our next Green MP so we need all hands on deck! On Sun 22 Feb: 🕙 From 10am -...
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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 12/02/2026
Happy Darwin Day everyone! #Onthisday 217 years ago, Charles Darwin was born. We mark Darwin Day on 12 February every year, with millions of people across he globe, celebrating the life and legacy of Charles Darwin – humanist, philanthropist, and the most influential biologist in history.
The love of all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. Charles Darwin. Naturalist and humanist.
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The White Falcon @markgolley.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Here's one of two Caspian Gulls from today ~ a chunky 2cy bird that looked smart on the deck & even smarter in flight. This one spent quite a while circling the swirl of gulls in the surf before dropping back in & behaving nicely for us. Love. It. 🙂 @linnetincley.bsky.social #norfolkbirds 1/2
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Vanna Bartlett @vannabartlett.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Delighted to find more Snow Fleas (Boreus hyemalis) at Felbrigg today. Train from Norwich to Roughton Road then walk to Felbrigg in smarring rain. Spent nearly 3 hours staring at moss getting cold & damp, finally found 2 females on the last mossy stump as we were leaving, just when the sun came out.
A female Snow Flea facing right on some bright green moss. The Snow Flea has a very plump body (presumably gravid) which is shiny brown on top and creamy yellow on sides and underneath. She has a stubby orange-brown ovipositor at the end of her abdomen. The head is dominated by large eyes and the mouth parts are extended into a beak-like projection that points downwards.A second female Snow Flea facing right on some pale green moss. The Snow Flea has a very plump body (presumably gravid) which is shiny brown on top and creamy yellow on sides and underneath. She has a stubby orange-brown ovipositor at the end of her abdomen. The head is dominated by large eyes and the mouth parts are extended into a beak-like projection that points downwards. She has quite long legs.A female Snow Flea facing left on some pale green moss. The Snow Flea has a very plump body (presumably gravid) which is shiny brown on top and creamy yellow on sides and underneath. Her stubby orange-brown ovipositor is partly hidden from view by moss. The head is dominated by large eyes and the mouth parts are extended into a beak-like projection that points downwards. She has quite long thread-like antennae and fairly long legs.
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Darryl @darrylspittle.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Collister Pill: several thousand calidrids, almost all in the air throughout my visit. Little else of note. The disturbance seemed to be caused by wildfowlers up towards West Pill. Why is any shooting allowed within the SPA? I mean, WTF does the P in SPA stand for? #gwentbirding
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Reform risk reviving Thatcher-style 'industrial destruction' in Wales, warns TUC www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
mirror.co.uk
Reform risk reviving Thatcher-style 'industrial destruction' in Wales, warns TUC
Ahead of crunch Senedd elections next year, analysis for the TUC found Nigel Farage's party poses the biggest threat to Welsh industry - risking thousands of jobs
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Mountain Birder @dawson61.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Latest Blog about catching up with the Penduline Tits at Aust #avonbirds mountainbirder.blogspot.com/2026/01/pend...
mountainbirder.blogspot.com
PENDULINE TIT AT AUST
A good few weeks ago back in November after one of our days out my birding companion Steve Bool and myself dropped into a place called Aus...
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
'Blwyddyn Newydd Dda - Happy New Year' Rainbow over The British, Abersychan this morning. It didn't last long, in fact it was gone in the blink of an eye ... but it was lovely to see at the beginning to the New Year.
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Nick @rookman.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Redwing at lisvane reservoir. 1/1/2026 #birds🪶 #birdingwales #birdsSeenIn2026 #Naturephotography #NatureTherapy🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
A  Redwing (a migratory thrush) is perched among the bare, budding branches of a tree. The bird features a distinctive creamy-white stripe above its eye and a warm, reddish-orange patch under its wing, which contrasts with its streaked brown and white underparts.
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
A new survey has revealed that conservation grazing by heritage Dartmoor ponies is delivering strong results, with several rare and vulnerable bird species now breeding on restored heathland:
bit.ly
Conservation grazing brings rare breeding birds back to Dartmoor
Grazing by Dartmoor ponies at Bellever Moor and Meadows reserve in Devon has helped revive rare heathland birds, with new breeding records of Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Eurasian Skylark and other Red- and Amber-listed species following habitat restoration.
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
'Bore Nadolig - Christmas Morning' Christmas morning at The British, Abersychan. How lovely this old industrial site looks, even in the winter. Nadolig Llawen i bawb / Happy Christmas to all.
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
A Somerset caravan park owner has been ordered to pay £116,263 after being convicted of disturbing a SSSI:
bit.ly
Fine issued after Somerset SSSI turned into caravan park
A Somerset caravan park owner has been ordered to pay £116,263 after being convicted of disturbing a Site of Special Scientific Interest. John Holland pleaded guilty to two offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The prosecution was brought by Natural England following a four-year investigation into Holland's activities, which evidenced he had turned a 1.2-ha grassland site within the Wet Moor SSSI into a permanent commercial caravan park.
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Debbie Tann MBE @debbietann.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Labour seem determined to wreck what’s left of our natural world. So many broken promises. www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/nightma....
wildlifetrusts.org
Nightmare before Christmas: worst environmental regression in decades looms | The Wildlife Trusts
Labour’s list of broken promises mounts
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Natural Resources Wales has published a pioneering report identifying more than 3,000 species in Wales that now occur in five or fewer locations – putting them at very high risk of extinction in the country:
bit.ly
Species in Peril report reveals Wales's most endangered wildlife
A new Species in Peril report from Natural Resources Wales identifies more than 3,000 species in Wales now found in just five or fewer locations. The study highlights butterflies, beetles, lichens and more – and suggests simple, low-cost habitat management could help secure their future.
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JNCC @jncc.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
UK Biodiversity Indicators 2025 are now live jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-... With contributions from nearly 100 organisations, they are useful tools for summarising & communicating broad trends 🧵 #TogetherForNature
Wild Flower Chalk Grassland with Orchids copyright Matthew J Thomas/iStock
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
'Fel Nodiadau Aur Bach - Like Little Golden Notes' Autumn leaves, like little golden notes clinging to their branches at The Lasgarn Woodland, Abersychan. An intriguing path, which winds its way through old limestone quarry workings and quite possibly the track bed of an old tramroad.
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
'Hanes Cudd - Hidden History' Late afternoon at the Lasgarn Woodland, Abersychan yesterday. This old embankment for the horse drawn tramroad built to haul limestone from the quarries to the local ironworks is not so hidden now that the leaves have had their autumn fall.
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Darryl @darrylspittle.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Did not expect to see a Pied Flycatcher today. Latest Gwent record. Might go back tomorrow to get it on the ‘birds I have seen in the UK in December’ list. Currently attempting to piece together the ring details. Ta to Chris for finding and Matt for passing on the news. #gwentbirding #birdingWales
Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca),… in Gwent,… in November(!). Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca),… in Gwent,… in November(!). Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca),… in Gwent,… in November(!). Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca),… in Gwent,… in November(!).
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daveeddy26.bsky.social @daveeddy26.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
@teesbirds.bsky.social @durhambirdclub.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social Caspian Gull at Portrack/Haverton hill Gull roost this morning, thanks to Martyn Sidwell for help with id
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Gwent Ornithological Society @gos-birds.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
The first meeting of the Wood Warblers at Goytre House Wood, our nature reserve, was held today. Volunteers cleared vegetation around tree saplings, planted in 2022. Bird and bat boxes were mapped in preparation for activities next year. The weather was very kind to us. #birdingwales #gwentbirds
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
'Awyr Dân uwchben yr Hen Dŷ Injan - Fire Sky over the Old Engine House' An industrial glow in the sky above the old engine house at The British, Abersychan yesterday as the sun faded - a lovely moment to look at this relic of the past, evocative and beautiful.
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Ian Andrews @suillia.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
My first Snow Flea (Boreus hyemalis) of the winter at Cali Heath @yorkswildlife.bsky.social reserve today. Nice of her to pose out in the open on a fallen leaf, so didn't need to spend hours waiting for one to emerge from the Polytrichum moss! @ynuorg.bsky.social #Mecoptera #Boreidae #ukwildlife
A female Snow Flea posing on a fallen leaf on acid grassland. One of the Mecoptera order, like scorpionflies, but flightless, living down among short, Polytrichum mosses on sandy soil.
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Steve Williams @valleynature.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
One of several Stone Curlew within a 100 metres or so of our hotel accommodation in Corralejo, Fuerteventura recently.
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David Pritchard @birdfossil.bsky.social · 07/09/2025
Yesterday I went to a very dry Goldcliff to see this beauty. My first Willow Emerald. In the ditch, just past the humpback bridge.
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Welsh Bollocks @welshbollocks.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Our last post on X...
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Steve Sanderson @steve-sando1.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Migrating Whinchat from last week. #birding #birds #naturelovers #birdphotography #Naturephotography #Wildlifephotography
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Tom Chinnick @twitch150.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Grey Phalarope still Llandegfedd res distantly from Dam, also Little Grebe #gwentbirding
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Ed Betteridge @edjbetteridge.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
AQUATIC WARBLER!!! Still can’t believe we caught this stunner at Carey this morning! Made it worthwhile giving it a go between weather fronts. The bird was interestingly a good weight of 15g! #ukbirding
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BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
More than three years have passed since the UK Government announced that it would ban the sale of peat for gardening, yet official documentation is still to appear and peat extraction continues:
bit.ly
UK peat extraction continues three years on from ban being announced
More than three years have passed since the UK Government announced that it would ban the sale of peat for gardening, yet official documentation is still to appear and peat extraction continues. On 27 August 2022, the Conservative Government promised to ban the sale of horticultural peat by 2024
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Chris Jones @chrisj22.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
A pleasent evening watching the rising tide at Peterstone, Gwent, turned a little manic in the final minutes before the mud was covered, when looking through the Redshank flock I found a Marsh Sandpiper, ooossh, County 1st!!!! Manage to relocate the bird about 45 mins later
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Gwent Ornithological Society @gos-birds.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
The society is devastated after a grass fire damaged a significant part of Goldcliff Lagoons. However, the reserve remains open, and there are plenty of birds showing. www.gwentbirds.org.uk/2025/08/29/f... #birdingwales #gwentbirds
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abersychanartist.bsky.social @abersychanartist.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Diolch yn fawr iawn @nation.cymru and Jon Gower for this lovely opportunity to share a little about the fascinating landscape that is The Canada Tips, Blaenavon nation.cymru/feature/y-fi...
nation.cymru
Y Filltir Sgwâr Revisited - the Canada Tips
Tom Maloney It’s been a little while since writing the last of the articles for the series ‘Y Filltir Sgwâr’, but I think I knew that a time would come when I would want to put pen to paper again and ...
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