Colin Beale
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cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale
@cmbeale.bsky.social
3.3K followers 1.2K following 740 posts

Ecologist, ornithologist & nature lover.
Professor of ecology & conservation at the University of York.
Author of 101 Curious Tales of East African Birds.
Chair of A Rocha UK.

Videos
Environmental science 65%
Geography 16%
Posts Replies Media Videos

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 4d
So, next up is this fabulous project with me and @funkyant.bsky.social on nomadic birds in East Africa. Fieldwork and fancy spatial statistics are on offer here, and who doesn't want birds like this fabulous, nonadic Temminck's Courser?! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
An attentive parent Temminck's Courser is feeding a cute chick. These are top quality birds. Give me MORE!!!!

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 10d
This afternoons light reading included NERC science's "Forward look". www.ukri.org/publications... I'm loving the brazen audacity with which they claim as their achievements the Paris climate accord, etc. It makes my own occasional hyperbole look positively unambitious! 🧪
Document that says Achievements: 140 countries have adopted net zero targets 39% capital value of global businesses with emission reduction targets aligned to the UN Paris Agreement

Reposted by Nick A. Littlewood

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 10d
Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing some fun PhD opportunities. Today, if you're into hydrology, forests and wading 🪶 in Scotland this one might be for you! 🧪 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Rather famous scottish landscape with the west highlands railway looping through mountains. A forest plantation is evident. A few small people on the left are doing their best not to be recognised.

Reposted by Tim Bale, Martin Paul Eve, Ernesto Priego , and 5 more

gsoh31.bsky.social
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 17d
So I've been reading the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper. There's some good things in there. But when it comes to universities there's very little to cheer. The situation is very tough and will get worse. The last chance to preserve what we've got has passed. Let me explain why. (1/?)

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 17d
This was an unexpected start to the morning!
duncbye.bsky.social Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 18d
A Glossy Ibis at Heslington East this morning at the west end wader scrape. Nice to have time for a quick bike twitch before work. Great find by @cmbeale.bsky.social ringing group
@nybirdnews.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

duncbye.bsky.social
Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 18d
A Glossy Ibis at Heslington East this morning at the west end wader scrape. Nice to have time for a quick bike twitch before work. Great find by @cmbeale.bsky.social ringing group
@nybirdnews.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 21d
This was a great paper to work with @tiff-ki.bsky.social and great to see it out now!
richardfoxbc.bsky.social Richard Fox @richardfoxbc.bsky.social · 21d
Really nice paper from @tiff-ki.bsky.social & co. shows no overall decline in butterfly species richness in Sulawesi over 166 yrs, but changing communities with endemics & forest specialists declining. Short-term trends unreliable measures of long term. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 🌏

Reposted by Jane K. Hill, Colin M. Beale, Pieter Vantieghem

richardfoxbc.bsky.social
Richard Fox @richardfoxbc.bsky.social · 21d
Really nice paper from @tiff-ki.bsky.social & co. shows no overall decline in butterfly species richness in Sulawesi over 166 yrs, but changing communities with endemics & forest specialists declining. Short-term trends unreliable measures of long term. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 🌏

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 24d
A great choice of someone who has done so much to inspire a new generation of ornithologists!
btobirds.bsky.social BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 25d
The Marsh Award for Ornithology goes to Dr. Rob Thomas! @robthomasbirds.bsky.social has made a huge contribution to ornithology through academic research, teaching & mentorship that’s inspired generations of students. He’s also published a monograph on the Storm-petrels. @marshawards.bsky.social
An image of Dr. Rob Thomas holding a mug smiling at the camera with a stone wall in the background features in a circular frame over a background of white, green and pale pink colouring. Wording top left reads: Winner The Marsh Award for Ornithology Dr. Rob Thomas. The BTO logo and Marsh Charitable Trust logo are top right of the image.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 24d
Fantastic news, Rob, many congratulations!

Reposted by Richard D. Gregory, Colin M. Beale

btobirds.bsky.social
BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 25d
The Marsh Award for Ornithology goes to Dr. Rob Thomas! @robthomasbirds.bsky.social has made a huge contribution to ornithology through academic research, teaching & mentorship that’s inspired generations of students. He’s also published a monograph on the Storm-petrels. @marshawards.bsky.social
An image of Dr. Rob Thomas holding a mug smiling at the camera with a stone wall in the background features in a circular frame over a background of white, green and pale pink colouring. Wording top left reads: Winner The Marsh Award for Ornithology Dr. Rob Thomas. The BTO logo and Marsh Charitable Trust logo are top right of the image.

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

jonathanpomroy.bsky.social
Jonathan Pomroy @jonathanpomroy.bsky.social · 27d
They’re back! Redwings.

A blog at

jonathanpomroy.wordpress.com

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

spurnbirdobs.bsky.social
Spurn Bird Observatory @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social · Sep 28
We are looking for a short-term residential volunteer to join the team from the 2nd to 19th October (+/-2 days). Tasks include morning bird monitoring (Point Counts / Visible Migration watches) and afternoon maintenance tasks (habitat/estate work)⬇️

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Sep 18
Congrats to all those involved in the proposal writing!

Reposted by Colin M. Beale, George Holmes

eliepedarros.bsky.social
Élie Pédarros @eliepedarros.bsky.social · Sep 12
Excited to share the preprint of our first @cascade-hei.bsky.social paper on “Potential for academic institutions to support international biodiversity commitments” 🌿 🌍.
Potential for academic institutions to support international biodiversity commitments
doi.org

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Sep 4
I fear this bird visitor has had an unfortunate incident. She was sitting on our trellace looking dazed with a thread on her face & ruffled primaries this morning. Very cute, but wishing her well. Scarce locally, Goldcrests have already been turning up at the coast, so who knows where she's from?

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

2wsphotography.bsky.social
Will Wilson @2wsphotography.bsky.social · Sep 3
Red-fronted Tinkerbird perched in the sun.

📍Mbuyuni Farm Retreat, Morogoro, Tanzania.

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Tanzania 🪶
Strikingly marked miniature barbet. Adults have a red patch above the bill, but immatures lack this. Found in woodland and savanna, ranging from arid to moderately moist. Most common call is a monotonously repeated “took” call that is sometimes given hundreds of times consecutively. Also gives a higher 2- or 3-part call and a fast trill.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Sep 2
This has been my experience too! With my bionic ears these days I can often hear things before the bright young students I hang out with sometimes!

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Sep 2
Yes! I'm in the club too & well remember the first outing I took. I'd note that not all hearing aids are equal: I've had support from work to pay for somewhat more expensive ones to hear the birds I need to for research, & a proper outdoor setting & bluetooth ability to up amplification is good.

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

wilsonjaredm.bsky.social
Jared Wilson @wilsonjaredm.bsky.social · Sep 1
I wrote this short note on birding with hearing aids and thought I’d post the link here in case of interest/relevance to some birders out there
#birding #birdingScotland #birdingUK

chatterstanes.wordpress.com/2025/09/01/b...
Birding with Hearing Aids
A startling proportion of the UK population suffers from hearing loss, with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) indicating that one in five adults are deaf, have hearing loss or suffer…
chatterstanes.wordpress.com

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Aug 22
Some different #birdringing today, as I'm at @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social on the east coast. It's still early autumn here, but a fantastic variety of #birds ringed this morning, with 8 warbler species including a fantastic wood warbler, and fun birds like this Pied Flycatcher and a young Sparrowhawk.
Pief flycatcher held for ringing - a very cure grey and white bird with striking white wing bars and huge black eyes. She's a young female, staring straight at the photographer. Very angry looking young male sparrowhawk, staring intently at me with a vivid yellow eye as if he wants to tear me to shreds. He'f white with brown bars below, long yellow legs with point claws and brown above. He does, actually, want to eat me. A beautiful wood warbler held for ringing - it is green on top with yellow edges to the ver long wing and tail, has a lovely yellow throat and eye ring and is beautifuly clean white below.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Aug 21
Thanks to all who have helped out with the season, and here's hoping there are birds aplenty for all! Roll on the autumn... All birds captured under license from @btobirds.bsky.social - find out more about ringing here: www.bto.org/get-involved... 5/5
A juvenile lesser whitethroat looking confused about the world, and very scruffy. It's grey and brownish, and rather cute.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Aug 21
Although I won't miss arriving on campus at 5am, I'm already wondering what season we'll have next year: will there be good over winter survival & a high population to start with? Will we be back to the glory days of 2021?! Monitoring is addictive - & contributes valuable data to national schemes. 4
Here's a baby blue tit being ringing - we do a few in nest boxes and hope to see them in our nets when they fledge. It is poking out between fingers with a cute yeelow face and greyish cap.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Aug 21
have had their best years ever, including tits & blackbird. The number of reed warblers ringed is spectacular: we use only 21m of net in or adjacent to reeds, & we've caught ~90 individual reed warblers over the season! Rumour has it similar results may well be reported across UK.🤞3/5
A baby treecreeper held for ringing. Another spotty bird, this has a cute down turned bill

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Aug 21
After several years of declining numbers we started the year with very few adults & the first few sessions were slow, but productivity has been spectacular. Measuring juveniles per adult gives us a useful index of success that simply can't be done without bird ringing, & several species... 2/5
A baby robin held for ringing - it is a super spotty bird, borwn with big cream spots everywhere.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · Aug 21
Today marked the end of our @btobirds.bsky.social Constant Effort Site ringing for 2025. We've run a site on campus for 5 years now. I think I might be the first to have a preliminary analysis of the season ready & great news: it has been a cracking breeding season here! #birds #ornithology 1/5
Two figures, the left showing the cumulative number of unique birds ringed across the season for five years, showing that this year just squeeks in at second place overall and second place for juveniles too. On the right are plots of numbers and productivity (juvenile:adult ratios) for the 10 most common species. Productivity in tits and blackbirds has hit all time highs, with several other species close to the top too. Only Willow Warbler has bombed this year, part of a long term trend.

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

bou.org.uk
BOU @bou.org.uk · Jul 28
Check out this Senior Research Ecologist- Bioacoustics vacancy @btobirds.bsky.social

britishtrustforornithology.postingpanda.uk/job/734089

#ornithology 🪶

Reposted by Colin M. Beale

anthropocenebio.bsky.social
Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity @anthropocenebio.bsky.social · Jul 23
🎓🎉Huge congratulations to all our graduates!

A fantastic achievement and a lovely day celebrating all your hard work with family and friends.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · May 20
Benefits only occurred in areas where cover was below 30%, a threshold people have suggested before. Although there's a lot of work on connectivity, empirical evidence that it impacts occupancy is rarer. Great work Charles & thanks to coauthors @janehillyork.bsky.social @anthropocenebio.bsky.social
A graph showing how connectivity impacts occupancy of woodland species over three different levels of woodland cover. The lines show positive impacts of connectivity at 10% cover, and largel flat at 30% and 50%.

cmbeale.bsky.social
Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · May 20
Charles' work takes 800 species of 15 taxonomic groups with presence associated with UK woodland, and evaluates how important connectivity is above and beyond the simple impacts of area (landscapes with better conected woodland typically have more woodland in total too). He finds ~40% benefit. 2/
Good British woodland with strange primates. Early spring - a wild and wavy oak tree.