Andy Paton
@andypaton.bsky.social
There is no Maverick without Goose. A team worker looking out for wildlife.
Pinned
Source: The Guardian
search.app/QpBvG
search.app/QpBvG
Birdwatching with Sean Bean: best podcasts of the week
From Lord of Winterfell to lover of ornithology, the actor reveals his lifelong love of birding as host of a hugely listenable podcast. Plus, a gripping investigation into the police
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February 8, 2026 at 5:39 AM
Source: The Guardian
search.app/QpBvG
search.app/QpBvG
Lottie "trilogy" - garden wildlife, Argyll
February 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Lottie "trilogy" - garden wildlife, Argyll
Reposted by Andy Paton
male White-winged Scoter @ Leven, Black-necked Grebe @ Dalgety Bay, Great White Egret commuting between Angle Park & Birnie Loch. No sign of last weekend’s Walrus @ Shell Bay
07/02/26
07/02/26
February 7, 2026 at 5:41 PM
male White-winged Scoter @ Leven, Black-necked Grebe @ Dalgety Bay, Great White Egret commuting between Angle Park & Birnie Loch. No sign of last weekend’s Walrus @ Shell Bay
07/02/26
07/02/26
Source: The Times
search.app/m8GxU
search.app/m8GxU
More beavers released but critics say it’s too dam slow to rewild England
Environmentalists criticise Labour’s slow and expensive rewilding project as a ‘bumbling bugger-up’
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February 7, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Source: The Times
search.app/m8GxU
search.app/m8GxU
Reposted by Andy Paton
BLOG - Today I publish my annual Rural Land Market report examining land sales in 2024. For the first time, I reveal the prices paid for 21 properties which were concealed from public view. Do have a read - only 9 pages (the blog is worth your time too) andywightman.scot/2026/02/rura...
Rural Land Market Report 2024 - Land Matters
Today I publish my annual analysis of large-scale rural land sales in 2024. It follows earlier reports for 2020-22 and for 2023. One of the key issues raised in the report and in this blog is covered ...
andywightman.scot
February 7, 2026 at 7:31 AM
BLOG - Today I publish my annual Rural Land Market report examining land sales in 2024. For the first time, I reveal the prices paid for 21 properties which were concealed from public view. Do have a read - only 9 pages (the blog is worth your time too) andywightman.scot/2026/02/rura...
Reposted by Andy Paton
It would be remiss of me not to point out that Dalmatian Pelicans were neither "very common" in Brtitain nor were they a "very good source of food" per Benedict here 🪶
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
February 7, 2026 at 12:28 PM
It would be remiss of me not to point out that Dalmatian Pelicans were neither "very common" in Brtitain nor were they a "very good source of food" per Benedict here 🪶
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Source: The Times
search.app/m8GxU
search.app/m8GxU
More beavers released but critics say it’s too dam slow to rewild England
Environmentalists criticise Labour’s slow and expensive rewilding project as a ‘bumbling bugger-up’
search.app
February 7, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Source: The Times
search.app/m8GxU
search.app/m8GxU
Reposted by Andy Paton
Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem ⬇️
Yet the main causes of biodiversity loss are well known & well understood. As Sandra Díaz says “The existing evidence pointing to where to start is massive; what is lacking is the will to act on its basis.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Yet the main causes of biodiversity loss are well known & well understood. As Sandra Díaz says “The existing evidence pointing to where to start is massive; what is lacking is the will to act on its basis.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem — it’s time to fix it
Globally, more than one million species are threatened with extinction, but often interventions intended to protect biodiversity are not rooted in robust research. The field has an opportunity to chan...
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Biodiversity conservation has an evidence problem ⬇️
Yet the main causes of biodiversity loss are well known & well understood. As Sandra Díaz says “The existing evidence pointing to where to start is massive; what is lacking is the will to act on its basis.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Yet the main causes of biodiversity loss are well known & well understood. As Sandra Díaz says “The existing evidence pointing to where to start is massive; what is lacking is the will to act on its basis.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Andy Paton
stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2026/02/1495...
#BirdingScotland #NatureWriting
An attempt to get Little Gull and Little Auk for my 2026 Dundee150 list a few weeks ago down at the river, on yet another cold, wet and windy day.
#BirdingScotland #NatureWriting
An attempt to get Little Gull and Little Auk for my 2026 Dundee150 list a few weeks ago down at the river, on yet another cold, wet and windy day.
1495 : Little Respite (24/1/26)
stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:32 PM
stonefactionbirding2014.blogspot.com/2026/02/1495...
#BirdingScotland #NatureWriting
An attempt to get Little Gull and Little Auk for my 2026 Dundee150 list a few weeks ago down at the river, on yet another cold, wet and windy day.
#BirdingScotland #NatureWriting
An attempt to get Little Gull and Little Auk for my 2026 Dundee150 list a few weeks ago down at the river, on yet another cold, wet and windy day.
Reposted by Andy Paton
Nine whitefronts today with 127 greylags at same location , 2 first winter birds probably missed one of them on Wednesday @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Scottishbirding #Clydebirding
8 Russian whitefronts in a mixed group of c220 geese predominantly greylag opp Coventry Fencing yard near Carstairs today. Group included 2 well marked adults and 1 first winter bird @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Clydebirds #Scottishbirding
February 6, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Nine whitefronts today with 127 greylags at same location , 2 first winter birds probably missed one of them on Wednesday @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Scottishbirding #Clydebirding
Reposted by Andy Paton
Despite the poor weather & a bit of a dodgy belly, I decided to get some fresh air mid-afternoon. A wee quick once-around at City Quay, Dundee got me number 101 for my 2026 Dundee150 list, - a Guillemot. Had been hoping for a Slavonian Grebe, but happy enough to get something.
#BirdingScotland
#BirdingScotland
February 4, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Despite the poor weather & a bit of a dodgy belly, I decided to get some fresh air mid-afternoon. A wee quick once-around at City Quay, Dundee got me number 101 for my 2026 Dundee150 list, - a Guillemot. Had been hoping for a Slavonian Grebe, but happy enough to get something.
#BirdingScotland
#BirdingScotland
Reposted by Andy Paton
Unsurprisingly successional change was highlighted in various studies.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Woodland structure, rather than tree identity, determines the breeding habitat of Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus in the northwest of England
Capsule Woodland structure, rather than tree species, is the most important determinant of breeding habitat selection by Willow Warblers in North West England.Aims To examine how habitat characteri...
www.tandfonline.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Unsurprisingly successional change was highlighted in various studies.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Andy Paton
Feb 5. Urban bird walk Queen's Park #glasgow (19 species) highlight was Ring-necked Duck @btoscotland.bsky.social @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #BirdingScotland
February 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Feb 5. Urban bird walk Queen's Park #glasgow (19 species) highlight was Ring-necked Duck @btoscotland.bsky.social @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #BirdingScotland
Reposted by Andy Paton
Feb 5. Birdwalk Frankfield & Hogganfield Lochs (38 species) Highlights Red-necked Grebe at Frankfield & Great Crested Grebes at Hogganfield Lochs. Also, nice views of Coot (90+)with nesting material (?) and Grey Herons (9) @btoscotland.bsky.social @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #BirdingScotland
February 5, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Feb 5. Birdwalk Frankfield & Hogganfield Lochs (38 species) Highlights Red-necked Grebe at Frankfield & Great Crested Grebes at Hogganfield Lochs. Also, nice views of Coot (90+)with nesting material (?) and Grey Herons (9) @btoscotland.bsky.social @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #BirdingScotland
Reposted by Andy Paton
8 Russian whitefronts in a mixed group of c220 geese predominantly greylag opp Coventry Fencing yard near Carstairs today. Group included 2 well marked adults and 1 first winter bird @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Clydebirds #Scottishbirding
February 4, 2026 at 6:50 PM
8 Russian whitefronts in a mixed group of c220 geese predominantly greylag opp Coventry Fencing yard near Carstairs today. Group included 2 well marked adults and 1 first winter bird @clydesoc-grapevine.bsky.social #Clydebirds #Scottishbirding
Reposted by Andy Paton
“When we see the hazel catkins turn yellow, we know that spring is not far off”
Writer: EL Grant Watson
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
February 1, 2026 at 8:13 AM
“When we see the hazel catkins turn yellow, we know that spring is not far off”
Writer: EL Grant Watson
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Reposted by Andy Paton
'Looking for signs of Spring' by contemporary UK painter Dee Nickerson #WomensArt #February
February 1, 2026 at 6:10 AM
'Looking for signs of Spring' by contemporary UK painter Dee Nickerson #WomensArt #February
Reposted by Andy Paton
February 2, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Andy Paton
Disturbance of wintering waders seems to be an obvious problem but where's the evidence that it really matters?
Blog about important paper by Mark Whittingham et al was published on 3 Feb 2020 🎂5️⃣
wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/02/03/d...
#ornithology
Blog about important paper by Mark Whittingham et al was published on 3 Feb 2020 🎂5️⃣
wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/02/03/d...
#ornithology
February 3, 2026 at 6:52 AM
Disturbance of wintering waders seems to be an obvious problem but where's the evidence that it really matters?
Blog about important paper by Mark Whittingham et al was published on 3 Feb 2020 🎂5️⃣
wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/02/03/d...
#ornithology
Blog about important paper by Mark Whittingham et al was published on 3 Feb 2020 🎂5️⃣
wadertales.wordpress.com/2020/02/03/d...
#ornithology
Reposted by Andy Paton
'Red on the Cuillins' by Pam Carter, painter who was known for her Scottish landscapes #WomensArt
February 4, 2026 at 5:18 AM
'Red on the Cuillins' by Pam Carter, painter who was known for her Scottish landscapes #WomensArt
Reposted by Andy Paton
My understanding of Mistle Thrush declines is that they are closely linked to arable landscapes - the species is now scarce in my old S Lincolnshire hants but remains widespread in the NW, even in C Manchester. Biocide impacts would be my first guess... see differences between Wales & Eng #UKBirding
February 4, 2026 at 8:47 AM
My understanding of Mistle Thrush declines is that they are closely linked to arable landscapes - the species is now scarce in my old S Lincolnshire hants but remains widespread in the NW, even in C Manchester. Biocide impacts would be my first guess... see differences between Wales & Eng #UKBirding
Reposted by Andy Paton
Goldfinches feeding on Teasel heads at sunset.
You had admired the teasels with their heads of purple haze flowers in June & there they still are at the start of winter.
A larder of seeds for the charms.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
#goldfinches #nature 🦉
You had admired the teasels with their heads of purple haze flowers in June & there they still are at the start of winter.
A larder of seeds for the charms.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
#goldfinches #nature 🦉
November 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Goldfinches feeding on Teasel heads at sunset.
You had admired the teasels with their heads of purple haze flowers in June & there they still are at the start of winter.
A larder of seeds for the charms.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
#goldfinches #nature 🦉
You had admired the teasels with their heads of purple haze flowers in June & there they still are at the start of winter.
A larder of seeds for the charms.
@dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social
#goldfinches #nature 🦉
Reposted by Andy Paton
I tried to call in hare coursing observed from train last week and got an even briefer shut down of my info. Feels utterly pointless trying to report stuff
February 3, 2026 at 6:11 PM
I tried to call in hare coursing observed from train last week and got an even briefer shut down of my info. Feels utterly pointless trying to report stuff
Reposted by Andy Paton
3/3 him to look at the evidence I recorded - it lasted 4hrs! Within that time he twice got the location wrong of where I was reporting the incident from.
His sole intention in calling me was to close the case down.
No professional curiosity whatsoever.
@markavery.bsky.social @ruthtingay.bsky.social
His sole intention in calling me was to close the case down.
No professional curiosity whatsoever.
@markavery.bsky.social @ruthtingay.bsky.social
February 3, 2026 at 5:10 PM
3/3 him to look at the evidence I recorded - it lasted 4hrs! Within that time he twice got the location wrong of where I was reporting the incident from.
His sole intention in calling me was to close the case down.
No professional curiosity whatsoever.
@markavery.bsky.social @ruthtingay.bsky.social
His sole intention in calling me was to close the case down.
No professional curiosity whatsoever.
@markavery.bsky.social @ruthtingay.bsky.social