Arto Maatta
@artom.bsky.social
Birding, moths, and general interest in nature. A retired Cell Biologist.
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Eastern imperial eagle, Great Plains Hungary 🇭🇺
@birdguides.bsky.social
@birdsoftheworld.bsky.social
#birds
#birdsseenin2026
@birdguides.bsky.social
@birdsoftheworld.bsky.social
#birds
#birdsseenin2026
January 25, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Eastern imperial eagle, Great Plains Hungary 🇭🇺
@birdguides.bsky.social
@birdsoftheworld.bsky.social
#birds
#birdsseenin2026
@birdguides.bsky.social
@birdsoftheworld.bsky.social
#birds
#birdsseenin2026
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Skerne Wood in Sedgefld - a tiny linear strip N of Sedgefld adj to Netpark. There’s 100s of these patches across the county, all supporting countless nos of birds, many red listed. In 2025 Skerne held 161 pairs breeding of 34 species - 2025 census report www.sedgefieldweb.co.uk/THE%202025%2...
January 25, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Skerne Wood in Sedgefld - a tiny linear strip N of Sedgefld adj to Netpark. There’s 100s of these patches across the county, all supporting countless nos of birds, many red listed. In 2025 Skerne held 161 pairs breeding of 34 species - 2025 census report www.sedgefieldweb.co.uk/THE%202025%2...
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Slightly random one...
Wondering if there might be a Manchester/Salford birder who might be thinking of heading over for the Speke grackle tomorrow (maybe the roost?), please drop us a DM 👍 (...and if you've got a spare pair of bins, even better 😉😂).
Thanks v much, Mark
#manchesterbirders
#grackle
Wondering if there might be a Manchester/Salford birder who might be thinking of heading over for the Speke grackle tomorrow (maybe the roost?), please drop us a DM 👍 (...and if you've got a spare pair of bins, even better 😉😂).
Thanks v much, Mark
#manchesterbirders
#grackle
January 25, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Slightly random one...
Wondering if there might be a Manchester/Salford birder who might be thinking of heading over for the Speke grackle tomorrow (maybe the roost?), please drop us a DM 👍 (...and if you've got a spare pair of bins, even better 😉😂).
Thanks v much, Mark
#manchesterbirders
#grackle
Wondering if there might be a Manchester/Salford birder who might be thinking of heading over for the Speke grackle tomorrow (maybe the roost?), please drop us a DM 👍 (...and if you've got a spare pair of bins, even better 😉😂).
Thanks v much, Mark
#manchesterbirders
#grackle
Reposted by Arto Maatta
On the subject of penguins and madness, did you know that 9 King Penguins were released in 1936 in Arctic Norway by the Norwegian Nature Protection Society? At least a couple possibly survived until 1944. So for a brief period Polar Bears and penguins could in theory have met. #biologicalinvasions
January 24, 2026 at 12:46 PM
On the subject of penguins and madness, did you know that 9 King Penguins were released in 1936 in Arctic Norway by the Norwegian Nature Protection Society? At least a couple possibly survived until 1944. So for a brief period Polar Bears and penguins could in theory have met. #biologicalinvasions
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Reposted by Arto Maatta
A few Little Gulls in the County in recent days! In addition to Dave’s bird, there have been 2 near Sunderland Marina & single birds yesterday at South Shields and Hartlepool. One of the adult birds has returned to roost at Boldon Flats again this afternoon. #NEbirding
Adult Little Gull just gone East past my garden. Get in! 😃
January 25, 2026 at 5:13 PM
A few Little Gulls in the County in recent days! In addition to Dave’s bird, there have been 2 near Sunderland Marina & single birds yesterday at South Shields and Hartlepool. One of the adult birds has returned to roost at Boldon Flats again this afternoon. #NEbirding
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Thanks to all continuing and new members who have paid this year’s subs! Membership benefits include, for example, our detailed annual bird report and our publication, The Lek. #NEbirding
January 25, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Thanks to all continuing and new members who have paid this year’s subs! Membership benefits include, for example, our detailed annual bird report and our publication, The Lek. #NEbirding
Reposted by Arto Maatta
New data indicate that Finland's Great Grey Owl population has risen modestly in recent years, suggesting that this enigmatic species may be adapting to changing environmental conditions:
Finland's Great Grey Owl numbers rising, hinting at adaptation to shifting climate
Finland's Great Grey Owl population appears to be increasing in recent years, with researchers suggesting that warming conditions and shifts in prey dynamics may be helping the iconic boreal species maintain and expand its range. The trend offers a rare piece of good news for a species otherwise vulnerable to habitat change.
bit.ly
January 25, 2026 at 7:10 AM
New data indicate that Finland's Great Grey Owl population has risen modestly in recent years, suggesting that this enigmatic species may be adapting to changing environmental conditions:
Reposted by Arto Maatta
A new study shows that butterflies, unlike birds, are declining in Finnish agricultural landscapes:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 23, 2026 at 3:42 PM
A new study shows that butterflies, unlike birds, are declining in Finnish agricultural landscapes:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Absolutely zero cares in the world. What a perfect state of being!
January 21, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Absolutely zero cares in the world. What a perfect state of being!
Got my #eBirdRecounted2025 stats today. Apparently, I birded like a Greater Painted-Snipe 😅, which is nice, I suppose. (seriously speaking, eBird has an excellent way of engaging with their #CitizenScience birders) 🪶
January 16, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Got my #eBirdRecounted2025 stats today. Apparently, I birded like a Greater Painted-Snipe 😅, which is nice, I suppose. (seriously speaking, eBird has an excellent way of engaging with their #CitizenScience birders) 🪶
A smart Great Northern Diver at Hartlepool Fish Quay this morning, found by David Brown. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶
January 16, 2026 at 2:54 PM
A smart Great Northern Diver at Hartlepool Fish Quay this morning, found by David Brown. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Hats off to whoever did this (and the beautiful model).
January 16, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Hats off to whoever did this (and the beautiful model).
Reposted by Arto Maatta
We don't need to reintroduce large highly mobile waterbirds. If we create suitable space and habitat for them they will colonise naturally and are more likely to be successful #UKBirding 🪶🌍 an #Ornithology 🧵1/5
Conservation organisations in the Netherlands are advancing plans to explore the reintroduction of Dalmatian Pelican, a move that could see the species return to parts of its former range after an absence of several hundred years:
Dutch consider Dalmatian Pelican reintroduction
Conservation groups in the Netherlands are progressing plans to reintroduce Dalmatian Pelican to suitable wetland habitats, potentially restoring a former native species that disappeared in the Middle Ages.
bit.ly
January 16, 2026 at 11:16 AM
We don't need to reintroduce large highly mobile waterbirds. If we create suitable space and habitat for them they will colonise naturally and are more likely to be successful #UKBirding 🪶🌍 an #Ornithology 🧵1/5
Reposted by Arto Maatta
My team has grown quickly and organically over the last 5 years and we are looking to supplement our terrestrial ornithology offering with a principal (or developing senior). We work on onshore renewables, ports and harbours and internationally. #ornithology jobs.apemltd.co.uk/vacancies/95...
January 16, 2026 at 8:19 AM
My team has grown quickly and organically over the last 5 years and we are looking to supplement our terrestrial ornithology offering with a principal (or developing senior). We work on onshore renewables, ports and harbours and internationally. #ornithology jobs.apemltd.co.uk/vacancies/95...
A couple of hours birding before lunch today. I started with the very showy Snow Bunting at Hartlepool, had then brief views of a Waxwing at Saltholme RSPB car park and, finally, connected with the WaterPipit by the Saltholme Pools Hide. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social
January 15, 2026 at 4:44 PM
A couple of hours birding before lunch today. I started with the very showy Snow Bunting at Hartlepool, had then brief views of a Waxwing at Saltholme RSPB car park and, finally, connected with the WaterPipit by the Saltholme Pools Hide. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Feeling unusually organized today, NOT, but I do have all my ducks in a row!
Surf Scoter, Dipper Harbour, #NewBrunswick, #Canada
#birds #nature #wildlife #birdphotography
Surf Scoter, Dipper Harbour, #NewBrunswick, #Canada
#birds #nature #wildlife #birdphotography
January 15, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Feeling unusually organized today, NOT, but I do have all my ducks in a row!
Surf Scoter, Dipper Harbour, #NewBrunswick, #Canada
#birds #nature #wildlife #birdphotography
Surf Scoter, Dipper Harbour, #NewBrunswick, #Canada
#birds #nature #wildlife #birdphotography
The long-staying Ring Ouzel at High Moorsley Quarry today. It was nice to see one within my 10km radius from home patch! There were hardly any other birds in the whole quarry! #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶
January 14, 2026 at 1:04 PM
The long-staying Ring Ouzel at High Moorsley Quarry today. It was nice to see one within my 10km radius from home patch! There were hardly any other birds in the whole quarry! #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Can’t be that many of these around in the UK in January ??
#NEBirding
After adding RLP, this takes our local inland #FootIt year list to 100 species 🎯
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
#NEBirding
After adding RLP, this takes our local inland #FootIt year list to 100 species 🎯
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
January 13, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Can’t be that many of these around in the UK in January ??
#NEBirding
After adding RLP, this takes our local inland #FootIt year list to 100 species 🎯
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
#NEBirding
After adding RLP, this takes our local inland #FootIt year list to 100 species 🎯
@durhambirdclub.bsky.social
Reposted by Arto Maatta
📢 NOMINATE FOR BOU COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
➡️ Awards Nominations Committee
➡️ Engagement Committee
➡️ IBIS Management Committee
➡️ Meetings Committee
➡️ Records Committee
Plus NEW Committee Shadowing Scheme
Full details: bou.org.uk/about-the...
#ornithology 🪶
➡️ Awards Nominations Committee
➡️ Engagement Committee
➡️ IBIS Management Committee
➡️ Meetings Committee
➡️ Records Committee
Plus NEW Committee Shadowing Scheme
Full details: bou.org.uk/about-the...
#ornithology 🪶
January 13, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Black-throated Diver at Jackson’s Landing, Hartlepool, present for its 3rd day. The bird was feeding actively, which made it a tricky target for phonescoping. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶
January 12, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Black-throated Diver at Jackson’s Landing, Hartlepool, present for its 3rd day. The bird was feeding actively, which made it a tricky target for phonescoping. #NEbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social 🪶
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Our annual UK Moth Recorders' Meeting is back with a fantastic line-up of talks exploring the latest developments in moth research and conservation!
📍 Online
📅 Saturday 31 January
Book your place 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-moth-recorders-meeting-tickets-1978136116374
📷: Marian Coburn
📍 Online
📅 Saturday 31 January
Book your place 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-moth-recorders-meeting-tickets-1978136116374
📷: Marian Coburn
January 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Our annual UK Moth Recorders' Meeting is back with a fantastic line-up of talks exploring the latest developments in moth research and conservation!
📍 Online
📅 Saturday 31 January
Book your place 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-moth-recorders-meeting-tickets-1978136116374
📷: Marian Coburn
📍 Online
📅 Saturday 31 January
Book your place 👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-moth-recorders-meeting-tickets-1978136116374
📷: Marian Coburn
Reposted by Arto Maatta
Three-toed Woodpecker is a northern vagrant not very common to spot in Southern Finland. In Finnish "pohjantikka", literally northern woodpecker. 🪶 #BirdsSeenIn2026 🇫🇮
#NaturePhotography
#NaturePhotography
January 11, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Three-toed Woodpecker is a northern vagrant not very common to spot in Southern Finland. In Finnish "pohjantikka", literally northern woodpecker. 🪶 #BirdsSeenIn2026 🇫🇮
#NaturePhotography
#NaturePhotography
Reposted by Arto Maatta
So close! Snowfinch in Le Havre. Link in ALT
January 11, 2026 at 7:45 PM
So close! Snowfinch in Le Havre. Link in ALT
Reposted by Arto Maatta
I'm hoping to make a starter pack of birding and wildlife blogs for people to follow. If you have any recommendations or write your own, please reply and repost this so I don't miss any - no matter how many readers you get, single figures or thousands every week. #birds #ukbirding
January 11, 2026 at 12:17 PM
I'm hoping to make a starter pack of birding and wildlife blogs for people to follow. If you have any recommendations or write your own, please reply and repost this so I don't miss any - no matter how many readers you get, single figures or thousands every week. #birds #ukbirding