Dave Foster
@pratorum2112.bsky.social
Whitburn, NE England. Mostly birds and dreadful photographs, but a bit of other stuff too...
Reposted by Dave Foster
Details of my annual exhibition
October 3, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Details of my annual exhibition
Reposted by Dave Foster
What on earth was the reason for the 3 line whip to vote this down? The Labour party supported the swift brick amendment when it was tabled on Conservative government legislation in 2023. Why has it gone from supporting swift bricks in opposition to imposing a 3 line whip to block them in government
In 2023, the Labour party supported mandating swift bricks, whipping FOR the swifts brick amendment. 2 years later, the same Ministers in charge of Housing put a 3 line whip (the most extreme block) AGAINST swift bricks. Listen to the strength of support in this powerful speech.
November 13, 2025 at 10:14 AM
What on earth was the reason for the 3 line whip to vote this down? The Labour party supported the swift brick amendment when it was tabled on Conservative government legislation in 2023. Why has it gone from supporting swift bricks in opposition to imposing a 3 line whip to block them in government
Reposted by Dave Foster
Watching Labour MPs take a wrecking ball to nature makes me so angry & so sad. Their action tonight voting down amendments to the #PlanningBill intended to protect wildlife & habitats from destruction is so reckless & so counterproductive. People didn’t vote Labour for this 👇
Housing secretary tells Labour MPs to vote down planning bill amendment
Amendment restricts protection for animals to allow faster house building
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Watching Labour MPs take a wrecking ball to nature makes me so angry & so sad. Their action tonight voting down amendments to the #PlanningBill intended to protect wildlife & habitats from destruction is so reckless & so counterproductive. People didn’t vote Labour for this 👇
Reposted by Dave Foster
Hen Harrier Susie, whose chicks were stamped to death on a Yorkshire Dales grouse moor in 2022, has been found dead on a N Pennines grouse moor with gunshot injuries.
18+ months of silence about this crime from the police & Natural England.
#RaptorResearch
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/14/h...
18+ months of silence about this crime from the police & Natural England.
#RaptorResearch
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/14/h...
Hen Harrier ‘Susie’, whose chicks were stamped to death in 2022, has been found dead on a North Pennines grouse moor with gunshot injuries
If ever there was an example demonstrating the high level of persecution faced by Hen Harriers on UK grouse moors, the lack of consequences for the offenders, and the lack of justice for the victim…
raptorpersecutionuk.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Hen Harrier Susie, whose chicks were stamped to death on a Yorkshire Dales grouse moor in 2022, has been found dead on a N Pennines grouse moor with gunshot injuries.
18+ months of silence about this crime from the police & Natural England.
#RaptorResearch
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/14/h...
18+ months of silence about this crime from the police & Natural England.
#RaptorResearch
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/14/h...
Reposted by Dave Foster
Alongside many others in conservation I’ve lobbied on this & unfortunately I’ve seen arrogance & ignorance from Labour on nature protection & recovery goals.
Labour feels like a changing of the guard without sufficiently changing the politics.
Support Greens to look after people & wildlife.
Labour feels like a changing of the guard without sufficiently changing the politics.
Support Greens to look after people & wildlife.
Watching Labour MPs take a wrecking ball to nature makes me so angry & so sad. Their action tonight voting down amendments to the #PlanningBill intended to protect wildlife & habitats from destruction is so reckless & so counterproductive. People didn’t vote Labour for this 👇
Housing secretary tells Labour MPs to vote down planning bill amendment
Amendment restricts protection for animals to allow faster house building
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Alongside many others in conservation I’ve lobbied on this & unfortunately I’ve seen arrogance & ignorance from Labour on nature protection & recovery goals.
Labour feels like a changing of the guard without sufficiently changing the politics.
Support Greens to look after people & wildlife.
Labour feels like a changing of the guard without sufficiently changing the politics.
Support Greens to look after people & wildlife.
Reposted by Dave Foster
1. Placing these two graphs side by side shows why we have a prisons crisis. They can also be seen as a kind of Authoritarianism Index, showing the trend in state attitudes.
On the left is the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
On the right is the UK prison population.
🧵1/8
On the left is the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
On the right is the UK prison population.
🧵1/8
November 13, 2025 at 6:54 AM
1. Placing these two graphs side by side shows why we have a prisons crisis. They can also be seen as a kind of Authoritarianism Index, showing the trend in state attitudes.
On the left is the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
On the right is the UK prison population.
🧵1/8
On the left is the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
On the right is the UK prison population.
🧵1/8
Reposted by Dave Foster
1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists at COP30, outnumbering every delegation except Brazil
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all Cop30 delegations except Brazil, report says
One in every 25 participants at 2025 UN climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to Kick Big Polluters Out
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:12 AM
1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists at COP30, outnumbering every delegation except Brazil
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Dave Foster
'Policies that favour the interests of the working class are routinely dismissed as a fantasy, whereas those that push wealth and power towards the rich come to be seen as a realistic status quo.'
@theguardian.com having a 💡 moment. Zack Polanski has hit a switch.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
@theguardian.com having a 💡 moment. Zack Polanski has hit a switch.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Labour’s rebuttal to the Green party this week sums up the double standard that dogs our politics | Frances Ryan
Why is it that the politics of hope offered up by the left is dismissed as naive, while the policies of the centre and right are portrayed as all that is possible? asks Guardian columnist Frances Ryan
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:51 PM
'Policies that favour the interests of the working class are routinely dismissed as a fantasy, whereas those that push wealth and power towards the rich come to be seen as a realistic status quo.'
@theguardian.com having a 💡 moment. Zack Polanski has hit a switch.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
@theguardian.com having a 💡 moment. Zack Polanski has hit a switch.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Dave Foster
Simplism, basically.
"The populist thrives in an environment where people act on their intuitions; so does the scammer. This doesn’t mean every populist is a con artist, but it does mean that they are likely to package their message in a similar way" on.ft.com/49j3ND2
By @timharford.ft.com
Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/
By @timharford.ft.com
Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/
How populism became popular
It appeals more to a way of thinking than to a set of ideas — but is it just wrong?
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Simplism, basically.
Currently over Whitburn mill per Rob Stonehouse #NEbirding
November 12, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Currently over Whitburn mill per Rob Stonehouse #NEbirding
Pallid Swift over my estate for a few minutes, just gone E towards Whitburn village #NEbirding
November 12, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Pallid Swift over my estate for a few minutes, just gone E towards Whitburn village #NEbirding
Reposted by Dave Foster
"It is unclear whether the company will face punishment, such as a fine for the spill. The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment."
christ what a state we're in where a company admits liability for a 'massive pollution event' and we're not even sure if they'll face any consequences
christ what a state we're in where a company admits liability for a 'massive pollution event' and we're not even sure if they'll face any consequences
Southern Water apologises for catastrophic spill of plastic biobeads in Sussex
Southern Water apologises for catastrophic spill of plastic biobeads in Sussex
Resulting pollution on Camber Sands beach poses threat to wildlife including dolphins and seals
Southern Water has taken responsibility for the catastrophic spill of plastic biobeads that polluted the Sussex coastline.
Local charities reported a huge spill of millions of biobeads over the weekend, washing up on beaches including Camber Sands. Andy Dinsdale, the founder of the plastic pollution campaign group Strandliners, said it was the worst pollution event he had seen. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:25 AM
"It is unclear whether the company will face punishment, such as a fine for the spill. The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment."
christ what a state we're in where a company admits liability for a 'massive pollution event' and we're not even sure if they'll face any consequences
christ what a state we're in where a company admits liability for a 'massive pollution event' and we're not even sure if they'll face any consequences
Whitburn Steel-Jackie's Beach, to 1000 - 46 Whoopers S (25,15,6), 18 Purple Sands, 4 1cy Barwit, 16 Rock Pipit, 14 Grey Partridge on the range, 4 parties of Siskin S, a handful of Blackbird, Redwing and Fieldfare in off, 2 Stonechats.
November 10, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Whitburn Steel-Jackie's Beach, to 1000 - 46 Whoopers S (25,15,6), 18 Purple Sands, 4 1cy Barwit, 16 Rock Pipit, 14 Grey Partridge on the range, 4 parties of Siskin S, a handful of Blackbird, Redwing and Fieldfare in off, 2 Stonechats.
Oh good grief. Just been out to the car in the half-light sorting out my kit for the morning's birding and what sounded like a Dipper went over, 3 calls...🫣😖Doh! #birdingnightmares #gardenbirdingnightmares
November 10, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Oh good grief. Just been out to the car in the half-light sorting out my kit for the morning's birding and what sounded like a Dipper went over, 3 calls...🫣😖Doh! #birdingnightmares #gardenbirdingnightmares
Reposted by Dave Foster
Burning trees is not a climate solution
Drax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts say
Exclusive: report by Stand.earth says subsidiary of power plant received truckloads of whole logs at biomass pellet sites
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Burning trees is not a climate solution
Reposted by Dave Foster
Very happy to find this Pallid Swift at Cromer this a'noon - a typical chameleon in different light conditions, it gradually shifted towards East Runton after being repeatedly mobbed by a Pied Wag(!) Also marks my most-wanted birding milestone - my 300th species self-found in Britain and Ireland!
November 7, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Very happy to find this Pallid Swift at Cromer this a'noon - a typical chameleon in different light conditions, it gradually shifted towards East Runton after being repeatedly mobbed by a Pied Wag(!) Also marks my most-wanted birding milestone - my 300th species self-found in Britain and Ireland!
Reposted by Dave Foster
Excellent time enjoying my first Pallid Swift at Whiteness Point. Some good migration between including 2 Short-eared Owl in-off, 3 Black Redstart, 260 Starling, 6 Little Gull ebird.org/checklist/S2... #kentbirding #ukrarebirds @kentishplover.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Excellent time enjoying my first Pallid Swift at Whiteness Point. Some good migration between including 2 Short-eared Owl in-off, 3 Black Redstart, 260 Starling, 6 Little Gull ebird.org/checklist/S2... #kentbirding #ukrarebirds @kentishplover.bsky.social
Reposted by Dave Foster
Incredible pics of the Pallid Swifts at Dawlish Warren today by Luke H shared with his permission
November 7, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Incredible pics of the Pallid Swifts at Dawlish Warren today by Luke H shared with his permission
Reposted by Dave Foster
My harrier roost walks at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen are booking up quick and far in advance! Know anyone interested? Recommend booking quick before the places are gone. #NorfolkBirding #Birds #UKBirding
events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filte...
events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filte...
Please enable JavaScript in your browser or use another device to access the full site.
events.rspb.org.uk
November 6, 2025 at 7:18 PM
My harrier roost walks at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen are booking up quick and far in advance! Know anyone interested? Recommend booking quick before the places are gone. #NorfolkBirding #Birds #UKBirding
events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filte...
events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filte...
Reposted by Dave Foster
Reform/Tories hate the Employment Rights Bill as it gives workers a bit more control over their lives.
They also moan about how many people are off work, sick and Farage says NMW is too high
“being pro-worker is not a barrier to success, but a launchpad to it.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
They also moan about how many people are off work, sick and Farage says NMW is too high
“being pro-worker is not a barrier to success, but a launchpad to it.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
We can’t let the Tories sabotage this once-in-a-generation chance to reshape the world of work | Angela Rayner
The employment rights bill is in the Commons today. As Zohran Mamdani’s victory shows, people are desperate for policies that actually improve lives, says Labour MP Angela Rayner
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reform/Tories hate the Employment Rights Bill as it gives workers a bit more control over their lives.
They also moan about how many people are off work, sick and Farage says NMW is too high
“being pro-worker is not a barrier to success, but a launchpad to it.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
They also moan about how many people are off work, sick and Farage says NMW is too high
“being pro-worker is not a barrier to success, but a launchpad to it.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Dave Foster
A great website.
Full of crucial info and ideas for how to live in a way that gives us a fighting chance of avoiding catastrophe.
I’ve threaded it to break it up a little… 1/17
#lowcarbonliving
www.tudelft.nl/sustainabili...
Full of crucial info and ideas for how to live in a way that gives us a fighting chance of avoiding catastrophe.
I’ve threaded it to break it up a little… 1/17
#lowcarbonliving
www.tudelft.nl/sustainabili...
November 1, 2025 at 12:39 PM
A great website.
Full of crucial info and ideas for how to live in a way that gives us a fighting chance of avoiding catastrophe.
I’ve threaded it to break it up a little… 1/17
#lowcarbonliving
www.tudelft.nl/sustainabili...
Full of crucial info and ideas for how to live in a way that gives us a fighting chance of avoiding catastrophe.
I’ve threaded it to break it up a little… 1/17
#lowcarbonliving
www.tudelft.nl/sustainabili...
Reposted by Dave Foster
The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...
October 11, 2025 at 9:17 AM
The new European Butterfly Red List is published today, with worrying findings. Over 1/4 (28%) of Europe’s 442 species are threatened with extinction or are close to being so. The situation is far worse for our 148 endemic species, 40% are now threatened or nearly so www.bc-europe.eu/webpage.php?...
Reposted by Dave Foster
🚨🚨This is stellar investigative journalism by @kaitlintosh.bsky.social and @michelleinezsimon.bsky.social on how #elonmusk is boosting the #british right. 🧵 news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:51 AM
🚨🚨This is stellar investigative journalism by @kaitlintosh.bsky.social and @michelleinezsimon.bsky.social on how #elonmusk is boosting the #british right. 🧵 news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Reposted by Dave Foster
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
news.sky.com/story/the-x-...