Tom Finch
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tfinch.bsky.social
Tom Finch
@tfinch.bsky.social
Birds, science, climate, hills. Dad. RSPB Conservation Scientist. Views here are my own. Sorry for not getting back to you sooner.
Pinned
In case you missed it, our paper on the challenges and benefits of getting UK ag/land to net zero is now out: doi.org/10.1016/j.on...
Reposted by Tom Finch
📢 REGISTRATION OPEN

#BOU2026 | Birds and people | 31 March - 2 April 2026

University of Nottingham & Zoom & Bluesky

Check out the programme and book your place today!

bou.org.uk/event/bir...

#ornithology 🪶
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 PM
📣PhD opportunity📣

Farming Futures: comparing regenerative and conventional practices on soil, chemical use, and ecosystems in a changing climate

With @ukceh.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social and others

🔗 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Farming Futures: comparing regenerative and conventional practices on soil, chemical use, and ecosystems in a changing climate at UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - Lancaster on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Farming Futures: comparing regenerative and conventional practices on soil, chemical use, and ecosystems in a changing climate at UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology - Lancaster, listed ...
www.findaphd.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Job vacancy 🧪
Principal Conservation Scientist, RSPB Cymru

Can you provide the evidence needed to save and restore the iconic species and landscapes of Wales?

Deadline: 3rd Nov
Location: Flexible within Wales
Duration: Permanent

Apply here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

📷Jake Stephen
October 14, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Look at her go!
#invertebrates 🌿
October 8, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
New issue of #BirdStudy out today!
Birds on solar farms
Numbers of released Pheasants & Partridges
Woodlarks & Meadow Pipits in Central Europe
Hawfinch supplementary feeding
Black-billed Cuckoo diet
Serengeti Secretarybirds
Tracking Lesser Flamingos
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology
September 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Fully funded PhD working on insectivorous bird declines with a broad range of stakeholders. Starting ASAP #ornithology #zoology #biodiversity #science #ecology
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
September 18, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Tom Finch
New job alert: An amazing opportunity - our International science team are hiring for a 2yr position (initially) for an experienced scientist to work on tropical forest conservation 🌍🧪

Full details here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

📷Nick Williams/RSPB
September 18, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Very firm statement on releases of captive-bred Turtle Doves, from Operation Turtle Dove inc @rspb.bsky.social & @naturalengland.bsky.social:
*Doesn't meet IUCN guidelines
*Risk of disease/genetic pollution
*Irresponsible aims
operationturtledove.org/captive-rele... 1/2 #ornithology #ukbirding
Operation Turtle Dove’s view on the release of captive-bred Turtle Doves as a conservation measure - Operation Turtle Dove
Operation Turtle Dove is a science-led conservation partnership working to reverse the decline of Turtle Doves in the UK by restoring habitat and addressing key threats. Learn why captive-bred release...
operationturtledove.org
September 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM
👀 Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher on the Allan Water, just before it joins the Forth. Bit of a mess down there - loads of giant hogweed and Himalayan Balsam, also lots of cow muck washing into the river from the fields behind the prison #birdingScotland
September 10, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
We're hiring!🧪🪶

Join our Conservation Science Technical team and help design and develop field equipment for research activities such as tracking and monitoring

Full details here: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...
Technical Officer - Conservation Science | RSPB
We're seeking a highly motivated person with excellent practical and design skills to join the Conservation Science Technical team. Collaborating closely with other scientists and colleagues across RS...
app.vacancy-filler.co.uk
September 9, 2025 at 8:29 AM
I really like this paper, which models patterns and drivers of occupancy change across GB for 1252 insect species. Especially like Fig 5 which shows the most important negative and positive drivers for each grid square #conservationscience 🌍
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 4, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Nice story of a 'European' Roller - equipped with a satellite tag over winter in South Africa, tracked up the east coast of Africa and across the Gulfs of Adan and Oman, to breed in north-west China - where it was eventually found by local ornithologists www.birdlife.org/news/2025/08...
Finding Rory the Roller
A European Roller’s extraordinary journey from South Africa to China demonstrates the power of birds and migration to connect us, along with teaching us about their needs along the world’s Global Flyw...
www.birdlife.org
August 28, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Check out the graphical abstract for a paper recently published in Ecological Modelling.

I have papers published in Ecological Modelling. Never again, I guess.
August 25, 2025 at 11:05 PM
This is a good paper, but I think the "the potential of natural climate solutions related to ecosystem restoration is close to zero" conclusion is bad. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Limited carbon sequestration potential from global ecosystem restoration - Nature Geoscience
The maximum carbon sequestration potential from global terrestrial ecosystem restoration efforts until 2100 is 96.9 Gt, which is equivalent to 3.7–12.0% of anthropogenic emissions until then, accordin...
www.nature.com
August 2, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
My first ‘careers’ style blog post.
bou.org.uk BOU @bou.org.uk · Jul 28
NEW on the #BOUdiversityBlog from Jamie Dunning

Why I don’t want to talk about my neurodivergence

bou.org.uk/blog-dunn...

#ornithology 🪶
July 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Tom Finch
🔊 VACANCY

Enjoy #theBOUblog? Join us as Blog Editor!

You'll be responsible for sourcing, editing and publishing content on #theBOUblog & will receive an annual honorarium

Check out the details & apply: bou.org.uk/about-the...

⏰ Deadline: 29 August

#ornithology 🪶
July 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Is Swift-screaming mainly a nest site thing? I heard some quite excited ones around the old pines at the west end of Loch an Eilein last weekend.
July 26, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Long-term experiments in Scotland’s Flow Country show enhanced forest-to-bog restoration boosts early peatland recovery - vital for climate & biodiversity 🧪🌏

@rob-hughes-birder.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social

🔗
doi.org
July 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Tom Finch
I tried quite hard to agree with this essay, which pushes back against the idea that agricultural productivity is important for "feeding the world" spectrejournal.com/the-enduring...
The Enduring Fantasy of “Feeding the World” – Spectre Journal
Members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective argue against the productivist logic underlying the "feed-the-world" approaches to feed security.
spectrejournal.com
July 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I tried quite hard to agree with this essay, which pushes back against the idea that agricultural productivity is important for "feeding the world" spectrejournal.com/the-enduring...
The Enduring Fantasy of “Feeding the World” – Spectre Journal
Members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective argue against the productivist logic underlying the "feed-the-world" approaches to feed security.
spectrejournal.com
July 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
To be fair, I think we should be able to find enough space for wind farms in the lowlands that we don't need to touch any (peaty?) moorlands. Trade-offs though: more landowners, more expensive land, less wind?
2000 years ago: the Romans would let an aqueduct destroy the Gardon Valley. We need clean water, but at what cost?
July 14, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Tom Finch
2000 years ago: the Romans would let an aqueduct destroy the Gardon Valley. We need clean water, but at what cost?
July 14, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Tom Finch
Our piece in @lunz-hub.bsky.social blog on combining stakeholder visioning and spatially explicit land-use scenario planning to understand opportunities for treescape expansion🌳research from @uktreescapes.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social STAND project lunzhub.com/resources/op...
Opportunities for Treescape Expansion in Upland Landscapes: Combining stakeholder visioning and spatially explicit land-use scenario planning - LUNZ Hub
lunzhub.com
July 11, 2025 at 1:23 PM