Nick Littlewood
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blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Nick Littlewood
@blackdogbirder.bsky.social
400 followers 370 following 230 posts
Bugs, bogs and birds.

Wildlife Conservation Management lecturer at SRUC, Aberdeen.

Senior Editor: Insect Conservation and Diversity.
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blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Cessation of grouse moor management and climate change scenarios are both predicted to drive declines in Red Grouse, Curlew and Golden Plover. Our paper in @jappliedecology.bsky.social, led by Tom Mason, combines these factors in modelling future population trends.

#conservationscience🌎
Infographic showing predicted impacts of management and climate change on Red Grouse, Curlew and Golden Plover.
November 10, 2025 at 8:11 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
A Black-throated Diver was highlight of today's @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count at Portsoy.

#birdingscotland
Very grainy side-on photo of a Black-throated Diver on the sea
November 9, 2025 at 5:58 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Scare Umber was another NFG (and new for hectad) in the garden trap this morning among an unseasonal 6 moths of 5 species. Others were another Rush Veneer, a female 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢 (most likely November Moth), 2 Spruce Carpets and a 𝘉. 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢.

Portsoy (VC94, Banffshire)
#teammoth
Scare Umber moth - an adult, on egg tray Rush Veneer moth - an adult on green foliage. A female adult Epirrita species (likely November Moth) on an old fence post.
November 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
PhD-themed cake for Rob McHenry's viva celebration last week in Thurso.

Both were adorned with (tasty) Fox scat - very apt with the viva including much discussion of caprophagy (eating 💩) linked to predators' use of tracks in #peatlands.

@theflowcountry.bsky.social
Cake in shape of a Fox's head, with fox-coloured buttercream coating and surrounded by crunchy scat-shaped morsels on a crushed-biscuit surface to represent a track. Rectangular cake with green background (representing moss surface to bog) some bog pools in blue and a track across middle with scattered scats represented by raisins. "Well done Rob" written across cake in red icing.
November 5, 2025 at 8:16 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
First time setting garden trap in several weeks - 4/4 was good going for here in November. Highlight were migrants, Dark Swordgrass (NFG) and Rush Veneer, December Moth was NFY and Angle Shades joined the party too.

Portsoy (VC94, Banffshire)

#teammoth
@migrantmothuk.bsky.social
Dark Swordgrass adult on dead dock flower head Rush Veneer adult on strawberry leaf Angle Shades adult on Rowan stem December Moth adult on wooden panel
November 4, 2025 at 9:44 AM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Nathusius' Pipistrelle becomes #mammal species 2️⃣6️⃣ for Red Moss of Netherly, NE Scotland.

Recorded on @openacousticdevices.info #Audiomoth during September's influx. Just a handful of detections, but this quasi-constant frequency burst looks convincing.

@scotwildlife.bsky.social
#bioacoustics
Spectrogram, showing six calls over one second with more-or-less constant frequency at around 38 kHz.
November 2, 2025 at 7:29 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Another brilliant Flow Country Research Conference.

Big 🏆 for Roxane and team at UHI Thurso.

Great to see @rob-hughes-birder.bsky.social's PhD crammed into 30 mins. Loved the Icelandic word for Meadow Pipit and check out those German bog restoration lagoons.

@theflowcountry.bsky.social
Roxane Andersen in front of screen showing conference welcome slide. Rob Hughes in front of screen with photo of a female Common Scoter. Slide showing trends in birds at sites in Iceland, featuring Icelandic bird names Slide showing bog restoration in Germany, including grids of rectangular flooded cells.
October 31, 2025 at 5:08 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Little Auks were limited to a couple of millisecond blurs of probables but a late Arctic Tern was interesting and a Bonxie powered through.

#BirdingScotland
@patchbirding.bsky.social
Adult Arctic Tern flying left just above horizon over stormy sea.
October 26, 2025 at 9:12 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Seawatching in a northerly at Portsoy is hampered by lack of elevated shelter. I've been cowering next to a shipping container just above sea level, so would've missed flocks of albatrosses if they stayed low.

@patchbirding.bsky.social
October 26, 2025 at 9:12 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Work committments prevented a visit to the Rattray Head Eastern Nightingale until today. Fantastic bird - a real shower and very strange looking, reminding at times of a babbler. Think I'd have been bamboozled had I found it.

My first NE Scotland nightingale of any flavour.

#BirdingScotland
Eastern Nightingale on top of a fence post, facing mostly towards camera and with tail cocked. Eastern Nightingale, side-on, on concrete ground with grass growing around edges and stone wall behind. Eastern Nightingale on pointy-topped fence panel, with out-of-focus scrub behind.
October 22, 2025 at 7:24 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
An "atmospheric" day for year-2 @srucnews.bsky.social Wildlife & Conservation Management students to collect moorland plant data at @hutton.ac.uk Glensaugh.

Ended with obligatory human chain to measure the giant Sitka Spruce in Drumtochty Glen - and it's still a 6-student circumference.
Three figures in the mist lumbering across a heather moor Three figures in the mist, around a vegetation quadrat on a heather moor. Four people visible forming a six-person chain around a large Sitka Source.
October 21, 2025 at 6:11 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Two westbound Velvet Scoters off Portsoy this morning. Just seen one other since moving here two years ago. Now on 123 for the year - one off last year's total.

@patchbirding.bsky.social #BirdingScotland
Distant pic of two Velvet Scoters flying left just above horizon of a choppy sea.
October 19, 2025 at 12:41 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Five species from a #smallmammal #cameratrap at Portsoy, Aberdeenshire - a mouse, two voles and two shrew species - including Water Shrew 😀

#mammal #trailcamera @nesmammals.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 8:54 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
And there was a bonus Spoonbill (distantly) in a channel off Kinneil Nature Reserve.
#birdingscotland
Distant pic of a Spoonbill at edge of mud out across an estuary.
October 15, 2025 at 5:42 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Fantastic Study Weekend with @srucnews.bsky.social Wildlife & Conservation Management MSc students. We visited sites from West Lothian through to the Trossachs, discussing site management and playing with ecology/wildlife monitoring toys!

#thermalimaging #drone #peatprobe
12 students and 2 lecturers posing for group photo in the sun on a woodland ride Two people lifting peat roads out of a bog, showing depth of 5 or more metres. Three people looking on. Lecturer, Colin Hardacre, about to catch by hand a drone that is returning to base. Thermal imaging photo of 12 students, with faces showing red and more insulated areas a darker blue.
October 15, 2025 at 5:38 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Into first week of our third year in Portsoy and still some "easy" patch ticks to be had; Barnacle Geese, yeserday, among post-Amy movement into Moray Firth. Also 10 Whoopers and an A𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘺𝘢 (that would've been #patchtick if ID nailed).

@patchbirding.bsky.social
#BirdingScotland
Six Barnacle Geese flying right to left against grey sky Six Barnacle Geese flying right to left against a grey sky
October 6, 2025 at 5:39 AM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Difficult viewing in Storm Amy (amber-warning wind) for a late afternoon look at Links Bay, Portsoy. Highlight was adult Med Gull at dusk. Singles of Wheatear and Common Tern both probably wished they'd had a bit more haste about migrating.

@patchbirding.bsky.social
#BirdingScotland
Grainy photo at dusk of an adult Mediterranean Gull, among pools on stony shore, with wings raised. A Wheatear on bouldery shore, facing away from camera A juvenile Common Tern by pools on a stoney shore. A Redshank is walking left in front of the tern.
October 4, 2025 at 6:55 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Took Wildlife Conservation & Management 1st years to Loch of Strathbeg today. They excelled by finding a juv Glossy Ibis. Four Great White Egrets was also a popular sight.

Greenshank, Goshawk and Barnacle Geese as supporting acts.

@srucnews.bsky.social
#birdingScotland
A juvenile Glossy Ibis among grass A Great White Egret flying right with wooden fence and trees in background Back view of half a dozen students looking out of observation window in Loch of Strathbeg visitor centre.
September 29, 2025 at 10:06 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
A Scarce Bordered Straw in the garden trap this morning. Genuinely scarce this far north and appears to be new for the VC.
Portsoy (VC94, Banffshire)

#teammoth
@migrantmothuk.bsky.social
A Scarce Bordered Straw moth on rough stoney background.
September 28, 2025 at 10:56 AM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
🍾 Big congratulations to @bats-n-bugs.bsky.social for her first PhD paper, in 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 & 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, about moths on mixed and arable farms.

Shows some moth benefits from woodland features in farmed landscape, but mixed picture. See: doi.org/10.1016/j.ag...

@srucnews.bsky.social
A male Ghost Moth among green stems and leaves
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
A Gem in the garden trap overnight - first one I've seen in Scotland 👍.

Portsoy (VC94 - Banffshire)

@migrantmothuk.bsky.social
#teammoth
A Gem moth on egg tray
September 20, 2025 at 9:01 AM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
We're approaching two years in Portsoy and low-hanging fruits still fall from the #patchtick tree. Today's Treecreeper was among a roving tit flock. It tried its luck on a telegraph pole and then moved on to gorse stems.

@patchbirding.bsky.social
A Treecreeper on a gorse stem
September 19, 2025 at 5:48 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Raking cut vegetation and spreading Yellow-rattle seed on the approach path at @scotwildlife.bsky.social Red Moss of Netherley.

The Yellow-rattle has had a great year and Badger digging of Pignut tubers provides ground disturbance to further aid germination. Ecosystem processes in action!
Looking along a grassy path, with cuttings removed. A person raking grass cuttings into a pile. Looking along a grassy path with three people spreading seed.
September 17, 2025 at 10:38 AM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
"Freshers week" outings. New MSc students chatted seal research and reserve management while returning undergrads pulled up trees from a bog!

Thanks to Danny and Joe from @naturescot.bsky.social, Lucy from @scotwildlife.bsky.social and Claire from @srucnews.bsky.social for all your help.
Five students and Claire (Grey Seal PhD researcher) discussing sealy things with Grey Seals hauled out on sandbar behind. A dozen or so students and NatureScot staff on top of a headland , with open sea and a bay behind. 18 people (students and staff) posing facing camera, with hand tools and some Birch saplings that they have pulled from the surrounding bog. Student yanking Birch sapling out from a bog.
September 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
blackdogbirder.bsky.social
Last day of #Ento25, with insect ID keys, amazing (and undescribed) wasp galls, bog invert research (what's not to like?) and learning that aphids on our garden Buddleja might be a newly arrived species in the UK.

Big thanks to @royentsoc.bsky.social team for a fab bug-filled event.

🦟🪲🪳🐝🐞🦋🐜🦗
Pinned Orthoptera specimens in display case. Slide showing nine pics of wasp galls Slide showing cartoon Peat Monster Laminated info sheet about Buddleia aphid
September 11, 2025 at 7:39 PM