Tom O'Hara
@tomohara1984.bsky.social
Communications Manager at Galapagos Conservation Trust. Rewilding enthusiast. Curator of nonsense.
📍 Walthamstow, UK
📍 Walthamstow, UK
If you want to know what having two small kids feels like, on a visceral level, I recommend listening to the song ‘Gimme Chocolate’ by Babymetal.
December 20, 2025 at 7:40 AM
If you want to know what having two small kids feels like, on a visceral level, I recommend listening to the song ‘Gimme Chocolate’ by Babymetal.
Jay Rayner eat your heart out
October 12, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Jay Rayner eat your heart out
Reposted by Tom O'Hara
🚫🌼 Most UK councils still spray pesticides in parks, playgrounds and pavements, harming bumblebees and other wildlife.
📌 Check your council’s record: www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free
📣 Demand better or celebrate progress!
#PesticideFreeTowns #PollinatorsNotPesticides
📌 Check your council’s record: www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free
📣 Demand better or celebrate progress!
#PesticideFreeTowns #PollinatorsNotPesticides
July 30, 2025 at 9:25 AM
🚫🌼 Most UK councils still spray pesticides in parks, playgrounds and pavements, harming bumblebees and other wildlife.
📌 Check your council’s record: www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free
📣 Demand better or celebrate progress!
#PesticideFreeTowns #PollinatorsNotPesticides
📌 Check your council’s record: www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free
📣 Demand better or celebrate progress!
#PesticideFreeTowns #PollinatorsNotPesticides
Inspired by our recent trip to Norfolk, I posted on my blog for the first time in nearly five years… www.nothere.co.uk/butterfly-su...
The Butterfly Summer: Norfolk & The Fens
Even in a heavily farmed region like East Anglia, there is space for nature to thrive, as we discovered in north Norfolk and the Fens.
www.nothere.co.uk
July 28, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Inspired by our recent trip to Norfolk, I posted on my blog for the first time in nearly five years… www.nothere.co.uk/butterfly-su...
Finally got round to visiting Wicken Fen last week, on an intolerably hot day. Turns out fens don’t have much shade. Still, I thought it was great. My 4-year-old’s review: “Why do you want to look at all this pond stuff daddy?”
July 24, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Finally got round to visiting Wicken Fen last week, on an intolerably hot day. Turns out fens don’t have much shade. Still, I thought it was great. My 4-year-old’s review: “Why do you want to look at all this pond stuff daddy?”
One of the best things about my job is meeting amazing scientists working in Galapagos and learning about mad things like this giant centipede that can eat snakes 😮
(Photo © Luis Ortiz Catedral)
(Photo © Luis Ortiz Catedral)
July 4, 2025 at 7:48 PM
One of the best things about my job is meeting amazing scientists working in Galapagos and learning about mad things like this giant centipede that can eat snakes 😮
(Photo © Luis Ortiz Catedral)
(Photo © Luis Ortiz Catedral)
Every morning on the way to nursery, my son and I have been stopping to look at this little meadow that had sprung up at the bottom of our road in Walthamstow. Absolutely buzzing with bees, ladybirds and other insects. A couple of days ago, someone mowed it to the ground. (1/2)
June 6, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Every morning on the way to nursery, my son and I have been stopping to look at this little meadow that had sprung up at the bottom of our road in Walthamstow. Absolutely buzzing with bees, ladybirds and other insects. A couple of days ago, someone mowed it to the ground. (1/2)
Galapagos sea lions suffer more reported injuries from lost and discarded fishing gear than any other species in the Archipelago, entangled by nets and plastic cords. Can you spare a few quid to help protect them? All donations made by midday Tuesday are doubled!
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Save the endangered Galapagos sea lion – Big Give
Sea lions are among the most charismatic creatures in Galapagos, charming visitors with their playful nature. Sadly, they’re also at high risk of death and injury from fishing nets and other plastic w...
donate.biggive.org
April 27, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Galapagos sea lions suffer more reported injuries from lost and discarded fishing gear than any other species in the Archipelago, entangled by nets and plastic cords. Can you spare a few quid to help protect them? All donations made by midday Tuesday are doubled!
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Reposted by Tom O'Hara
Fewer than 500 more signatures needed to reach 100,000 & trigger a Westminster parliament debate on the future of driven grouse shooting.
Plz sign and share - we might get there today! @ruthtingay.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @markavery.bsky.social
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Plz sign and share - we might get there today! @ruthtingay.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @markavery.bsky.social
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Petition: Ban driven grouse shooting
Chris Packham, Ruth Tingay and Mark Avery (Wild Justice) believe that driven grouse shooting is bad for people, the environment and wildlife. People; we think grouse shooting is economically insignifi...
petition.parliament.uk
April 20, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Fewer than 500 more signatures needed to reach 100,000 & trigger a Westminster parliament debate on the future of driven grouse shooting.
Plz sign and share - we might get there today! @ruthtingay.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @markavery.bsky.social
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Plz sign and share - we might get there today! @ruthtingay.bsky.social @chrisgpackham.bsky.social @markavery.bsky.social
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
The Galapagos rail has been recorded on Floreana for the first time in 190 years, in what appears to be recent rodent eradication efforts bearing fruit. But has it actually been there all along…? A great story (and an intriguing mystery) from Galapagos! galapagosconservation.org.uk/galapagos-ra... 🪶
Galapagos rail rediscovered on Floreana after 190 years - Galapagos Conservation Trust
The secretive Galapagos rail, thought to be extinct on Floreana, has been found on the island for the first time since Darwin observed it in 1835.
galapagosconservation.org.uk
March 4, 2025 at 9:40 PM
The Galapagos rail has been recorded on Floreana for the first time in 190 years, in what appears to be recent rodent eradication efforts bearing fruit. But has it actually been there all along…? A great story (and an intriguing mystery) from Galapagos! galapagosconservation.org.uk/galapagos-ra... 🪶
Reposted by Tom O'Hara
Every day as we walk the beach we see at first hand the impact plastic pollution is having on the natural world. These photos, taken over the last week, show kelp stipes growing through/entangled with the remains of plastic bottles. #Anthropocene
February 19, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Every day as we walk the beach we see at first hand the impact plastic pollution is having on the natural world. These photos, taken over the last week, show kelp stipes growing through/entangled with the remains of plastic bottles. #Anthropocene
Recent news headlines keep reminding me of this bit from @aiannucci.bsky.social’s ‘Time Trumpet’ - youtu.be/0PSyiRXIEyc?...
Tesco invades Denmark
YouTube video by kelpfoot
youtu.be
January 27, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Recent news headlines keep reminding me of this bit from @aiannucci.bsky.social’s ‘Time Trumpet’ - youtu.be/0PSyiRXIEyc?...
I narrowly failed in my arbitrary challenge of reading 24 books in 2024, but it was the first time that I kept a record of every book I read and what I thought of them, so here, as an unsolicited end of year present, is a thread of the six books I enjoyed most this year…
December 31, 2024 at 10:13 PM
I narrowly failed in my arbitrary challenge of reading 24 books in 2024, but it was the first time that I kept a record of every book I read and what I thought of them, so here, as an unsolicited end of year present, is a thread of the six books I enjoyed most this year…
I remember it well
December 5, 2024 at 8:29 AM
I remember it well
This feels like an increasingly urgent question - how can we keep letting a handful of petrostates block meaningful action on climate and plastic pollution? But I suppose the flip side is, does the whole concept of an international order/the UN become even more broken if you start excluding states?
It's time for Saudi Arabia and other obstructors to be excluded from global climate and plastics treaty negotiations.
We're never going to get the permission of the world'd biggest oil extractors to curb their profits. And here's the thing: we don't need it to make progress.
We're never going to get the permission of the world'd biggest oil extractors to curb their profits. And here's the thing: we don't need it to make progress.
Saudi Arabia Leads Pushback Against Global Plastic Treaty
Delegates from more than 170 countries are working to salvage a treaty that would tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution.
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2024 at 7:31 PM
This feels like an increasingly urgent question - how can we keep letting a handful of petrostates block meaningful action on climate and plastic pollution? But I suppose the flip side is, does the whole concept of an international order/the UN become even more broken if you start excluding states?
The same coalition of corporations, petrostates and lobbyists now at COP will head to Busan next week to try and derail Global Plastics Treaty talks. Encouraging that the new UK gov is taking a tougher stance, as the industry can’t be trusted to regulate itself: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Five firms in plastic pollution alliance ‘made 1,000 times more plastic than they cleaned up’
Five oil and chemical companies which promised to divert plastic from environment accused of producing 132m tonnes of it
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2024 at 8:48 AM
The same coalition of corporations, petrostates and lobbyists now at COP will head to Busan next week to try and derail Global Plastics Treaty talks. Encouraging that the new UK gov is taking a tougher stance, as the industry can’t be trusted to regulate itself: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Thinking about opening a tapas restaurant called The Large Padrón Collider
November 16, 2024 at 7:54 PM
Thinking about opening a tapas restaurant called The Large Padrón Collider
Reposted by Tom O'Hara
My pet theory - the thing Europeans get wrong about the US is we expect it to behave like a European country, rather than a country of the Americas. In a lot of ways I think it has more in common with Colombia or Brazil when you look at its history, racial dynamics, political polarisation etc.
November 14, 2024 at 10:25 PM
My pet theory - the thing Europeans get wrong about the US is we expect it to behave like a European country, rather than a country of the Americas. In a lot of ways I think it has more in common with Colombia or Brazil when you look at its history, racial dynamics, political polarisation etc.
US presidents as Galapagos wildlife - a (short) thread...
1. Donald Trump / Yellow-crowned night heron 🪶
(Image credits © Fulton County Sheriff's Office / John Thorpe)
1. Donald Trump / Yellow-crowned night heron 🪶
(Image credits © Fulton County Sheriff's Office / John Thorpe)
November 8, 2024 at 2:28 PM
US presidents as Galapagos wildlife - a (short) thread...
1. Donald Trump / Yellow-crowned night heron 🪶
(Image credits © Fulton County Sheriff's Office / John Thorpe)
1. Donald Trump / Yellow-crowned night heron 🪶
(Image credits © Fulton County Sheriff's Office / John Thorpe)
Got back from Lanzarote this week. A cool place once you get away from the resorts, reminiscent of Galapagos in some ways. Including, sadly, the amount of plastic washing up on the Atlantic-facing beaches. Lots of fishing gear fragments. Islands really are on the front line of this problem.
October 26, 2024 at 6:53 PM
Got back from Lanzarote this week. A cool place once you get away from the resorts, reminiscent of Galapagos in some ways. Including, sadly, the amount of plastic washing up on the Atlantic-facing beaches. Lots of fishing gear fragments. Islands really are on the front line of this problem.
Our new report covers the last 5 years of plastic pollution research in Galapagos. Key findings include:
🥤 69% of plastic items on Galapagos coasts are single-use
🚢 40% of coastal plastic in Galapagos is from maritime sources (2x global average)
🇨🇳 25% of plastic bottles found originated in China
🥤 69% of plastic items on Galapagos coasts are single-use
🚢 40% of coastal plastic in Galapagos is from maritime sources (2x global average)
🇨🇳 25% of plastic bottles found originated in China
Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos: 5 Years of Science to Solutions - Galapagos Conservation Trust
A new report presents the most detailed picture to date of the threat that coastal plastic pollution poses to the Galapagos Islands.
galapagosconservation.org.uk
September 23, 2024 at 12:42 PM
Our new report covers the last 5 years of plastic pollution research in Galapagos. Key findings include:
🥤 69% of plastic items on Galapagos coasts are single-use
🚢 40% of coastal plastic in Galapagos is from maritime sources (2x global average)
🇨🇳 25% of plastic bottles found originated in China
🥤 69% of plastic items on Galapagos coasts are single-use
🚢 40% of coastal plastic in Galapagos is from maritime sources (2x global average)
🇨🇳 25% of plastic bottles found originated in China
Our 2024 Galapagos photography competition once again featured some incredible shots of the Archipelago's birds! 🪶
You can nominate your favourite in our Public Choice Vote: galapagosconservation.org.uk/support-us/g...
You can nominate your favourite in our Public Choice Vote: galapagosconservation.org.uk/support-us/g...
September 11, 2024 at 9:44 AM
Our 2024 Galapagos photography competition once again featured some incredible shots of the Archipelago's birds! 🪶
You can nominate your favourite in our Public Choice Vote: galapagosconservation.org.uk/support-us/g...
You can nominate your favourite in our Public Choice Vote: galapagosconservation.org.uk/support-us/g...
I love how unimaginative the names are for a lot of the wildlife in Galapagos. If you’re not sure what a species is called, there’s a good chance it begins with either ‘lava’, ‘Galapagos’ or ‘Darwin’s’.
Lava lizard, lava cactus, lava heron, lava gull (pictured)…
Lava lizard, lava cactus, lava heron, lava gull (pictured)…
September 6, 2024 at 8:25 PM
I love how unimaginative the names are for a lot of the wildlife in Galapagos. If you’re not sure what a species is called, there’s a good chance it begins with either ‘lava’, ‘Galapagos’ or ‘Darwin’s’.
Lava lizard, lava cactus, lava heron, lava gull (pictured)…
Lava lizard, lava cactus, lava heron, lava gull (pictured)…
Some really cool ideas for London here. I particularly like the Attenborough Line, garden permits and opening up Piccadilly Circus…
25 ideas revealed on Reimagine London shortlist
A new central London skyway, urban farming on the underground and micro-gardens in parking spaces – do these ideas provide the solutions for London’s future?
nla.london
September 4, 2024 at 6:04 PM
Some really cool ideas for London here. I particularly like the Attenborough Line, garden permits and opening up Piccadilly Circus…