John Marchant reposted
John Marchant
John Marchant
@johnmarchant.bsky.social
Birds, moths and other British wildlife: I have helped record our declining bird diversity for 50+ years as a BTO staffer and volunteer - in retirement, enjoying what’s left, and paying more attention to other taxa.
457 followers286 following80 posts
John Marchant reposted
Last chance to apply to be our next Bird Atlas Organiser ➡️ www.bto.org/jobs This is an exciting career opportunity that comes around just once every 20 years! 🐦 #Ornithology @rspbscience.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social
John Marchant reposted
Let the people have their say! A public consultation before AI centres are built! petition.parliament.uk/petitions/78...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
There needs to be a major public outreach/education campaign that shows that the rush for profligate genAI usage is incompatible with myriad sustainable development goals.
Yes and I don’t see the point of turning a photo of my shelf of jam jars from over 10 years ago into a 3D animation. What a waste of resources.
Support Mundesley Inshore Lifeboat. Please donate to JustGiving Crowdfunding Page! www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...
John Marchant reposted
I warned 3 years ago that mink farms are a likely route to a new and horrific human pandemic, and once more I'm fervently praying it doesn't map out that way. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Wild new story from @natlash.bsky.social Bird flu has been raging uncontrolled on a mink farm for two months. Flu experts fear it could spark a devastating human pandemic. But officials haven’t acted, instead prioritizing the financial interests of the fur trade. www.propublica.org/article/bird...
John Marchant reposted
The chance to keep global warming below 1.5°C with no overshoot is gone. But urgent action can still limit the overshoot and bring warming back to 1.5°C by 2100. Current policies, however, put the 🌎 on course for up to 2.8°C this century. New #EmissionsGap Report: https://ow.ly/SNHX50ZZz8l
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
Many of us could do with a reason to get outside, connect with nature, and make a difference for conservation, for our own wellbeing as well as our environment's. Here are 5 reasons why WeBS might be your answer 🍂 @rspb.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social #UKBirding #Ornithology ➡️ www.bto.org/webs
John Marchant reposted
In case you missed "Undercover - A Year In Reform" exposing the racism, misogyny, hypocrisy of Reform UK MPs, Councillors, members you can see it at ITVX www.itv.com/watch/exposu...
John Marchant reposted
Crypto has bought US politics - and now it's doing the same in the UK As Reform takes £100m+ from crypto tycoons, I sat down with Hollywood's most vocal sceptic @benmckenzie.bsky.social to talk crypto, corruption and how to fight back democracyforsale.substack.com/p/crypto-is-...
John Marchant reposted
🔴 NEW The BBC’s Dangerous Attempt to Balance Truth With Lies By Patrick Howse Read below. ↓
John Marchant reposted
Post mortems suggest five Hen Harrier chicks found dead in nest on grouse moor in northern England had injuries consistent with being stabbed. New blog (warning - contains distressing info) ⬇️ #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/10/16/p...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
Coal miners had the sense to take urgent action when their birds died They knew that an environment that couldn't support birds ultimately couldn't support them either
John Marchant reposted
More confirmation of the parlous state of #biodiversity on these islands. Environment Act ia not delivering. We need #NaturesRights now www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Marchant reposted
1/ 50 years of @webs-gsmp.bsky.social 🥳 Here's what we've found out with the help of our amazing volunteers ⬇️🦆 #WorldMigratoryBirdDay @webs-gsmp.bsky.social is coordinated by @btobirds.bsky.social in partnership with RSPB Science & JNCC
John Marchant reposted
The 2016 Brexit vote was targeted by Russian “state-sponsored interference”, Andy Burnham has said, as he warned voters in France and Germany about Kremlin-backed attempts to influence their countries’ politics. www.ft.com/content/4fcb...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
608bn litres of industrial wastewater entered sewage plants last year. Sources include power stations, abattoirs, landfill, some with consents for chemicals such as mercury + cyanide - entering plants not designed to treat such waste. Our new report, out now: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
John Marchant reposted
We've got some great opportunities to join us at BTO! Discover more and apply for our jobs and voluntary roles online at www.bto.org/jobs #Ornithology
John Marchant reposted
"Only the Green Party has the policies to address inequality, through taxes on wealth; tackle the cost of living crisis with rent controls and raising the minimum wage; and fight climate breakdown through a nationwide home insulation programme and turbocharging renewables" - @carladenyer.bsky.social
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
“The only sensible solution at this point is a moratorium on datacentres until very basic questions about how many we need, what for, where, and how pollution will be avoided are answered satisfactorily by the government” - @olliehayes.bsky.social 👏
John Marchant reposted
The Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS) includes data from 44 countries, and a total of around 15,200 volunteers! This includes just under 3,000 BBS volunteers from across the UK. Find out more about the scheme: pecbms.info/update-on-th... @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social
John Marchant reposted
The pitch here seems to be, ‘we’ll build the houses and infrastructure we failed to build during the 14 years we were in government, but we’ll do it in the most damaging and lowest quality way possible’. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
Revealed: Government quietly dropped plan to prepare England for wildfires I discovered via an FOI request that DEFRA’s commitment in the National Adaptation Programme to run a “wildfire risk programme” since 2023 “was not brought into effect”. #ClimateCrisis www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
⭐ Exciting opportunity! Volunteer with BTO Youth and join the Youth Advisory Panel! ➡️ www.bto.org/our-work/youth If you love nature, would like to join our amazing team of volunteers aged 16-24 and get involved with BTO's work, then this role could be for you. 🐦 📝 Closing date: 4 October 2026.
John Marchant reposted
George is quite right on this. I discovered via FOI requests that just 5% of all woodland creation grants go to support natural regeneration of trees, and 95% to tree planting. I’ll continue to push DEFRA to fix this. www.theguardian.com/environment/... bsky.app/profile/geor...
In terms of messaging, this is very positive, and a big shift from the nature-hatefest of the Starmer administration. Mind you, most tree-planting is unnecessary: I'd like to see much more emphasis on natural regeneration. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
“Recorders’ notebooks from the pre-digital era are a treasure trove, often lost in house moves or destroyed in clearances. We probably don’t appreciate that our own notes can contribute to future understanding of changes in an area’s wildlife. How much is already lost?”
Do you have nature records in notebooks that you never look at and wonder what to do with? I've transcribed 10,000 records from the 1960-70s from a Welsh ornithological legend into @birdtrack.bsky.social and @cofnod.org.uk. And it was fascinating... #BirdingWales www.cofnod.org.uk/news/natural...
John Marchant reposted
We are proud to say that generic bird-monitoring initiatives are growing across Europe, with over 15,000 volunteers participating annually ! Data quality also seems to be improving, and more schemes are publishing their results openly. More: pecbms.info/update-on-th...
John Marchant reposted
'Recording for nature recovery - how biological recording will benefit wildlife in crisis'. A joint conference @norfolknats.bsky.social @suffolk-nats1929.bsky.social at Diss, Norfolk, Sat Oct 10th Oct. What should bio recording look like in the future? Booking via sns.org.uk. Please share.
John Marchant reposted
Dream job for an #editor & nature lover! 🐦🌿Apply now ➡️ www.bto.org/jobs 📅 Full time, Permanent. 📝 £38,710.00 per annum. 📍 BTO HQ in Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid working). Deadline for applications: 30 September 2026. #Ornithology
John Marchant reposted
This story is about so much more than one man and one company. It’s about the corruption of our British democracy through the subtle intermingling of the financial and political interests of our political class and the world’s most powerful corporations. open.substack.com/pub/zeteouk/...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
Excellent use of FoI by @guyshrubsole.bsky.social reveals some large discrepancies in the so-called 'official' statistics on Pheasant rear & release in England. What? The UK gamebird shooting industry not complying with the law? Shurely shome mishtake. raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/09/21/r...
John Marchant reposted
Good to see Mya from @harbourbirds.bsky.social in the current issue of @btobirds.bsky.social News. Article about the great BTO Bird Camps, run to encourage and support young birders! @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social #UKbirding
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted
TAKE ACTION🚨 Add your name to demand that Ofcom takes immediate action. Sign the petition here: https://bestforbritain.org/petition/farage-on-gb-news-demand-that-ofcom-takes-immediate-action/
John Marchant reposted
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...
John Marchant reposted
As former Labour minister Tom Watson joins Palantir, please read this devastating exposé by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social & @lucasamin.bsky.social of how the company, with Peter Mandelson's help, wormed its way into the UK government to sell its dire & dangerous products. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
John Marchant reposted
John Marchant reposted