Ellie Owen
Posting about the #seabird conservation work of the National Trust for Scotland. #citsci #puffarazzi #NTSseabirds
- Great to see our #NTSSeabirds and marine life well represented at #EdinburghZoo 's #GiantLanterns exhibition last night 🙂 Thanks to #StKildaClub for the invitation to speak at their annual reunion. @n-t-s.bsky.social @edinburghzoo.bsky.social
- The first drone census of the St Kilda gannet colony is now published in Scottish Birds! We counted 59,205 AOS in 2023 - similar to previous years. The overall impact of #HPAI appears less than at some other colonies, with notable declines in flatter areas 🧮 #ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
- Can GPS tracking reveal how #seabirds make use of tidal mixing fronts when foraging? 🧪 New research shows a bird’s use of ocean fronts may relate to its regular foraging areas Read on for more Or read the full paper: doi.org/10.1007/s002... @ellingbry.bsky.social
- Read more here ⬇️ www.nts.org.uk/stories/a-bi... @stkildawhs.bsky.social, @craig-nisbet.bsky.social & @ellingbry.bsky.social 😊
- NEW PAPER in #ornithology and #conservation reviews the marine threats to #seabirds and other marine #megafauna and confirms that #fisheries are a severe problem: buff.ly/5SXNdqr
- On the importance of incorporating behavioural-state differentiation when identifying key spatial areas for seabirds. #seabirds animalbiotelemetry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
- Do you sometimes see/report/handle dead wildlife as a scientist (including volunteer community scientists)? If so, do you have any strategies for dealing with the stress and grief that these encounters can cause? I'm building a toolkit for myself and for some other stressed out folks! context:
- It's family values day here at Team Hākoakoa. You'll struggle to find a bird more devoted to its chicks than Skua. Just look at that fuzzy brown face. How could you not vote Skua for #birdoftheyear2025? #Skua @forestandbird.bsky.social
- This is a game changer for marine conservation. Now we need to build on the momentum and designate high seas marine protected areas to conserve Key Biodiversity Areas @keybiodiversity.bsky.social
- 🌊 A historic day for our oceans! 🌍 With 60 ratifications, the High Seas Treaty will now come into force – a milestone for global ocean conservation. Let’s keep building momentum and turn 60 into global! #60toGlobal Discover more 👉 highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratif... @highseasalliance.bsky.social
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- Thermoregulation is very important for humans and seabirds alike. Stay hydrated this week people! #NTSSeabirds
- A Fulmar glides through the sunset with Carn Mor beyond. A quiet night up there, with many of our nocturnal seabirds now departed. #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
- Coming up online this Friday! 🗣️📓🐦 Deadline to sign up is this Wednesday 3rd September: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #Seabirds
- The next in our series of ECR talks is coming up on Fri 5th September - this time on Peer Review 👀📃 The panel will be our own @thelabandfield.bsky.social & @ingridpollet.bsky.social, @tashgillies.bsky.social & Dr. Richard Sherley ✒️✨ Time: 9.30 am (BST). Sign up now: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
- NEW PhD studentship in #ornithology studying foraging distribution of coastal #seabirds in #France: buff.ly/qBWQMVZ
- NEW PAPERS in #conservation that seem to contradict each other about whether marine protected areas (MPAs) effectively reduce industrial fishing
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View full threadHow is that possible? Quite simple - the second paper only looks at a small subset of strictly regulated MPAs. They have good enforcement, and may never had any fishing in the first place - so very little occurs there now
- These two studies do not contradict each other but reinforce the desperate need to get strongly regulated and strictly enforced MPAs in place - not just boxes on a map with little effect
- On Monday there were a number of sightings of minke whales in the area. Marine Station staff and volunteers were lucky enough to get some great views and even captured this wee bit of video footage. Especially exciting for some, for whom it was a first!
- The Bonxie in the foreground is one of the few remaining ringed birds (WSWR) from an intensive study conducted between 2007 and 2009 here on #StKilda. Great to see this bird, ringed as an adult in 2009, still going strong post #HPAI outbreak. #NTSSeabirds @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social
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- Results from the 2023 #StKilda Gannet census are to be published in the December issue of #ScottishBirds, revealing relative stability in what is once again the world's largest colony, despite fears that #HPAI may have had a greater impact on the population #NTSSeabirds @scottishbirding.bsky.social
- Really pleased to have contributed to this epic survey of >59,000 pairs of gannets! The St Kilda colony was less impacted by HPAI than other colonies, perhaps because steep cliffs reduced disease transmission. Flatter areas of the colony suffered greater losses. #ornithology #seabirds #NTSseabirds
- Results from the 2023 #StKilda Gannet census are to be published in the December issue of #ScottishBirds, revealing relative stability in what is once again the world's largest colony, despite fears that #HPAI may have had a greater impact on the population #NTSSeabirds @scottishbirding.bsky.social
- Most Guillemot jumplings will have jumped by now from #StKilda and be heading out to sea with their dads, whilst some Kittiwake chicks aren't far from fledging age now either. #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
- Check out the fabulous seasonal highlights board updated today by our amazingly talented biosecurity volunteer, Hebe! Those stormies are incredible 😍 @n-t-s.bsky.social #NTSSeabirds
- intimate views of the #StKilda Gannet colony are a rare privilege, due mainly to difficult access, but we were able to land on Boreray a couple of weeks ago in order to conduct a census, for which the results will be shared when analysed. Glorious seabirds! 😍 #SuperSeabirdSunday #NTSSeabirds
- Out on the seabird cliffs with NTS volunteers Kate and Yvette today. They’ve been completely brilliant at helping to monitor the Kittiwakes on Mingulay. Chicks ahoy! 🐣🐥🐣🐥🐥🐥🐣🐥🐣🐥🐣🐥🐥 #NTSSeabirds
- One of many young Fulmars taking shelter under their parents during a grey and drizzly couple of days on #StKilda this weekend. #SuperSeabirdSunday #NTSseabirds
- Fab NTS volunteers Kate and Yvette helping to collect guillemot diet study data. Sandeels and Clupeids (herring and sprats) seemed to be the most numerous fish being fed to chicks today 🐥 🐟 #NTSSeabirds
- The smiling faces of 3 people who witnessed guillemot chicks fledge from the cliffs last night. SUCH a privilege to follow these birds from egg laying in early May, to hatching, rearing chicks and to see them successfully fledging. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!! #NTSSeabirds
- A day playing the sound of calling European Storm Petrels into crevices in rocky boulder fields. If storm petrels are breeding on Mingulay, there’s a chance the real birds will call back to our portable speaker. No luck today, but a brilliant way to explore the magical island 🤩 #NTSSeabirds
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- The great news from #StKilda this #superseabirdsunday is that following a significant decline since 1999, our Kittiwake population is creeping ever closer back up to 4 figures this year, with 989 nests recorded last week! #NTSSeabirds @smp-seabirds.bsky.social
- Huge WHOPPING thanks to Richard Luxmoore who has counted and mapped ALL of the Great Skua (Bonxie) territories across Mingulay. Total number of apparently occupied territories is 74 - up from 44 for the last 2 years. Hopefully a sign of recovery from avian flu 🤞🤞🤞 #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
- A great 2nd week working for @n-t-s.bsky.social, helping to count #seabirds around Iona! 🐣 Getting accurate counts is an important first step in measuring and understanding long-term trends in seabird populations 📉 #NTSseabirds @smp-seabirds.bsky.social
- Cracking day monitoring the seabirds on Mingulay with brilliant volunteer Tom. Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and shags ALL have chicks - 2025 seabird season is cooking on gas 🔥🧯🚒 #NTSSeabirds
- Lots of Puffins at the end of the rainbow on Dùn today for #SuperSeabirdSunday #NTSSeabirds
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- Plenty of Puffins to be seen at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Puffin Festival at Flamborough today, including this friendly character 🙂 #Flamborough #SuperSeabirdSunday #Seabirds
- The first paper of my PhD (and my first first-author paper!) is out now in Marine Biology 🌊 🎆 We tracked snow petrels in a season of extreme weather and little sea ice in east Antarctica❄️ read more on our #ANTSIE webpage here: www.antsie.webspace.durham.ac.uk/2025/06/06/snow-petrel-tracking/
- Mingulay and Berneray are proudly rat free! 🐀 Wonderful to welcome Rachel Cripps and Reid the dog from Biosecurity for Scotland to the islands today. Reid found no signs of rats during a sweep of the buildings and the boat landing areas. This is GREAT news for our seabirds! #NTSSeabirds
- Beach season open! 🐠💦 This is an encounter I had with a young cormorant last summer, I think I spent 3 days talking about it 😁. Impatient for what I will discover this year! I'll upload it all to minka-sdg.org #cormorant #birds #nature #wildlife #beach #birdlovers #birding #seabirds #ocean #explore
- BONXIES IN THE MIST! First Great Skua egg of the Mingulay 2025 season found today by ultimate champion volunteer Zoë Stevenson. #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
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- Puffin productivity is monitored annually on #StKilda to establish trends in breeding success over time. The plot was visited for the first time this year by #NTSSeabirds Ecologist Liz and the St Kilda Ranger. Here's hoping for positive results this year. #SuperSeabirdSunday
- Great to be back out on @stkildawhs.bsky.social A successful trip yesterday to mark out some #puffin burrows for #NTSseabirds monitoring work #seabirds #stkilda
- The difference a few days makes on #stkilda Hoping the fog lifts so we can get out and monitor some #NTSseabirds today!
- Catch up with us at the beginning of the #stkilda season with our first blog of the year www.nts.org.uk/stories/from... #islandlife #hebrideanlife #stkildaclub @n-t-s.bsky.social
- ELITE levels of Thrift on Mingulay at the moment! Can’t get enough of it 👌👌👌
- Check out the Mingulay Seabird Ranger's account for news from another spectacular #NTSSeabirds island during the course of the season! @ntsmingulay.bsky.social
- Such a privilege to head up to the seabird cliffs of Mingulay today and get to follow the lives of the seabirds so intimately throughout the summer 🐦🥚🐦🥚🐦🥚 #NTSSeabirds #SuperSeabirdSunday
- Great to be back out on @stkildawhs.bsky.social A successful trip yesterday to mark out some #puffin burrows for #NTSseabirds monitoring work #seabirds #stkilda
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- Please report all sightings of dead birds for possible testing for Avian Influenza. 📌In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/rep... 📌In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/services/dae... 📌In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.services.agriculture.gov.ie/report #Ornithology #UKBirding
