Hidden nature

Re-discovering the UK's wildlife

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Category: PhD

Some thoughts on SNH and the Strathbraan raven licence

I don’t normally post about controversial or political subjects on this blog. Firstly, because it is a blog about celebrating and appreciating our natural world; secondly, because my PhD is controversial and political enough. I study the conflict between grouse shooting interests and raptor conservation interests in Scotland – at best, a highly charged, heavily…

A year in fieldwork

It seems like an awful long time ago since I last wrote a blog. In fact, it was an awful long time ago. My last post was dated June 2017, and that one even started with an apology for being 7 months late with it. Well, another eight months later and here we are! I…

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I. Cannot. Wait. 🌊 . . Sadly I don't live within 5 miles of the sea at the moment, and for someone who has lived by the big blue their whole lives, it's pretty weird. Since October, I've been dividing my week between my research post in Stirling & the west coast, and when lockdown came in I got beached. I knew how important regular access to water was for my mental health, and my brain feels particularly foggy this week seeing folk being able to dip their toes in again. But hey - it'll just make me appreciate the underwater world even more, and I'm happy knowing that we did this to keep others safe and keep unnecessary pressure off our emergency services 🚁 . So for now, I'll be enjoying the mad tangle of woods behind the house, heading up our local hill, and living vicariously through other water babies 🧜‍♀️ If you are lucky enough to live on the coast: go splash around, duck under waves, get sand between your toes, pretend you're a selkie and roll around in the shallows, peep under kelp and have a nosey in rock pools. Be curious. And most importantly: stay safe 😊 . P.s. this video is from last summer, when I was working on the #isleofcoll. Yes, that is Scotland! . . . #seascapes #underwater #travelgram #beachlife #bythesea #islandlife #protectwhatyoulove #westisbest #freediving #wildswimming #wildtime #naturalworld #staylocal #staysafe

Hey. You. Got any nuts? 🐦 A wee nuthatch, Sitta europaea, having a good cheep. One great thing about lockdown is being able to take the time to note what I see - rather than pounding the trails out of necessity 🕖 . . . . . . #birdsofinstagram #nature #wildtime #optoutside #woodlandcreatures #trees #naturephotography

All hail the mighty kelp bed, AKA the forests of the sea 🌊 🌴 What you're looking at here is one of the most important marine habitats we have. These dense forests are multi-purpose, acting as shelters, food sources, nurseries, hunting grounds, protection, carbon stores and coastal defences. Not to mention a pretty beautiful place to have a peaceful dive. 🌊 The "forest floor" has lots of little nooks and crannies, perfect for supporting a huge variety of marine life: anemones, sea squirts, sponges, other seaweeds, small crustaceans, starfish & urchins. Fish lay their eggs here, and the leafy canopy provides a nursery for commercially & ecologically important species like cod, haddock, sandeels and saithe. Seals and seabirds are supported too, as they take advantage of the rich pickings on offer. 🌊 And, if that wasnt enough...they play a vital role in carbon sequestration, removing CO2 from the atmosphere. AND provide our coasts with a degree of protection from oncoming storms - absorbing energy from the waves. Pretty amazing, right? . . #underwater #kelp #prioritymarinefeature #marinelife #freediving #summer #travelgram #instatravel #protectwhatyoulove #saveourseas #uwphotography #marineconservation

Going to B&Q on a sunday like...😬 . . Missing the season with these little busy bodies! . . #puffinsofinstagram #atlantic #marinelife #seabirdsunday #seabirds #wildlifephotography #naturalworld #roamtheplanet

#UnlikelyNature Nature crops up in the most random of places. We often think that we need to head off into the wilds to experience it, but in reality it's everywhere - poking up between pavestones, breaking through cracks in the wall, tucked away in the corner of the window, stalking the fallen leaves in your garden or hiding out in your cosy shed. 🌸 From Monday, the awesome team at @afocusonnature are asking YOU to take snaps of the nature you find in the most unexpected of places. Lockdown is the perfect time for us to appreciate the tiny things we have close by, whether that be an exotic garden visitor, or the dandelions snaking their way up your doorstep. Make sure you tag them, and use the hashtag #UnlikelyNature !

Conservation isn't black and white, but many different shades of grey. Many of our big-scale environmental issues are complex, multi-dimensional, and messy. Why? Because they involve humans, and we are a messy species. We bring values, emotions, politics, cultures, histories and social norms into the equation, which is then tossed into the melting pot with more economic and scientific arguments. But, the problem is, we dont like acknowledging this chaos. Environmental problems are much easier to comprehend if we simplify them. It's much less messy to focus on interest groups, charismatic species, monetary or technical solutions. But, what happens when these attempts fail? Where do we go from here? 🌍 I've had a lot of interesting conversations lately about how to communicate my work effectively. I do a lot of #scicomm around nature and marine life, but mainly work in #conservation #conflicts, and #research all their gloriously complicated human parts. But social science and politics isnt as glamorous or easy to understand as an iconic species or endangered habitat. This article for @scotlandtbp is an attempt. My #phd, told through observations and the voices of the people involved. This focuses on the grouse shooting debate, but also links it to a more global, systemic problem in how we frame and tackle our biggest, messiest environmental challenges. Link here: https://bit.ly/3ce4a14 Thoughts welcome 💡 . . . #conservation #GlobalChallenges #environment #research #conflicts #SciComm #HumanNature #environmentaljournalism #naturalworld