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Stephen Mulvey

@stephenmulvey

Freelance journalist, ex-mature student (Conservation MSc at UCL), treasurer of the London Bat Group and Fellow of the Linnean Society. In the distant past reported from Kyiv and Baku.

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06.10.2023
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Latest posts by Stephen Mulvey @stephenmulvey

Photo of a round, orange lichen growing flat on dark grey rock. Lichen is comprised of numerous tightly packed branches radiating outward from the middle. Middle of the lichen is covered in hundreds of small orange discs.

Photo of a round, orange lichen growing flat on dark grey rock. Lichen is comprised of numerous tightly packed branches radiating outward from the middle. Middle of the lichen is covered in hundreds of small orange discs.

Rusavskia elegans #lichen. About 3cm in diameter. #Yellowknife, NWT, Canada.
#fungi #fungifriends

11.03.2026 22:21 πŸ‘ 276 πŸ” 34 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 2
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Wildlife to replace historical figures on banknotes The public will help choose which animals and birds will appear on the Bank of England's new notes.

Right. Time to get Beavers, Wild Cats and Lynx put on banknotes:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

11.03.2026 13:15 πŸ‘ 94 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 12 πŸ“Œ 3
Red lights installed in Worcestershire to support bats
Red lights installed in Worcestershire to support bats YouTube video by Worcestershire County Council

See also: youtu.be/nHOiB7skpfA

10.03.2026 11:17 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ¦‡πŸ¦‡πŸ¦‡πŸ’‘πŸ’‘πŸ’‘πŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺπŸ’ͺ

10.03.2026 10:28 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable

β€œThe nine big retailers account for 94.5% of all retail food. That’s nine companies, using just 131 distribution centres. In drone war, that’s a sitting duck.”

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

08.03.2026 17:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Lynx could return to Scotland – but can rewilders win over wary Highlanders? With most Scots supportive of reintroducing the wild cat, charities are focusing on those whose jobs could be affected

β€œA six-year effort by the Lynx to Scotland coalition of charities does not aim simply to create a supportive majority – 61% of Scots are already in favour, according to a 2025 poll – but to build acceptance among… farmers, gamekeepers and deer stalkers.”
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

06.03.2026 15:31 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I recommend James Shapiro’s book, 1599, which points out that the first draft of Hamlet (later published in the Second Quarto) was finished by year’s end - though, at 4 hours long, it had to be revised, in early 1600, in order to be performed. Thank you, though, for a very interesting point.

05.03.2026 19:07 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Meet three scientists who said no to Epstein The warning signs included a web search, a mother’s doubts, and inklings of a β€œsexist attitude”

β€˜Instead of Googling Epstein, Aaronson, then 29, turned to what he considered an even more reliable source: his mother. She did some checking. β€œBe careful not to get sucked up in the slime-machine going on here,” she wrote back.’ www.science.org/content/arti...

04.03.2026 16:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ¦‡

20.02.2026 08:27 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ¦‡ (quote-posting with emoji to ensure it goes on the feed)

20.02.2026 08:04 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
https://www.fischereiverein-gaildorf.de/naturlehrpfad/ufervegetation/

https://www.fischereiverein-gaildorf.de/naturlehrpfad/ufervegetation/

πŸ¦‡ #BatsInArt #PreciousBats #BatIllustration #German #19thCentury
Eduard Oscar Schmidt (1823 - 1886)
DAUBENTON'S BAT
Engraving; BREHMS TIERLEBEN, small edition, 1927

17.02.2026 04:57 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2
Post image Post image Post image

The glory of Early Star of Bethlehem, in flower this year.

11.02.2026 20:47 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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If you want to know what Reform would be like in power, look at how it threatened Bangor University | Gaby Hinsliff A debating society didn’t want to invite two figures connected to the party to speak. Cue an authoritarian response, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

β€œWhat the Bangor affair underlines… is that the right to free speech isn’t the same as the right to a free audience whenever you happen to be campaigning in the neighbourhood.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

13.02.2026 08:32 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

β€˜When asked by The Hill if Gallup had received any feedback from the White House or anyone in the current administration before making the decision, the spokesperson said, β€œthis is a strategic shift solely based on Gallup’s research goals and priorities.” β€˜

thehill.com/homenews/med...

11.02.2026 22:24 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientistβ€”because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

06.02.2026 09:09 πŸ‘ 47153 πŸ” 19330 πŸ’¬ 1352 πŸ“Œ 795

Approx a year ago!

25.01.2026 09:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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24.01.2026 22:39 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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πŸ¦‡ Government quietly released a report today. Just 3% of the most important habitat for wildlife is in good condition.

This must change or wildlife will be lost forever.

Don’t let this report slip under the radar: www.wcl.org.uk/sickening-st...

22.01.2026 16:25 πŸ‘ 28 πŸ” 20 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
A large display with thousands of insects, most of them tiny

A large display with thousands of insects, most of them tiny

A section of the display of bugs

A section of the display of bugs

Another section

Another section

Another section with some of the larger bugs

Another section with some of the larger bugs

This is really cool, it's a display of all the bugs found on a single tree.

#Invertebrate

06.01.2026 01:47 πŸ‘ 160 πŸ” 43 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 7
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Trump: "I haven't been able to find any windfarms in China."

Reality: China has far more windfarms than any other country on Earth

21.01.2026 16:13 πŸ‘ 568 πŸ” 219 πŸ’¬ 25 πŸ“Œ 21

"There are windmills all over Europe. There are windmills all over the place."

Trump slipping into spoken-word poetry.

21.01.2026 13:57 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Hey, we're getting to Greenland.

"I was going to leave it out of the speech..."

Apparently Greenland is going to be American because they defended it from the Nazis in World War II, which is bad news for Paris I guess.

21.01.2026 14:01 πŸ‘ 122 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 1

MBS was also said to have been signed up. Why is he dragging his feet?

21.01.2026 11:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Colorado is working on a plan to reintroduce wolverines next. Here’s what it would look like. Following a rocky rollout of wolves, state officials are taking a cautious approach to the reintroduction of wolverines

β€œWolverines naturally exist at very low densities wherever they are found” said Inman. β€œFifty to 100 wolverines may not sound like a lot, but that is likely in the same ballpark as the historical capacity here in Colorado.”

coloradosun.com/2026/01/14/c...

15.01.2026 08:49 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Buy Greenland? Take It? Why? An Old Pact Already Gives Trump a Free Hand.

β€œThe U.S. has such a free hand in Greenland that it can pretty much do what it wants,” said Mikkel Runge Olesen… β€œI have a very hard time seeing that the U.S. couldn’t get pretty much everything it wanted,” he said, adding, β€œif it just asked nicely.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/w...

07.01.2026 13:38 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It's New Year, so time to look back and forward. These are 10 things I think we need to recognise in 2026. It’s a response to what I think are profoundly damaging mistaken assumptions I’ve heard and read from practitioners, journalists, and analysts in 2025. Warning: very long🧡

01.01.2026 16:55 πŸ‘ 1349 πŸ” 699 πŸ’¬ 34 πŸ“Œ 216
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Increasing tolerance of wolves in Montana, United States (2012–2023) There is little reliable human dimensions data on people's attitudes toward wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains despite global interest in wolf management in the area, and limited information glob...

🚨 New Lab paper! 🚨

Contrary to assumptions & media narratives, most people have positive attitudes toward wolves & are tolerant of them. This is true around the world & even here in MT where 74% of Montanans are tolerant or very tolerant of wolves. 1/ conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

13.12.2025 04:16 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
A Hoopoe perches on fallen tree trunk showing its orange crest, down-curved bill, and black, white and sandy brown plumage. Image credit bottom right reads Hoopoe by Edmund Fellowes / BTO.

A Hoopoe perches on fallen tree trunk showing its orange crest, down-curved bill, and black, white and sandy brown plumage. Image credit bottom right reads Hoopoe by Edmund Fellowes / BTO.

1/🧡 Two bird species bred in the UK in 2023 for the first time since the 1990s!

The latest report by @ukrbbp.bsky.social published in @britishbirds.bsky.social confirmed a pair of Hoopoes raised three young from a nest in Leicestershire and Rutland. #Ornithology

13.12.2025 18:00 πŸ‘ 98 πŸ” 30 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 2
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Professor Tim Lenton of @exeter.ac.uk with an incredibly important warning about the dire consequences for the UK if we continue burning fossil fuels and cause the #AMOC ocean current to cross a tipping pointβ€”which could happen at 2Β°C.

Full talk: link below.
#NEB2025 #FoodShortages

12.12.2025 09:54 πŸ‘ 47 πŸ” 32 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 10
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Tiny forests, huge claims: The evidence gap behind the Miyawaki method for forest restoration To scale up restoration effectively, practitioners and policymakers should prioritize methods supported by robust empirical evidence rather than relying on untested claims. Our findings highlight the....

β€œReported outcomes offered weak to null evidence for most claimed benefits, including rapid growth, accelerated succession, self-sustainability, cost efficiency, enhanced biodiversity, higher carbon sequestration and increased tree density.”
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

14.12.2025 11:42 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0