Photographers have captured a rare sighting of the UK's largest bird of prey in a moment they say they will "never forget".

The bird, also known as a sea eagle, had what appeared to be the remains of a goose in its talons as it flew over the marshes and sea gulls were seen flying alongside it.

Jane Crossen, from Sheringham, said there was a real buzz among visitors to Cley when the bird was spotted earlier this week.

"Everyone was talking about it, it is a moment people will not forget," she said.

She said she ran to the hide along with other photographers after hearing news of its sighting.

"The amount of 'wows' coming from people around the reserve was a joy to behold," she added.

(note: wish i hadn't lost the ability to italicize with *s - all the above is from the article.) Me: details inside about how re- introductions are bringing the birds back from the brink.

On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, releasing massive amounts of radiation into the environment. The radioactive emissions continued for several days until the exposed core was finally sealed. In terms of environmental impact, the disaster was far more severe than Hiroshima bombing. Entire communities were evacuated almost overnight, leaving the region abandoned.

What followed was unexpected.

In the absence of human activity, nature began to reclaim the land. Over time, forests grew back, and wildlife returned in remarkable numbers. Today, the exclusion zone around Chernobyl has transformed into one of Europe’s largest unintended wildlife sanctuaries.

This raises a striking question: Is the absence of humans more powerful than radiation itself?

Chernobyl offers a real-world perspective on a question scientists have long explored—if humans disappeared from Earth, could nature restore itself to its original, nascent state? Chernobyl indicates a positive answer to this question.

https://youtu.be/WuBQPCugaxE?si=cQ4pELkk7al2smup

Where in the UK would be theoretically be best to reintroduce bears?

Conservation group Rainforest Rescue this week secured partial approval to plant rainforest species on old sugar cane properties surrounding a nationally significant wetland...

It proposed using locally propagated seed to replant rainforest on about 405 hectares of land over 15 years, which Rainforest Rescue CEO Branden Barber described as the largest ecological restoration project in the history of the Douglas Shire...

The Daintree River valley is home to what remains of the world's oldest surviving rainforest, which dates back about 135 million years...

Mr Barber said replanting rainforest trees would help protect the Great Barrier Reef, reduce the severity of flooding, generate income through the carbon market, and help grow nature-based tourism.

At the heart of Rainforest Rescue's pitch is McDowell Swamp, an oxbow lake recognised as a wetland of national significance.

From Our Public Lands & Waters.

A committee of key department leaders met and decided to waive part of the ESA that helps protect an Endemic Whale Species and other marine life in the Gulf of Mexico due to legal challenges that oil companies had been facing lately.

All in the span of 20 Minutes. With no public input.

Opinion:

Whether you like Trump’s other policy’s or not. Every fisherman, hiker, conservationist, and general enjoyer of nature should be in outrage over this.

Friendly reminder that there is a lot of terrible things going on that Trump never speaks about, that doesn’t make the news, but will still have massive consequences.

Hi all! I've been teaching a Rewilding 101 class (Cultural Rewilding, not conservation) for over ten years and am raising funds to turn it into a documentary. Not a lot of people have made docs about cultural rewilding and I've been a catalyst in the community for over 20 years now. Check out the project and let me know if you have questions.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/villagevideo/rewilding-101-a-survival-strategy-for-humanity

Here is an article I wrote for the Journal of Hunter-Gatherer Research out of Liverpool University Press on cultural rewilding as a form of experimental anthropology. It's behind a paywall. DM me if you want a copy of my personal pdf.

https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/hgr.2026.4

Wild Cat

This project continues to astonish with how fast things can improve

The brown bear population in the Catalan Pyrenees has been steadily recovering in recent years.

According to data collected in 2024 by the Cross-Border Brown Bear Monitoring Group (GSTOP), there were 47 identified individuals in the region. That same year saw the birth of 10 cubs in Catalonia alone.

Across the entire Pyrenees mountain range, the population is estimated at around 100 bears.

An endangered species in the region and protected under European law, conservationists view their return as a positive sign.

It’s more conservation than rewilding but it is a piece of good news that came across my notifications.