Melissa Hobson
Marine science, conservation and sustainability writer
Melissa Hobson, doing business as The Ocean Writer Ltd., is a marine science and conservation writer based in Hastings. She has written about the ocean for outlets including BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, National Geographic, New Scientist and the Guardian. Visit Melissa’s website at melissahobson.co.uk or follow her on LinkedIn.
Recent articles by Melissa Hobson
Astonishing video reveals the moment a trout jumps a beaver dam, as beavers return to the UK
Close your eyes, and you'll miss it! Beaver Trust captures the amazing moment a trout finds its way past a new beaver dam.
“Don’t forget your hat”. Wildlife photographer couldn’t believe what this deer was wearing on its head
A wildlife photographer in Richmond Park came across a deer with an unlikely accessory. It’s always wonderful to see deer in the UK, but one photographer got a special treat when he spied one of these animals sporting a new accessory: a jackdaw. Wildlife photographer Felix Belloin was in Richmond Park when he saw the unusual duo: the deer was standing calmly as if it didn’t notice the bird perched right on its noggin, pecking gently at its face. “Don’t forget your hat,” Belloin jokes while sharing the footage on Instagram. Although it looks odd, these two creatures actually help each other out. “Jackdaws help the deer lose some of their winter coat by collecting it, and using
"Unforgettable": this footage of Britain’s rarest breeding raptor will blow you away
Wildlife filmmaker shares gorgeous footage of Montagu’s harriers on the hunt for prey.
“I heard a very loud and unfamiliar noise": 15-year-old photographer spots unexpected animal in London park
This young wildlife photographer accidentally found a great spotted woodpecker chick in Bushy Park.
Bright green birds filmed in the centre of London
Ring-necked parakeets aren’t native to the UK but they can be spotted in and around trees in the capital.
"How amazing is it?” Close-up video of a kestrel hovering is the most incredible thing you’ll see all day
Kestrels are renowned for hovering gracefully in the air, looking for tiny animals to hunt.
Aerial footage captures mysterious 'fairy circles' in Scotland. It's the first time they've been filmed here
The strange-looking rings were filmed in the Outer Hebrides.
'Godzilla' species discovered off the coast of Cornwall – and it's bigger than any found in Europe
Divers found the 'godzilla maerl' in the Fal estuary off the coast of St. Mawes.
“He hauls out the wrinkled snout of a primeval beast.” There’s a hidden vault of weird and deadly creatures in this world-famous museum
Venture into the bowels of London’s Natural History Museum and you’ll discover a realm of deep-sea monsters and rarely seen oddities
Aerial photos capture rare whale off US coast. It was last seen 3,000 miles away… in Ireland
There are fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales left in the world. This one just made an epic journey from County Donegal to Boston.
Mysterious 'unicorn of the sea' found in Ireland for the first time ever
The bizarre Arctic creature washed up on a beach in County Donegal on the north coast of Ireland.
“Not even AI could imagine that!” Photographer finds unreal-looking sea creature in Cornwall
Rainbow slugs are being found more frequently in the UK as a result of warming waters.
Heartwarming footage shows beaver swimming to freedom after move from London to Wales
The female beaver has been released in Wales in the hope she will start her own family with a male called Barti.
“Environmental catastrophe.” Millions of microplastics from Southern Water spill wash up in East Sussex
Volunteers in a “race against time” as polluting biobeads wash up on Camber Sands beach.
1970s crisp packet found on UK beach "both fascinating and deeply concerning"
The 50-year-old crisp packet was among 3,516 kilograms of rubbish collected from British beaches in a recent cleanup event.
Scientists to freeze butterfly eggs in world-first experiment to save rare swallowtail
The British swallowtail butterfly is almost entirely restricted to the Norfolk Broads in East Anglia and is under threat from climate change and habitat loss.
“A 60-pound seal is barrelling towards me down the corridor.” My day caring for pups at a rescue centre
Risk, Scrabble, Bop It… not games night at the pub but the rescued seals at Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre. Melissa Hobson spends a day nurturing ailing pups on their road to recovery
“Rare to witness – and even rarer to film”: wildlife watcher captures 8m animal feeding off Irish coast
After watching from a clifftop all weekend, videographer Fionn O'Donoghue caught rare footage of a minke whale lunge feeding near Donegal.
'Alien-like' coral spawning event in London amazes scientists
The Horniman Museum is home to a special coral breeding centre that hopes to give fragile corals a brighter future.
Drone captures orca interaction unlike any other off Scottish coast
The two orcas were "almost embracing each other, something I have never seen before," says skipper James Fairbairns, who recorded the rarely seen behaviour in the Sound of Rum.
“Spooky but spectacular” creatures filmed on night dive in Cornwall
Wildlife filmmaker Adam Radage captured the animals while freediving with friends in Falmouth Bay.
“Unbelievable”: huge animal longer than bus seen leaping from Irish waters
No one knows exactly why these enormous sea creatures breach.
Second largest animal on Earth washes up on Welsh beach. Here’s what happens now
The gigantic animal – roughly the size of a bus – is just the fifth fin whale stranding in Wales in over 30 years.
Scuba diver spots bizarre and beautiful sea creatures off Sussex coast
The waters are thriving with an array of marine animals thanks to improved protections, says a researcher who spent hours underwater.
