Dogs before data = Better data

Language matters

Wind farm work is physically demanding: there’s very early starts, long drives, working away from home, handlers walking 15–20km a day, post-survey data management, and providing 24/7 care to our dogs. This can go on for weeks or even months at a time. 🗓️

It is a requirement for teams to be regularly assessed on sites to determine their detection rates. These trials should: ✅ Be conducted independently (not by the company supplying the dog teams) for oversight and quality assurance.

At Skylos, we don’t see our dogs as “monitoring tools”—they are our co-workers and deserve the same care and welfare consideration as our handlers. This is documented in our Canine Welfare Policy. 📑

Since 2012, we’ve been working at wind farms & we have 21 years of experience collecting bat & bird mortality data at sites across Australia.

🌬️ Last month, Director Tracy Lyten presented at @ecolsocaus.bsky.social conference on standards and best practice for wind farm mortality detection dogs. 🦇🦅

Just a couple of Rogues in Australia! Thanks for our T-shirts @roguedogs.bsky.social!

Just a boy and his Batty. 🦇 Couldn’t help but do a little comparison photoshoot after we found Batty today (who had gone M.I.A for quite some time!) 🔎 Arran at 2 months old ➡️ 2 years old.

The conference gave us the opportunity to finally meet some folks in person that we’ve been working with virtually for years! Plus, we got to spend quality time with some of our favourite people, who are all doing incredible work across Australia! @ecolsocaus.bsky.social @tasbiophiliac.bsky.social

We attended the Wind Energy & Wildlife Symposium, learning about improving decision-making in planning wind farm developments, post-construction mortality monitoring results, & solutions to minimise impacts on bird & bat species; curtailment, IdentiFlight & blade painting. @ecolsocaus.bsky.social

Tracy stepped-up for Skylos Ecology and presented on standards and best practices for using conservation dogs in mortality surveys at wind farms. 🦺 @ecolsocaus.bsky.social

🐕 Tuesday was all about the Detection Dogs in Ecological Research Symposium and the chance for all of us “conservation dog folk” to connect again. It was so inspiring to hear what others have been up to in this field lately. 👏 🐾 💚 @tasbiophiliac.bsky.social @ecolsocaus.bsky.social

Fi and Tracy had a brilliant couple of days at the @ecolsocaus.bsky.social conference earlier this week! 🌿✨

Congratulations to our very own Tracy Lyten for winning the Out Standing in the Field: Ecologists in Action category at the Ecological Society of Australia conference photography competition! 📸🤩 #EcologyInAction #PhotographyCompetition #PartnershipForThePlanet #ESAus2024

Join us in congratulating our winners! #naturephotography #ecology

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🫡🇺🇸

Renewable energy is key for our future, but do we fully understand the environmental trade offs? Conservation detection dogs are helping us collect the most accurate data across the globe to help inform our management decisions. Here is Arran conducting bird & bat mortality surveys in Australia.

New paper! besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... - Grant Linley et al.

@bsky.app is starting to pop off and we are here for it 🍃

🚨🌾 Grass Seed Season Alert! 🌾🚨 It’s that time of year again. 😒 Grass seeds pose big dangers to our dogs! These pesky seeds can cause serious pain and health issues for our dogs 🐕, and are a serious biosecurity risk too 🌱🚫. From the archives is our grass seed blog 💚 💻 lnkd.in/gWMPPdYX

Have a wonderful festive season!

There's a deep sense of sadness and loneliness seeing this record shattering graph. November 17, 2023 was the first day in recorded history when the earth's surface was a whole 2°C hotter than pre-industrial times. Yet, there's barely any chatter about this staggering breach.

🎂 Happy 1st Birthday to our Arran! 🩵 He captured our hearts the moment we met him and has grown up to be the sweetest, coolest little dude. Here’s to many more years, and lots of adventures, with this great guy. #birthdayboy

🌾 Grass Seed Season 🌾 From skin irritations and piercing, to potential infections, it’s the time of year when pesky grass seeds require our attention, both at work and at home. You can read about all our grass seed steps here: www.skylosecology.com/post/grass-seed-season-check-check-and-check-again

🌧️ A rainy day yesterday was the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and get into the festive spirit! ☃️🎄🐾 Happy Holidays everyone! www.instagram.com/reel/C0pSL-e...

Hello 💙☁️! If you don’t know us yet, we adopt 🎾 obsessed shelter dogs & give them a new lease on life as #WildlifeDogs! Our “Conservation Canines” sniff for clues on endangered species & assist wildlife research endeavors! We hope you’ll follow along in our adventures in conservation science!

We start our surveys at first light during the summer months. #safetyfirst #conservationdogs #australiansummer #dogsbeforedata

🥵It’s feeling hot out there 🥵 #safetyfirst #conservationdogs #australiansummer #dogsbeforedata 📸 Look at this post on Facebook www.facebook.com/share/p/sFvv...

Glad to be part of the @bsky.app Fiona & Oakley (K9) enjoying another kind of blue sky in Silverton NSW whilst taking a rest after completing wind farm surveys. #conservationdogs #australia