Meet #MisaShimizu from Japan, a 2º year PhD student at the Nature Research Centre in Lithuania studying avian haemosporidian parasites from The Gambia 🌍. She uses both microscopy 🔬& molecular 🧬 techniques to study parasite diversity and host–parasite relationships, focusing on Haemoproteus species 🦠

📆❗REMINDER! You have until the 16th of April to apply for reimbursement for any of the three events of #WiMaNet: 1️⃣The pre-conference summer school: bsky.app/profile/wima... 2️⃣ The conference: bsky.app/profile/wima... 3️⃣ The summer school: bsky.app/profile/wima...

📰📢 We have now opened a call for funding for the following three events, taking place in Spain during August/September. Take notes! 📝

1️⃣ Phylogenomics summer school, 31st August - 1st September, Badajoz. 🌐 The training school will consist of three days of lectures and practical activities designed to introduce students to phylogenomics analysis 💻

3️⃣ 3rd WIMANET summer school, 7th - 11th September, Doñana, Spain. It will consist of five days of lectures and practical activities designed to introduce students to a broad range of research activities and skills related to vector capture and identification, and bioinformatics analysis 🦟🧬👩‍💻

Critically endangered hooded vultures are being driven to extinction in Benin. Recent research found 522 birds for sale across nine markets, fueled by belief-based demand. With populations down by up to 96%, experts are calling for urgent law enforcement to stop this illegal trade. Learn more 👇️

📢 Announcement: We are delighted to announce the VII International Congress on Malaria and Other Blood Parasites of Wildlife, taking place in Badajoz, Spain, from September 2-5, 2026.

We invited you to ⏯, stay 3 minutes with us and know more about his work! 👇 youtu.be/YozYP_ZeeN0?...

In this interview, Vaidas highlights that his main motivation for joining WIMANET was to build connections ↔️ and to have a platform to share his experience with the new generation of researchers 🤝. Press ▶️ and know more about him: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyQN...

I’ve definitely had worse views from the office! Long-tailed glossy starling, plantain eater and broad-billed roller (host to a new Leucocytoon lineage) added bonus/distractions 😁

After a thoroughly surreal day involving mild car peril, (temporary) police detention of samples, and a broken plane, I find myself still in the Gambia, still with a fabulous group of people looking forward to exploring the gardens in this 5-star resort tomorrow morning!

Absolutely magical on the Gambian beach at night, optimistically trying to catch storm petrels, enjoying the stars, and bioluminescent plankton in the waves

Absolutely magical on the Gambian beach at night, optimistically trying to catch storm petrels, enjoying the stars, and bioluminescent plankton in the waves

If you want to know more about what we do and hear about the ecology of wildlife malaria in a changing world, join us in the symposium at #ICOPA2026 in Montréal. See you in 6 months! :)

I’m still astounded by the diversity of birds in the Gambia - we have samples from well over 200 bird species as part of our blood parasite project, and we’re still catching new species daily! So far today, four new species, including two of these beautiful Abyssinian rollers. Photo by Richard Geary

We are hiring at the Wytham Woods for the upcoming field season. 4 roles available. Please share with anyone who might be interested. #UKbirds #birdringing

Bird flu outbreak blamed for death of Brayford Pool swans https://www.europesays.com/uk/697165/ The Lincoln Swan Project is run jointly by Dr Laetitia Marechal from the University of Lincoln and Dr…

The Lincoln Swan Project says it is actively monitoring reports of swan deaths around Lincoln

Happy New Year from the Lincoln Swan Project! Thank you to all our fantastic data collectors who submitted an astounding 918 sightings of individually ringed birds in 2025, giving us fascinating insights. Please carry on submitting your sightings or sign up (link in bio). Big plans for 2026!

Happy New Year from the Cheshire Swan Project! Thank you to everyone who has submitted their sightings through the App - we received an astounding 3,344 sightings of 155 individual swans during 2025! Please carry on submitting your sightings or sign up (link in bio). Big plans for 2026!

Excited to be part of our @wimanet.bsky.social symposium at ICOPA in August! icopa2026.org #ICOPA2026

Well, that was different. Google search for starling, pressed a button looking like two birds in flight and the words took off and started flying around the page... well played, google, well played.

New paper! Congratulations to PhD student Misa Shimizu on her first PhD paper: "Review of Genetic Information of Morphologically Described Haemoproteus Parasites Recorded in GenBank and MalAvi Databases" More data needed from non-passerine birds!! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

New paper! Congratulations to PhD student Misa Shimizu on her first PhD paper: "Review of Genetic Information of Morphologically Described Haemoproteus Parasites Recorded in GenBank and MalAvi Databases" More data needed from non-passerine birds!! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Good grief. 39 pages of email correspondence, dated from March, about CITES import permits. Several assurances that I will have permits to take with me. Then that they will be with border force waiting for me. Now on a train to the airport and they need more information that I cannot get in time.

Unfortunately there is no treatment for affected birds. Some do recover, but sick birds should not be moved due to risk of disease spread. Rescues cannot take any birds with suspected avian influenza. Reporting to help us track and understand the spread of the disease is the best way to help. 🦢

Sadly, the same also goes for Mute Swans, with mortality now reported from both @lincolnswans.bsky.social and @cheshireswans.bsky.social. If you feel comfortable to do so, please do check for rings and report them. This provides invaluable data for wildlife disease research.

Sadly, the same also goes for Mute Swans, with mortality now reported from both @lincolnswans.bsky.social and @cheshireswans.bsky.social. If you feel comfortable to do so, please do check for rings and report them. This provides invaluable data for wildlife disease research.

We're now starting to get reports of dead Whooper Swans with rings. If you find a dead bird & feel comfortable doing so - check for rings using the below @btobirds.bsky.social advice 👇🏻 Collecting information on ringed birds helps better understand the impact on different age groups.

Fully funded PhD opportunity based at @york.ac.uk through the ECOWILD DTP working with a great supervisory team (!) on the impact of multiple stressors on wetland bird health www.findaphd.com/phds/project... Deadline 9th Jan 2026

New paper! "Optimizing Lankesterella Detection in Avian Hosts: A Comparative Analysis of Microscopic and Molecular Techniques" published in Integrative Zoology now available online. Well done to PhD student Germán Gutiérrez-Liberato onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...

Fully funded PhD opportunity based at @york.ac.uk through the ECOWILD DTP working with a great supervisory team (!) on the impact of multiple stressors on wetland bird health www.findaphd.com/phds/project... Deadline 9th Jan 2026

Using historical samples from a long-term population of Bluetits we have shown that there has been an increase in malaria infected birds, from 45% in 1996 to around 90%in late 2020s. This increase in transmission is driven by warmer spring temp during the nestling phase. dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....

During the second #WIMANET workshop held in Lithuania, we recorded a series of interviews 🎙🎥 to share with people about what our members do 📰🆕 #meetWIMANETmembers

Do you know someone who does outstanding work on avian pop modelling & forecasting? Or who works at interface of avian conservation and decision making given uncertain futures? Submit a keynote nomination for the BOU conference Avian Futures here: bou.org.uk/event/avian-... . Deadline is next week!

Looking forward to this afternoon’s talk from Prof Nico Smit on the importance of parasite conservation #ICPOW2025

Very much looking forward to this!

New paper in #BirdStudy Field plots scattered with a supplementary seed in summer attracted Turtle Doves with only a low risk of Trichomonas exposure. Good evidence helping to ensure safe actions for supporting Turtle Dove recovery. doi.org/10.1080/0006... #ornithology #ukbirding

Wonderful to have all my lovely lab group in the same place for two weeks at the @wimanet.bsky.social summer school and workshop 😊. Last evening exploring Vilnius before flying home tomorrow.

Wonderful to have all my lovely lab group in the same place for two weeks at the @wimanet.bsky.social summer school and workshop 😊. Last evening exploring Vilnius before flying home tomorrow.

From the 25th to the 28th of August we enjoy the second #Workshop of #WIMANET!

Ever heard of parasite conservation and thought "Why on earth would we want to do that 😱"?! Read our new paper to find out... We cover key questions including: Why conserve parasites? How do you conserve parasites? & What parasite conservation is already happening? doi.org/10.1111/cobi... [1/3]

After a morning discussing wildlife malaria communities and an interview with Lithuanian TV (!) at lunchtime, it’s nice to have an afternoon off, exploring Vilnius city and University (and it’s stopped raining 😊)

Great to hear so much about results from @wimanet.bsky.social funded short term scientific missions during this workshop! Next up Alexandra Corduneanu talking about bat haemosporidian-microbiome interactions

Day 2 of the @wimanet.bsky.social workshop starts with @olofhellgren.bsky.social giving us some fascinating insights into within-infection genetic diversity

Another proud supervisor moment! Claudio Navarette presenting early results from the first year of his PhD studies on using ecological data to gain insights into morphological and molecular characterisation of Leucocytozoon parasites

Proud supervisor moment! Misa Shimizu presenting her PhD research at the @wimanet.bsky.social workshop, on the challenges of identifying Haemoproteus parasites in vultures

Soon we’ll be starting the second session of the @wimanet.bsky.social workshop at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Vilnius. We’ll be considering molecular and morphological characterisation of wildlife malaria!

After a wonderful week, the @wimanet.bsky.social summer school has come to an end. Huge thanks to the local organisers and everyone involved! Next week, the second workshop!