This is an interesting test of colour discrimination. It pays to stare at the hard ones for a while! I managed a 0.0025. @skwinnicki.bsky.social wonders if birders are better at this … www.keithcirkel.co.uk/whats-my-jnd...

this is super cool! The pink katydid all by itself would be one thing, but the gradual shift to green? amazing

Finally, my hooman remembered that it is #Caturday

@aircanada.bsky.social , when are you going to follow suit (www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/t...) and clarify/improve your instrument policies (TRAIN CHECK-IN STAFF!) re instruments? EXACT same thing happened to me, AC Wpg-Toronto. It is totally unacceptable. I have lodged a complaint & not heard back.

@westernu.ca did a write up on our new paper! Forgive me for being proud of this contribution. ☺️ news.westernu.ca/2026/03/rain... #ornithology #birds #meta-analysis #rain

#NewPaperAlert! So incredibly proud of Katy Silber, former PhD student & post-doc for publishing ALL of the work she did in the lab. This last paper @pnas.org answers the question, how and why does rain matter to bird reproduction, *generally*? Here is the graphic summary... details below. 1/n

does anyone have a great photo of a nest (+bird?) in the RAIN?

Last day before reading week: "YAY! I'm half done the term!" First day after reading week: "What??? I still have half a course to prepare and teach???"

WARNING MUSICIANS! @aircanada.bsky.social hates musicians! Despite a clear policy about being able to take instruments on board if there is room in overhead (there was), Mario at Wpg check-in gave me no choice. On jet bridge, I removed the violin from case & cradled it unprotected whole flight.

Spent a week embracing the cold! Reading week in Wpg

Another day, another rejection. At least I don’t take it as hard as I used to

First day of reading week and it is sunny & several degrees above freezing! For the first time in months, I feel that winter might someday be over!

amigos en latinoamerica: por favor, difunden este anuncio entre sus estudiantes

There are so many fucked up things with the current administration that it's hard to focus on one but this recent move is basically a death sentence for the planet. I've been involved with more boots on the ground actions over the years than I can count and this really bums me out.

You can't... repeal... a scientific finding. At that point it's just called lying about it.

today if *finally* warmed up above freezing! I kept on thinking of one of my favourite Rick Mercer skits: "what are you going to do when its plus 1?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkDv...

Super cool seminar from @kristymferraro.bsky.social today at @westernu.ca Biology! I get asked by ecosystem ecologists about the role of birds in ecosystem processes… she had answers.

SK compiled a great list of all the things that are horrible about AI. Well worth the read!

Second ms acceptance in one week? No way… that only happens to other folks

Some days, the sun shines and everything seems just fine

oh YEAH! Ornithology + the Yucatan in December??? Count me in for #IOC2026! If I haven't met you IRL, let's meet there!

Is it ok to be happy about a recently-accepted publication while the US is self-destroying itself? asking for a friend...

It is so easy to live in an academic bubble but so great when I remember to participate in all the cool things happening on campus! Tonight, art opening at the Macintosh gallery with lots of great art and a viola quartet!

hello peeps! If you happen to live in Kansas or nearby, and are interested in how novel grazing technology (remote-controlled cattle!) have advance conservation goals in economically viable ways, come to our workshop!

On the TWELFTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 12 TOURISTS TOURING… (yes, ONLY 12–at one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world!) #Guyana #birds #birding #NaturalHistory #12DaysOfGuyanaChristmas

Biologist kidnapped in Mexico news.mongabay.com/short-articl... 🧪🌎

On the ELEVENTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 11 FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHERS … #Guyana #birds #birding #NaturalHistory #12DaysOfGuyanaChristmas

On the TENTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 10 KINDS of MAMMALS (native non-volant, sorry making up verses is hard)… #Guyana #NaturalHistory #12DaysOfGuyanaChristmas

On the NINTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 9 SCARLET IBIS… #Guyana #birds #birding #12DaysOfGuyanaChristmas

On the EIGHTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 8 AIRPLANE RIDES… (most of them, delayed) #Guyana #birds #birding #12DaysOfGuyanaChristmas

On the SEVENTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 7 COCKS-OF-THE-ROCKS… #Guyana #birds #birding

On the SIXTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 6 STEEL-PAN DRUMMERS… #Guyana

On the FIFTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 5 SCREAMING PIHAS! #Guyana #birds #birding

On the FOURTH day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 4 ECO-LODGES… #Guyana #NaturalHistory #guides #IndigenousRights

On the THIRD day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 3 BLACK CURASSOWS… (Sound on! Context below) #Guyana #birds #birding

The contrast with Guyana could not be greater

On the SECOND day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 2 RED (& green) MACAWS… #Guyana #birds #birding

On the first day of Christmas (Guyanese ver), my true love gave to … a HARPY EAGLE in a Ceiba tree!

Huge congratulations to Dr. Natasha Mhatre on winning the Robert G. Boutilier New Investigator Award from the Canadian Society of Zoologists! Learn more about her lab’s outstanding work on mechanosensory systems in spiders: www.natashamhatre.net/people.html

“What’s up?” asks Bluesky? We are!

In my happy place

Did a thing today! Got one of those LOOOOONG overdue former student ms sent out for review. (Let me see... how many more to go?)

So very sad to see this news. Charles sometimes had lab meetings with my lab during my PhD and was extremely supportive. Condolences to his loved ones

Hey folks! You should follow this new account from our centre! 🦌🐾🪲🦉

My quick trip back to Kansas is over. No regrets about moving, but I do love the Tallgrass prairies, even in the monotone of winter

Fun with feathers! And great reconnecting with former undergrad lab member @jocori.bsky.social who is now doing awesome PhD work at KU

Another Master of science just fledged! I am so proud of Logan Anderson and all that he has accomplished in the past 2 years. Bonus was a celebration with the KSU gang!

Happy thanksgiving to all my US friends!

New OA paper today! This one is very important to me as is the culmination of over a decade of incredibly intensive field work in KS prairies. I will walk you through the take-homes... 1/n #Tallgrass #GRSP #LTER #Konza #PopulationEcology #Rain dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3...

This is beautiful. I also love the obsessive rigour of the approach.