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Ros Kennerley

@drroskennerley.bsky.social
114 followers 96 following 57 posts

Chair of IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, based at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust | interested in conservation in general, but threatened mammals & birds in particular | PhD on mammals | Bird ringer | Views are my own.

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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
static.klipy.com
DeLorean Time Travel Vanish
ALT: DeLorean Time Travel Vanish
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's not often that you can say you've come Back To The Future... After a brilliant workshop and field expedition to the rainforest of Ethiopia, I've gone from welcoming in 2019 there to arriving back in the UK 7 years later!
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
A great write up by @aukwardlucia.bsky.social about her studies on Pelicans in Britain.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Big funding news for global species conservation. Well done to everyone at @rewildorg.bsky.social for making this happen.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
This sounds interesting, do you know who's involved in the research?
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
It's a strangely human-centric way of viewing the natural world to use the reasoning of them being part of folklore (in continental Europe) and capturing people's imagination as two of the reasons for the release.
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Paul Dolman @pauldolman.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Naturally colonised Night Heron, Little Egret, Great Egret and Crane alongside resident Grey Heron are not enough, apparently, and cultural connections mean we should introduce another generalist predator into the last fragile refuges for Amphibians & reptiles. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘They’re part of folklore’: storks return to Derbyshire after 600-year absence
Conservationists are thrilled at the arrival of three juvenile birds at Willington Wetlands, hoping more will follow
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Did sturgeon ever breed in Britain? Evaluating historical evidence and conservation implications royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Did sturgeon ever breed in Britain? Evaluating historical evidence and conservation implications
Abstract. Historical archives can provide unique perspectives on past biodiversity and have the potential to reconstruct life-history cycles for lost popul
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
As it's a species the SMSG represents, I suppose I'm obliged to vote Hedgehog 🗳️ 🦔https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgzrpe6mzjo Puzzled as to why a wildlife expert panel would include non-native brown hares on the list...
bbc.co.uk
Puffin and bumblebee among 18 creatures shortlisted to feature on banknotes
The Bank of England is asking the public which animals should appear on future banknotes.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Including this one with two chicks in East Dartmoor NNR!
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BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
It’s May, so no more seed and peanuts in bird feeders. BTO Senior Research Ecologist Dr Kate Plummer, part of the Technical Steering Group that carried out the evidence review on which the new guidance is based, sets out the reasoning behind the changes in this BTO blog ➡️ www.bto.org/our-work/new...
Two Greenfinches perch on a hanging bird feeder.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I wonder if they've seen the latest NE position statement? naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2026/05/08/w...
naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
White stork, black stork and other vagrant bird species
By Jeremy Sabel and Matt Heydon Natural England’s Species Recovery & Reintroductions Team Projects involving the release of white stork Ciconia ciconia capture the public imagination. If fairy tales a...
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
As of yesterday, we recorded the first pied flycatcher chicks at Yarner Woods. Things are about to get even busier! @piedflynet.bsky.social
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I'd prefer not to see changes in legislation that would make it easier to introduce non-native species like European Bison! www.itv.com/news/meridia...
itv.com
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Presumably the new statement will mean that no public money goes towards any further releases then?? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Harper Adams student researching reintroduction of storks to Britain
PhD student Sophie Rabone is considering the impact of reintroducing the species more widely.
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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Species go up and down annually, but a two-thirds (66%) decline of a resident bird in a single year is sign of accelerating terminal decline - that's not a slump that the single-brooded, low-density, low dispersal Willow Tit is going to bounce back from. Bad years get worse, better years are rare.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
The oak leaves are emerging at Yarner, so the frass monitoring has begun! All the traps out and we might have found a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nest 🤞 @piedflynet.bsky.social
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
I'll make sure to read it Caerphilly.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 11/04/2026
Cuba’s doctors were a lifeline for the world. Now the Caribbean is shamefully complicit in the US drive to expel them | Kenneth Mohammed
theguardian.com
Cuba’s doctors were a lifeline for the world. Now the Caribbean is shamefully complicit in the US drive to expel them | Kenneth Mohammed
For decades, Cuban doctors have served the Caribbean’s most marginalised. Now, as Cuba faces its own crisis, the region looks away, waiting on Trump’s approval
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The debate on European bison in Iberia continues, with an excellent message here from Nores et al. on the need for a strong evidence base for driving conservation decisions... doi.org/10.1111/csp2... Many points are relevant for UK #rewilding discussions too!
doi.org
The conservation management of European bison requires strong evidence and careful risk assessment: A response to “Comment: Nores et al. (2024) fail in their attempt to demonstrate the inappropriateness of an eventual introduction of the European bison to Spain as a rewilding initiative”
Click on the article title to read more.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Hmm...it's a sufficiently vague waffly statement in the article! We have Birds of Conservation Concern which is for the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man www.bto.org/sites/defaul... and the most recent one (2021) listed it as 'Amber'.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
A perfect sunny day to set up audio recorders at Yarner Woods with @ajhdoyle.bsky.social & @piedflynet.bsky.social. The recorders will act as a remote nest box monitoring tool to estimate breeding behaviour, phenology & success of the Pied Flycatchers. Find out more: www.durham.ac.uk/staff/andrew...
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PiedFly.Net @piedflynet.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
First Pied flycatcher at East Dartmoor today continuing the trend for earlier arrival. Another present at Dunsford Woods today. Also have the earliest ever first tit egg recorded (data starts in 1955) by two days - a Coal tit egg laid yesterday. Discovered with @drroskennerley.bsky.social
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
A morning well-spent: checking and repairing nest boxes in Yarner Wood with @piedflynet.bsky.social. No signs of any Pied Flycatchers yet though...
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Rhett Ayers Butler @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
The emotional price of conservation work news.mongabay.com/2026/03/the-...
news.mongabay.com
A profession built on hope, strained by loss
Earlier this month, Jeremy Hance’s “‘An epidemic of suffering’: Why are conservationists breaking down?” and the follow-up commentary “Emotional and psychological stresses beleaguer conservation profe...
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
I'm happy to see 𝗧𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 was awarded full funding. Well done to Dr. Gwen Maggs and the @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social team! Looking forward to seeing the changes and benefits this makes to this wonderful part of Cornwall. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Ambitious' nature project aims to link Cornish habitats
Cornwall Wildlife Trust says work will include bringing more beavers to Helman Tor nature reserve.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
It's such a nice feeling to think I played a teeny tiny part in this successful project. Well done to all those involved in the Rathlin LIFE RAFT Project rathlin360.com/life-raft/ 📷Lapwing chick monitored on Rathlin Island
Ros holding a lapwing chick.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Just had a moment when I realised it's been nearly 20 years to the day🫣 that I began an amazing spring/summer on Rathlin Island as a research assistant examining the effects of introduced mammalian (ferret) and native avian predators on ground-nesting birds. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Predatory feral ferrets removed from an island for the first time ever
Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland is ferret-free after £4.5m five-year partnership led by RSPB NI
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Hi Ross, there's a section on bison in our paper that came out earlier this week: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Integrating environmental archives into conservation: using historical data to evaluate species suitability for reintroduction
Abstract. Evidence-based conservation planning is typically informed by recent data, but anthropogenic activities have shaped biodiversity throughout histo
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
An addition, rather than a replacement unfortunately www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Hopes for breeding Kent bison herd in new UK location
The animals, from the Blean Bison Project near Canterbury, have been relocated to Cumbria.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I wish journalists would stop using the word 'reintroduce' in articles talking about European Bison and the UK. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Hopes for breeding Kent bison herd in new UK location
The animals, from the Blean Bison Project near Canterbury, have been relocated to Cumbria.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
We have developed a framework to help decision makers. The paper uses a series of engaging case studies from the UK, including European Bison🦬, Moor Frogs, and Dalmatian Pelicans, to highlight why each part of the framework is important to consider for any conservationist.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Historical data 📖🦴📉are essential for planning species reintroductions. They can help conservationists to define whether a species can be interpreted as native under modern environmental conditions, and whether its former population status, ecology, and causes of extinction are adequately understood.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
New paper out! 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: u𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
A successful annual meeting at the weekend for @piedflynet.bsky.social, with around 60 keen attendees there to hear about last season's results, @cateden91.bsky.social's research on spotted flycatchers, the Two Moors Pine Marten project, and to generally feel geed-up about the season ahead!
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Written evidence can be inaccurate and open to different interpretations. There's an interesting thread here about some of the reasons why the written accounts for European tree frogs may not be reliable: threadreaderapp.com/thread/16692...
threadreaderapp.com
Thread by @Alexander_Lees on Thread Reader App
@Alexander_Lees: No robust evidence for the status of European Tree Frogs (Hyla arborea) as a historically lost British species. Two threads: 1/25 It can be a challenge to prove ‘lost native’ status a...
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Global Environment Facility (GEF) @thegef.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
🌍 The late Gustavo Fonseca’s legacy lives on through the Fonseca Leadership Program. The GEF & @wcs.org invite applications for the Young Leaders in Africa Fellowship, which supports top African conservationists for Master’s/Ph.D. studies. To learn more: wcs.org/about-us/gra...
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
​​🇯​​🇺​​🇸​​🇹 5️⃣ ​🇩​​🇦​​🇾​​🇸​ ​🇱​​🇪​​🇫​​🇹​ ​🇹​​🇴​ ​🇦​​🇵​​🇵​​🇱​​🇾 !​ 🧪🌿Reconstructing the trophic ecology of Caribbean mammals: new baselines to understand island evolution, extinction & conservation🐀🌴 blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
blogs.reading.ac.uk
CR2026_39 – Crocus DLA
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Palustris @palustris.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
This is the height of ecological illiteracy and shows how wannabe zookeepers have taken over UK nature conservation. Evidence for native status of these species is incredibly tenuous; releasing them into one of our most ancient & irreplaceable ecosystems would be crazy. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Three frogs to be reintroduced to West Acre 'pingos'
The money will be spent on breeding thousands of frogs and managing their release in 2026.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
🚨Caribbean mammal PhD opportunity🚨 🧪🌿Reconstructing the trophic ecology of Caribbean mammals: new baselines to understand island evolution, extinction & conservation🐀🌴 @uor-research.bsky.social, @zslofficial.bsky.social, @nhm.org, and with me at Durrell! blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
blogs.reading.ac.uk
CR2026_39 – Crocus DLA
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Small Mammal Specialist Group @iucn-small-mammals.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct theconversation.com/and-then-the... A great article by SMSG member Prof. John Woinarski.
theconversation.com
And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct
Australia’s only known shrew has been declared extinct. Its loss emphasises the need for national protection of Australia’s rare and unique wildlife.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Fieldwork for this was back in 2018, so it's great to finally have it published. Huge thanks to the fantastic ecologists at Department of Environment and Coastal Resources in Turks & Caicos, colleagues at @nhm-london.bsky.social, and of course Sam at @zslscience.bsky.social doi.org/10.1002/2688...
doi.org
Genetic evidence for invasive rat‐caused vegetation damage has implications for endemic Caribbean mammal management
Conservation translocations of the Bahamian hutia, a threatened Caribbean rodent, have prompted concerns about vegetation damage. Extensive vegetation damage reported on John Higgs Cay (Turks and Cai...
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PiedFly.Net @piedflynet.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Closing date tomorrow, an exciting PhD linking insects with demography of aerial foraging birds such as House martin based @uniexecec.bsky.social in Cornwall.
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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Very firm statement on releases of captive-bred Turtle Doves, from Operation Turtle Dove inc @rspb.bsky.social & @naturalengland.bsky.social: *Doesn't meet IUCN guidelines *Risk of disease/genetic pollution *Irresponsible aims operationturtledove.org/captive-rele... 1/2 #ornithology #ukbirding
operationturtledove.org
Operation Turtle Dove’s view on the release of captive-bred Turtle Doves as a conservation measure - Operation Turtle Dove
Operation Turtle Dove is a science-led conservation partnership working to reverse the decline of Turtle Doves in the UK by restoring habitat and addressing key threats. Learn why captive-bred release...
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Well done Nik and all the team in Mauritius! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Durrell return threatened gecko species to Mauritius
Durrell Conservation says it cared for and bred 30 lesser night geckos at Jersey Zoo for five years.
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
After a 10 year (!) hiatus, I'm happy to be bird ringing again. Thanks to @piedflynet.bsky.social for taking me on as a trainee!!! A juvenile barn owl was not a bad starter bird....
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William (Bill) Sutherland @billsutherland.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
25th Student Conference in Conservation Science, Cambridge, 31 March – 2 April 2026. Looking for postgraduate students and early-career conservation scientists, in a broad range of fields, to apply to present talks or posters on their work. www.sccs-cam.org
sccs-cam.org
Student Conference on Conservation Science - Welcome
SCCS helps young conservation scientists gain experience, learn new ideas and make contacts that will be valuable for their future careers.
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British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) @bou.org.uk · 07/07/2025
🔈 APPLICATIONS OPEN... ...for BOU Small Research Grants & Career Development Bursaries Application deadline: 31 Oct 2025 Full details via links ⬇️ Grants: bou.org.uk/funding/s... Bursaries: bou.org.uk/funding/c... #ornithology 🪶
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
A new postdoctoral research position for @zslscience.bsky.social's Hainan gibbon conservation programme is being advertised! Job description here: careers.zsl.org/vacancies/47...
careers.zsl.org
Postdoctoral Research Assistant - Hainan Gibbon Project in London Zoo | ZSL
View details and apply for this Postdoctoral Research Assistant - Hainan Gibbon Project vacancy in London Zoo. ZSL is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Assistant (PDRA) to work on a long-term proj...
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Ros Kennerley @drroskennerley.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Seems like a happy coincidence that I read this bsky.app/profile/mong... article, on the day I'm starting a 3-week trip to explore the amazing flora and fauna of Alejandro de Humboldt National Park in eastern Cuba. news.mongabay.com/short-articl...
news.mongabay.com
Ecologists are spending less time in the field. That could be a problem.
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. There was a time when an ecologist’s education was not complete with...
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