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Guy Ballard

@guyballard.bsky.social
3.1K followers 898 following 155 posts

Principal Research Scientist, DPIRD. Part-time, Uni of New England, NSW. Dingoes, foxes, cats and quolls. Rock wallabies when time permits. Comments are mine.

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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
How sad. Banning the use of 1080 (in parts of Australia) is really a blow against #conservation and #biosecurity management. People might think they’re fighting cruelty but they’re really condemning thousands of animals to horrible deaths at the teeth, claws and diseases of invasive predators.
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Dr Dave @ecosystemunraveller.com · 28/01/2026
Also great interior accent pieces
Brick wall in a bathroom with hanging plants and a feral horse skull nestled atop a vintage brass luggage rack.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Let’s get #feralhorse skulls trending as landscaping features in Australia. Just one per house = no more feral horses… 🤔
Feral horse skull in a garden bed
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
#dingo (wongari) management on K’gari is complex. Consider how hard it is for QPWS staff to manage this situation. Many stakeholders, lots of media attention. Experts keen to weigh in. This is a wildlife mgmt issue with cultural, economic and ecological aspects to it. I wish them all the best.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Out for a walk? Carry a bag and collect some rubbish. Doesn’t matter if it’s at home or on holiday.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Parasite of the day (be nice)
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Port Macquarie Creek (Home of many quolls!) Oxley Wild Rivers NP
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Middle Creek. Oxley Wild Rivers NP.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Mountain katydid. Saw several while I was servicing cameras today.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
A robber-fly takes out a Chrysomelid beetle. Biological pest control in action!
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
Eastern bearded dragon, Nambucca River, NSW, Australia.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
A praying mantis ootheca on a native paper daisy was my ‘small find’ on the back paddock walk this morning. Christmas beetles are also enjoying several Eucalyptus spp. new growth but far fewer than last year (so far).
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Anthony Ricciardi @ecoinvasions.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
A study of introductions of large herbivorous mammals outside their native range suggests they do more harm than good to local biodiversity. Only 1 in 5 impacts is positive. Positive effects on certain native species often come at a cost to other natives. #bioinvasions www.unifr.ch/news/en/3344...
unifr.ch
Saving a species but at the expense of others?
The way to hell is paved with good intentions. In the hope of saving certain endangered species and ecosystems, some conservation projects propose the introduction of large plant-feeding mammals int...
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Judy Dunlop @judydunlop.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
Thanks Guy!! As @benflips.bsky.social says "it's not rocket science, it's plumbing" #wildoz #esa2025
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild: Spotted-tailed quoll Blue-ringed octopus Australian bustard Mountain katydid Stimpson’s python #biodiversity
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
Blessed are those willing to act in the face of environmental threats. Saint @judydunlop.bsky.social inspired all at her #ESA2025 talk on stopping cane toads in their north western tracks. All power to the WA toad ‘stoppers’.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Best line of the week at #esa2025 belonged to Tiahni Adamson during the #ESA2025 Indigenous Plenary: ‘walking together at the speed of trust’. We all need to embrace this, when working with others.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Incredibly galling to hear $400M to be wasted on shipping ppl to Nauru when we are decades under-funded for meaningful #biosecurity and #environmental action in Australia. 😭
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
Sound principle, now fund the necessary action Minister Watt. ‘we absolutely remain committed to the principle of not just protecting and reducing environmental damage, but restoring our environment.’ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Murray Watt backs ‘no-go’ zones where development is banned – but not for Tasmania’s Robbins Island
Environment minister says scientific evidence did not convince government that remote island qualified
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
An interesting read. 🧪 Names can matter but the ongoing debate about #dingoes specific identity has temporarily obscured another more important issue: managing negative impacts. History suggests a ‘new’ name wont protect #dingoes from Australians who identify them as #pests
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Although introduced red #foxes do eat endemic #possums no one expected this in one of our cage traps this morning
A red fox sitting inside a cage trap.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
🧪 We were lucky enough to find these beautiful #snakes whilst checking our #possum traps this morning. I think they are ‘eastern small eyed snakes’ but happy to be corrected by any genuine herp-nerds.
Two snakes curled against a bare earth background.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
🧪 Wonderful to be in the field with some students this week. We are trapping #possums for a genetic study as well as seeking recaptures from our marked population. The view into the Sara River catchment isn’t bad either…
A landscape view looking down into the treed gorges of north eastern NSW, with misty clouds blowing through.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Apparently some people think that getting rid of specialist admin. staff and making scientists (who get paid more per hour than the former admin. staff) to do less science and more admin (poorly) is ‘efficiency’. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so ridiculous. Really, who would do that? #science
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
🧪 Sat next to a legend at dinner. 50yrs integrating #science into Australian #agriculture Their observations? 1) We need food, fibre AND nature too. 2) More investment is required in the public service, not less. 3) Government worries too much re inputs rather than the quality of outputs.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Research samples!!! 🧪 7 #dingo heads and 7 #feralcats from a great trapper who supports our research by providing samples from programs he conducts for public and private land managers. These will be used by multiple researchers to inform future predator policy and management.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
#wildlife managers. Ask yourself: 1) Are you qualified to make a decision? 2) Do you have the necessary data? 3) Do you have ‘authority’? Obtain all 3 by working with others and be great at what you do.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Without consistent funding, an end to short term contracts for our best young and mid-career researchers and support to implement best practice, we will absolutely continue to suffer economic and ecological loss from #invasive species.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Genuine question for Australian #bird #ecology On a recent trip I noticed Corellas and galahs dominating Casuarina spp. food resources I’ve previously observed being used by black cockatoos in and around northern NSW coastal towns. Any informed observations re competition? Is anyone working on it?
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
An assassin bug with ladybird prey. There’s always drama in the garden.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
This summer many local #Eucalyptus trees are suffering from #beetle damage. First we had cockchafers, then Christmas beetles. In some areas 100% of trees are very badly affected. Hopefully, given reasonable soil moisture, there’ll be new leaves soon. 🤞🤞
A Eucalyptus tree with extensive beetle damage, ie leaves chewed.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Australia approved clearing of ~26,000 hectares of #threatenedspecies habitat in 2024. At the same time, incentives for private land owners to protect or enhance habitat remain ineffective. This is a trajectory we must change for everyone’s sake.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Dear #America. If your Government acts with decency and integrity you won’t need to buy Greenland or invade Panama. Just be good allies. Cheaper, safer, ‘greater’.
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Amelie 🐨 @amfu.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
I had one inside trying to get out the skylight yesterday! Aren't they lovely!
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Nice to make the acquaintance of a fiddler #beetle in the garden yesterday. It was hanging out on some native daisies.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Another day, another Eucalyptus sp. feast for Xmas beetles. They have finally made it to the E. dalrympleana (Mountain gums).
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Pete @treepete.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
NSW herbarium digitised collection is now available online www.botanicgardens.org.au/our-science/...
botanicgardens.org.au
Herbarium collection | Botanic Gardens of Sydney
The National Herbarium of New South Wales has more than 1 million plant specimens including rare species, Australian and Pacific flora, historical and type specimen collections. Access the digitised i...
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Harry Moore @harryymoore.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Brush-tailed phascogale has got to be up there as one of Australia's most underated fauna species. Don't @ me invertebrate people #WildOz
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
In 2025 we will separate Canis familiaris into #dogs, nogs & fogs. Dogs still resemble ancient dogs, nogs are sufficiently ‘petified’ that they are unlikely to survive without people. Fogs barely resemble their forebears and are a shameful mix of toy, ugly sculpture and things real dogs would eat.😉
The world’s greatest dog, Dot, staring loyally at the camera.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
‘Stop crying and start sweating. Stop talking and start working.’ Still true today. RIPJimmy Carter.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Christmas beetles (Anoplognathus spp.) are having a wonderful time this summer.They are scarabs, locally associated with #Eucalyptus dieback. Here they are rapidly defoliating one of my E. scoparia (AKA Wallangarra white gum).
Christmas beetles feeding on a Eucalyptus tree with a wattle shrub in the background.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
Rain is very welcome. No lightning strikes please. 🤞🤞
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
This dog vomit slime mould is having a lovely time decomposing these hardwood chips.
Dog vomit slime mould (looks like scrambled eggs) on some wood chips
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Notamacropus rufogriseus ('red-necked' wallabies). Rufus neck and rump. White lines on the face. Similar species include N. parryi and N. dorsalis
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Awww. Baby murder bags (AKA #feralcats) They are incredibly cute but will grow up to be killers of Australia's amazing endemic fauna.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Great. As if #feralcats weren’t a bog enough problem in Australia. Now it seems they could be important hosts for ‘reassortment of avian and mammalian influenza viruses’. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Marked neurotropism and potential adaptation of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4.b virus in naturally infected domestic cats
In April 2024, ten cats died in a rural South Dakota (SD) residence, showing respiratory and neurological symptoms. Necropsy and laboratory testing of two cats confirmed H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b infecti...
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Dr Meg Edwards @alittlebitmeg.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
Excited to announce that #AusMammSoc2025 will be held in beautiful Toowoomba in June 2025! australianmammals.org.au/conferences/co…
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Summer = hot #dogs Time for them to lay around in the shade for the next 6 hours.
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Guy Ballard @guyballard.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Xmas holidays. That time of year when #ecologists move out of their work offices and into their home offices. If you’re an ECR or HDR student, try to break this terrible cultural norm. At least take long breaks between the blocks of work you feel you have to do.
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