iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Devi Satarkar @devisatarkar.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Heavier great tit nestlings 🐥 usually end up as heavier adults 🐦. Is this always a strong correlation? Our new preprint shows that the strength of this 'silver-spoon' association shifts continuously with environmental context, and is stronger in harsh conditions! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

14-day old great tit (Parus major) nestling in hand. Bird handled under appropriate BTO licence.

Adult great tit (Parus major) in hand. Bird handled under appropriate BTO licence.

25022

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

New paper in @animalecology.bsky.social led by @davididiaquez.bsky.social published today. We document a reduction of ~5% in body mass of adult great tits at Wytham (>1 sd!) over ~45 years and show best explained by natal environment carry-over besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

0132

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Rona Learmonth @rona-learmonth.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Excited to share this joint first-author paper with @andreaestandia.bsky.social, now out in @royalsocietypublishing.org! We combined translocations, common garden experiments and genomic analyses to test for local adaptation to individual tree phenology in winter moths 🌳🐛 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

royalsocietypublishing.org

No evidence of fine-scale local adaptation of winter moths to variable tree phenology | Proceedings B | The Royal Society

01612

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I stepped out during the Japan-Sweden match last night. Resulted in a spotted crake. Ran inside to get it on the kitchen-list, the most important list that is!

060

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Scarcely into June, and already more or less completed this year's tit field season in Wytham, marked with the now traditional group photo. Great teamwork once again led by @mcmahok.bsky.social with excellent support from @ellafcole.bsky.social & Sam Croft. Will update with some data summaries soon!

The 2026 Wytham Tit project field team posing in a Sweet Chestnut Tree. Picture shows 12 fieldworkers sititng in various places on branches and one standing on the ground, surrounded by lush summer vegetation

0175

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

🎦 I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris Perrins lately. He has been a monumental figure within avian ecology for nearly 70 years. He is also a very nice and pleasant person. So, I sat down and chatted to him about his life in science. Here is the result. ⬇️ m.youtube.com/watch?v=W-7F...

m.youtube.com

A life in science- Chris Perrins

YouTube video by Naturalist Pod

22911

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

New paper out in Biological Reviews📝🚨 When trying to explain why female birds engage in extra-pair copulations/paternity, we mostly focus on the benefits. But what about the costs? Should we not consider the downsides of the behavior we try to understand? 🧵 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The costs of extra‐pair behaviours in birds

Extra-pair behaviours – reproductive behaviours, including those related to copulation and paternity of offspring, amongst animals outside of a social pair bond – have long intrigued behavioural ecol...

12512

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

David López-Idiáquez @davididiaquez.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

In our new paper, published yesterday, we use the long-term data set of Wytham Woods to show that great tits have maintained stable temperature at breeding despite the almost 2ºC increase in Spring temperature. w. E. Cole, C. Regan & @sheldonbirds.bsky.social Link -> www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

13918

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Devi Satarkar @devisatarkar.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Planning a nestbox temperature manipulation experiment in birds? We’ve just published a preprint that may be useful! 🪺🪶 We review 46 studies and also share our own blue tit pilot experiment from Wytham Woods, highlighting some very real practical challenges doi.org/10.32942/X25387

a blue tit peeking into a wooden nestbox

13415

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Very pleased to welcome Dr Alexandra Cones (LMU Munich) for an EGI seminar in @biology.ox.ac.uk at 4pm this Friday 17 April. Alexandra will speak on "Embracing Complexity: Untangling sources of phenotypic variation across scales using birds" - also live-streamed: joining details below: ⬇️

0115

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

🎥🎞️The last EGI seminar of the term (but don’t worry, we will have one extra seminar in April), given by Jennifer Morinay on what determines helping behavior in long-tailed tits is now uploaded to our YouTube-page! m.youtube.com/watch?v=7wb2...

m.youtube.com

Jennifer Morinay- Ecological, demographic and social factors of helping decisions

YouTube video by EGI Oxford

021

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Remember the EGI seminar later today! Last one of this term!

010

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

🚨🚨 Breaking news from Wytham Woods: The 80th year of data collection of the long-term tit study officially started today with this nest with 3 Blue Tit eggs (pic: @mcmahok.bsky.social). First egg inferred 23 March which is our earliest EVER nest - beating the previous record of 26 March by 3 days!🚨🚨

06216

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

The last of what’s been an outstanding term’s @egioxford.bsky.social seminars this Friday. All planned and organised by DPhil students & postdocs. Many available on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@EGIOxford

youtube.com

EGI Oxford

0113

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Such a good EGI seminar from Innes Cuthill today on the ‘survivability onion’ - wide-ranging talk on defensive camouflage in birds, insects and more. One of those seminars that appeals across the department

095

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Can you spot the bird in the picture? Really looking forward to the EGI seminar tomorrow that will be given by Prof Innes Cuthill on defensive coloration! Also streamed, so contact us if you want to tune in! Details below⬇️

001

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

In a return to his former stamping ground, this week's EGI seminar will be given by Prof Innes Cuthill from @bristolbiosci.bsky.social on how to understand defensive coloration - see if you can spot him in this old photo! Seminar in @biology.ox.ac.uk at 3.30 on Friday - joining instructions below ⬇️

065

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Wonderful seminar today by @pauldufour80.bsky.social on how vagrancy in birds can help us understand aspects of bird migration! Particularly interesting to see the altitude Richard’s Pipits reach each night during migration (27:50) Now also on YouTube! m.youtube.com/watch?v=UD1h...

m.youtube.com

Paul Dufour- Understanding bird migration through abnormal movements

YouTube video by EGI Oxford

071

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Devi Satarkar @devisatarkar.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

My second DPhil paper is out! A nice example of how continuous long-term monitoring of natural populations can be so valuable for understanding impacts of climate change on wild animals 🪶 📍Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire 🌳🪺

0319

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

This week's seminar will be given by @pauldufour80.bsky.social of @vogelwarte.bsky.social on how we can understand bird migration through the study of abnormal movements such as vagrancy. Lecture held in @biology.ox.ac.uk at 3.30 on Fri 13 March - all welcome; online joining instructions ⬇️

Poster for a seminar - Talk abstract:
Vagrant birds were historically neglected in migration research due to their rarity and the limitations of early tracking methods. Yet, growing research shows that vagrancy can help us better understand several aspects of bird migration and its consequences. In this talk, I will show how abnormal migratory movements can inform key processes in bird migration, including the colonization of new territories, the emergence of novel migration routes, and the navigation systems of migratory birds.

0157

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

🎥📽️🎞️ The two recent EGI-seminars by Alex Bond and Hanna Kokko are both uploaded to the EGI YouTube-channel (@EGI Oxford)! We have quite a few excellent seminars on the channel now, so give it a go! m.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQ7... m.youtube.com/watch?v=C15E...

m.youtube.com

Hanna Kokko- Life takes place on a time axis: tradeoffs in coucals and terns

YouTube video by EGI Oxford

094

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

📑📊We have just uploaded a new pre-print where we decompose spatial, temporal and spatial-temporal variation in natural selection on reproductive traits for great tits and blue tits. With Yimen Araya-Ajoy, @ellafcole.bsky.social and @sheldonbirds.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

1117

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

This week's EGI seminar will be given by Prof Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social from Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz @unimainz.bsky.social on the role of time in avian trade-offs. All welcome in person in LT1 in LaMB @biology.ox.ac.uk 3.30pm on 6 March. Also live-streamed: details available ⬇️

13119

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

This week's EGI seminar will be give by @ruthedunn.bsky.social from @lancasteruni.bsky.social on Seabird-driven energy and nutrient flows, in person in @biology.ox.ac.uk on Friday 27 Feb at 3.30. All welcome! The seminar will also be live-streamed - joining details available below ⬇️

0135

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

This week's EGI seminar will be given by Dr Alex Bond @thelabandfield.bsky.social of @nhm-london.bsky.social on his long-term work quantifying effects of plastic pollution on seabirds. Seminar in @biology.ox.ac.uk at 3.30 on Friday - all welcome & streamed live: details below ⬇️

0248

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

This week's seminar will be given by Dr Paul Acker from NTNU, Norway on "Processes of life-history adaptation to spatio-seasonal environmental changes" - seminar at 3.30 on Friday in Life & Mind Building @biology.ox.ac.uk All welcome & will also be streamed - see details below

097

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

This week's EGI seminar in @biology.ox.ac.uk will be given by Dr Kirsty MacPhie from @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social on the contrasting insights to be drawn from studies of phenology in @phenoweb.bsky.social and @rumdeerresearch.bsky.social. Usual time and place - details below with streaming info ⬇️

0137

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

This week's EGI seminar will be given by Prof Jon Slate @jon-slate.bsky.social of @sheffielduni.bsky.social at 3.30 on Fri 30 Jan in LT1 in LaMB @biology.ox.ac.uk. OK, it's not quite birds, but our colleagues' work on @soaysheep.bsky.social has much in common with what we do. All welcome: details ⬇️

0117

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Keith McMahon @mcmahok.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

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

We are seeking to appoint four full-time field assistants to work on the Wytham Tit Project for 4-8 weeks in spring 2026.
Two 8-week field assistants will join the nest monitoring team; duties for these posts will include (i) collecting standardised data from nest-box breeding populations of blue and great tits, (ii) catching and ringing parent birds, (iii) ringing nestlings, and (iv) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with run from approximately Tuesday 7th April to Monday 1st June. Successful candidates for these positions must have (or be qualified to obtain) a BTO permit to ring adult great tits and blue tits.
A further two field assistants will be hired to support a project collecting behavioural (foraging) data for great tits breeding in the Wytham population. These roles will involve a significant amount of nightwork. Duties will include (i) setting up and calibrating electronic tracking equipment and nest box cameras in the field, (ii) mapping tracking equipment locations using GPS, (iii) helping with catching and ringing parent birds and fitting tracking devices, (iv) assisting with mistnetting to re-trap tagged parents, and (v) inputting data collected in the field. These positions with be approximately 7 and 4 weeks in duration, starting from 13th April and 4th May, respectively. Possession of a BTO ringing permit with misnet endorsement and driving license are highly desirable for these roles.
All fieldwork will take place in Wytham Woods, near Oxford. All Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm for biological research as well as experience of fieldwork under arduous conditions, and both lone work and working as part of a team. Due to the short-term nature of these posts, successsful applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Salary & Accommodation: Field assistants will be paid at grade 5.2 (£17.37/hour). Contact eleanor.cole@Biology.ox.ac.uk

13558

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Delighted to begin this term's seminars with Malcolm Burgess @piedflynet.bsky.social from @rspb.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social on Migration behaviour, demography & phenology of declining migratory birds. Seminar at 3.30 on 16 Jan in LT1 in the LaMB @biology.ox.ac.uk: all welcome - see details ⬇️

0219

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

Looking forward to an excellent series of seminars for the forthcoming term - programme now full till late March & will share programme very soon when we have a few last details. All seminars will be at 3.30 on Fridays in the Life & Mind Building (and usually streamed live)

097

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Still present! Incredibly cooperative bird showing excellent for about 100 birders today.

050

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

This week's seminar - last of this term - is our annual Christmas Seminar. We're welcoming Prof Tim Birkhead back to where he studied as a DPhil student ~50 years ago (can you can spot him in this 1978 photo?) Tim will be talking about "Sperm to Egg: Making a Biologist" - 3pm LT1 in the LaMB

054

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

This week’s EGI seminar will be given by @peterkorsten.bsky.social from Aberystwyth on the ecology of behavioural variation in the wild at 3.30pm Friday 5 Dec - LT1 in @biology.ox.ac.uk. All welcome & live-streamed: see joining details below.

095

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Journal of Avian Biology @avianbiology.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

NEW PAPER: Introduced house sparrows showed more numerous, larger, and more variable DNA-methylation changes after simulated infection than native birds, suggesting distinct epigenetic responses that may aid introduction success. ➡️ vist.ly/4eq4a #ornithology #birds #plasticity #stress 🪶

Fig. 1 from the article: introduced house sparrows had more sites with significant change in DNA methylation and a larger magnitude of change in DNA methylation between 0- and 8-h after lipopolysaccharide injection.

0158

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Just a reminder of today’s @egioxford.bsky.social seminar - all welcome

042

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

This week’s seminar will be given by Prof Daniel Field of @zoologymuseum.bsky.social & @cambridge-earthsci.bsky.social on the origins of modern birds. 3.30pm Friday 28 Nov in LT1 in the Life & Mind Building @biology.ox.ac.uk - all welcome & see below for live streaming joining information

065

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Remember this talk tomorrow! Contact us for link

000

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

This week's EGI seminar is being given by Dr Maria Moiron @mmoiron.bsky.social of the University of Bielefeld at 3.30pm on Friday 21 Nov in LT1 in the Life & Mind Building @biology.ox.ac.uk. See below for online joining details - all welcome!

0198

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

🎄🎄🎄 Delighted to announce that this year's EGI Christmas Seminar will be given by Prof Tim Birkhead at 3pm on Friday 12 December - in LT1 in the Life & Mind Building in @biology.ox.ac.uk 🎄🎄🎄

032

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Welcome to this week's EGI seminar in @biology.ox.ac.uk when Prof Craig White @craig-white.bsky.social from @monashbiol.bsky.social will talk on The Evolution of Metabolic Rate and Life History: 3.30pm Fri 14 Nov in Lecture Theatre 2 in the Life & Mind Building. Also live-streamed: instructions ⬇️

046

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Did you miss the EGI-seminar by Alex Thornton a couple of weeks ago? Don’t worry, we got you covered! m.youtube.com/watch?v=GXEa...

m.youtube.com

Alex Thornton- Building Social Worlds: how minds shape societies and societies shape minds

YouTube video by EGI Oxford

000

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

We're all looking forward to this week's seminar, being given by Kristen Ruegg from Colorado State University on the power of avian landscape genomics in the Genoscape Project. Seminar at 3.30pm on Friday 7 Nov in Lecture Theatre 1 in LaMB. Welcome in person or to join online - details ⬇️

055

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Reminder of today’s seminar at 1530 - actually will be in Lecture Theatre 1 - come along!!

033

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Now that we're properly moved in & set up in the new Life & Mind Building, we're pleased to restart our tradition of Friday afternoon seminar speakers, kicking off with Alex Thornton of @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social at 3.30pm on 31 Oct. Also live streamed: see below for details. Corvid-themed for 🎃

03613

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Interested in a PhD in ornithology? Funding available for projects at the interface of ecology, behaviour & evolution from Oct '26 working on long-term population studies of tits at Wytham, based in @biology.ox.ac.uk in the new Life & Mind Building in Oxford www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Celebrating a successful field season with great food & good company - May 2025

Front view of the Life & Mind Building, which opened in Oct 2025: The new home of Biology at Oxford

599150

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

Agreed! Creds to the organizers for a wonderful conference!

040

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

During house sparrow fieldwork this week at Helgeland, Northern Norway, we also managed to read the ring number of this common tern. Ringed as juvenile bird at Seal Sands, Teesmouth in August 2016, 1509 km away. Busy carrying fish back to the local colony.

020

Jørgen Søraker @jorgensoraker.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Last fledge check of the season home in Norway today. Very low production this year, with most of the early broods failing. However, rather high density, with eggs in 137/186 boxes. Distribution: Great tit 76 Blue tit 24 Pied flycatcher 27 (record high) Coal tit 7 Nuthatch 2 Marsh tit 1

171

Reposted by Jørgen Søraker

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Interested in Postdoc Research here in Oxford? Many projects possible using long-term population studies of birds, field & lab experiments with insect consumers, phenology of trees all in Wytham woods & based in new Biology building marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/calls/msca-p...

Image of the new Biology Building, completed, and opening from August 2025

Lunch with the field team to celebrate another successful season - May 2025

04836