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Rob Davis

@pezoporus.bsky.social
2.7K followers 1.1K following 577 posts

Assoc. Prof. in Wildlife Conservation at Edith Cowan University. Editor in Chief: Pacific Conservation Biology. Studies birds, herps, rodenticide impacts on wildlife. Living on 5 acres in Western Australia on Whadjuk Noongar country. www.wildlifelab.org

PostsRepliesMedia
Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Illegal firewood harvesting is a major issue in our forests. At one of my study sites in state forest, I came across this old habitat jarrah which had been cut down over the weekend. Probably by someone intending to illegally sell it as firewood. This problem is widespread and increasing.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
One of today’s jobs was to make the most of the remaining soil moisture and start digging up freesias. Though they have beautiful flowers, they are a significant weed in Perth which is a perfect climate match to their native South Africa. They are spreading rapidly on our block unfortunately.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I’m thrilled to have such a good chilli harvest. Only problem with this is / it’s just a week past winter. I’ve never had chillies fruit through winter before. We’re 330mm down on rain so far and much warmer than usual. Concerned about the summer ahead.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Great talk last night by @drbel.bsky.social, Dr Magali Wright and @ollydove.bsky.social on social media impacts on orchids. Trampling, sharing of sites for threatened species and even groups tracking down translocation sites for a critically endangered species to post pictures in the enclosure.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
What a lucky day. I saw the most amazing Aussie reptile while out in the bush yesterday. Surprisingly this Thorny Devil was in a highly cleared and fragmented agricultural region, giving further importance to retaining and managing native vegetation remnants.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
It’s not every day something i casually observe in my backyard and post online ends up being a potentially world first observation! au.news.yahoo.com/clever-magpi...
au.news.yahoo.com
Clever magpies filmed using 'bold' technique on Aussie property in 'world first'
Three leading experts in magpies have never seen the behaviour before.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A 7 second reminder of why we do controlled fuel reduction burns on our 5 acre bush block. This is in winter. Can you even imagine mid summer, 45C and howling winds?
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Interesting learned behaviour from our Perth Hills magpies. They seemed to have learned that there’s good pickings to be had in front of a cool bush burn.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The unusually dry winter means preparing for a potentially scary summer ahead. This weekend involved burning off close to the house.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
On Owl Awareness Day an important reminder that no conclusive evidence of South-west Australian Barking Owls has been produced since my last call for information in 2022. This taxon nay now be extinct. bioone.org/journals/bul...
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
A sad find on a road near my place. This beautiful female Koomal (South Western Brushtail Possum) had a fairly developed baby in the pouch that was also (presumably) killed on impact with a speeding vehicle. Nobody had stopped to check. Another one of the many avoidable wildlife deaths.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to my first Handbook of Birds of the World profile with @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social We revised the state of knowledge for the Regent Parrot including new info from Western Australia. You can check it out here: birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/...
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Red sky in the morning heralding (I hope) some much needed rain. In our highest rainfall month with a mean of 175mm expected, we’ve had just 13mm so far.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
House Crow. A new addition to my Aussie list. Considered an invasive species of concern, these often turn up on ships but are quickly eliminated. A pair has been hanging around for a few weeks south of Perth, with apparently no action by authorities.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Sunrise at the Irwin River, Dongara.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Fleshy mistletoe (Amyema miraculosa) looking fantastic on a Santalum in mid-west WA.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Mid-winter WA style
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
A few days scoping fire research last week in the stunning Walpole wilderness. We’re studying the effects of prescribed burning on biodiversity to better inform fire management.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
In less than one minute you can see why they call our native grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea preissii) nature’s flamethrowers!They can exceed 1000 celsius. This was during a “cool” fuel reduction burn on my property. It is not advised to burn them more frequently than every 5-6 years.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Got this lovely young male Scarlet Robin in my mist net this morning ❤️
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
I love Hakeas and am grateful to have found this Hakea multilineata in a nursery a few years back. It’s very uncommon in cultivation but a hardy species from the nearby West Australian wheatbelt. It’s easily coped with the hot and dry Perth Hills conditions.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
The Crested Pigeon was never a bird seen in Perth when I was growing up. I was surprised to see three this morning alongside a busy footpath on the Canning Rover in inner city Perth. The latest urban adapter is doing well. Invasion of the ‘burbs nearly complete 🤣
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The amazing @rebeccajquah.bsky.social had another PhD chapter published. This study examines two keystone mycophagous marsupials the boodie and woylie. Bec used DNA metabarcoding to work out what they were eating. Her work inform translocations. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Sporadic Appetites: Unearthing the Fungal Diets of Two Mycophagous Mammals Across an Australian Climate Gradient
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The morning after the first of the winter storms has created chaos across the South-west. Some 290 power outage areas and over 30 000 affected. Lots of rain but no trees down on ours. Grateful for my trustydiesel generator to get us through the day ahead with power restoration time unknown.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Cosy! Got our state of the art efficient slow combustion cranking tonight as it dips to 4C. We should be able to make good on my aim of getting through winter with wood from our property - thanks to the summer storms of the last few years.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
The olive harvest begins in our orchard. Let’s see if I can do a better job of preserving them than last time. Any easy and good methods? Please share!
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Hakea season has started. My favourite genus of Australian plants! Western Australia has 3/4 of all the Hakea species and most of the well known horticultural cultivars.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Last night I heard the eerie sound of a fox crying. I went out the back door and saw two glowing eyes in the darkness. It ran a short distance away watching me. Then I noticed the remains of a Quenda (bandicoot) it had just killed. Our native fauna has no hope with feral predators.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Weekend spent making the most of the late season chilli burst. Hot sauce and dried chilli plus flakes to last the winter season.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Think you know the “common” brushtail possum? The amazing @shelbymiddleton.bsky.social just published a review of their long and convoluted taxonomy. This sets the scene for some future resolutions of this messy species complex that she’ll be dropping. museum.wa.gov.au/research/rec...
museum.wa.gov.au
The early natural history and taxonomy of the brushtail possum genus Trichosurus (Diprotodontia: Phalangeridae) | Western Australian Museum
ABSTRACT – The Common Brush-tailed Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with the validity of its numerous subspecies being the subject of ongoing debate. The wi...
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Our road this morning. Love the autumn fog at this time of year.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Long weekend banding* at home netted this beautiful honeyeater - a male Western Spinebill. Endemic to SW WA that impressive beak is adapted to feeding on nectar from the famous kangaroo paw and other native flowers. *approved activity undertaken with permits and licences.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Mist amongst the trees at home after the cyclone system remnants have passed.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
The rain has started here in Perth and looking forward to a lot more after 3 months with no significant rain events. Early reports from Exmouth are not good though. Narelle slowed and sat on them most of the night at Category 4 strength. Pic: ABC News.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Panic buying or disrupted supplies at the local supermarket. Weird stuff like no HiLo milk today. Pasta wiped out too.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Enjoyed getting to chat invasive corellas with Channel Nine News. Perth and Bunbury have large flocks of corellas established from aviary escapes and now naturalised. They are poorly studied and no longer being actively managed. We have commenced research on their ecology and genetics.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
I really appreciated the opportunity to talk about the impacts of anticoagulant baits on wildlife and what the new bans mean. Thanks ABC News Weekend Breakfast.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
I’ll be discussing what the rodenticide bans mean for wildlife and home users on ABC (Australia) News Breakfast tomorrow at 1030 AEST. Tune in if you’re interested in hearing more.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
The newly announced rat poison bans are a long time coming. But what does it means for wildlife? My thoughts are out in The Conversation. theconversation.com/new-ban-on-d...
theconversation.com
New ban on dangerous rodent poisons is lifeline for our native animals
Rat and mouse baits are an everyday product. But these chemicals can persist in the tissues of rodents that eat them for months and poison native animals.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Saltbush. It’s widely planted as a fodder crop in Australia. But how much value does it have for biodiversity? Our latest study finds that unless you’re a White-winged Fairy-wren, it doesn’t offer much! conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The value of saltbush revegetation for biodiversity in a highly fragmented landscape
Saltbush revegetation provides limited value for faunal biodiversity. Saltbush has the lowest species richness and diversity of ants, spiders, and birds. Remnant habitats continue to provide the most...
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Breaking: APVMA suspends sale of persistent owl poisons in Australia! We have fought tirelessly for years and after meeting with them last week this is not an outcome we had anticipated! www.apvma.gov.au/news-and-pub...
apvma.gov.au
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The beautiful big scorpion was an unfortunate casualty of the pool. Fairly unusual to see these large ones around.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
After 10 years here, a new reptile record for our block. Ctenotus labillardieri is at its range edge where I live and represented by only a handful of records. Lucky day for this one saved from the pool. Check out the gorgeous red legs!
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Super hot day here. 37C. Was at the shops, they’re out of trolleys but the sweating trolley collector fresh from the carpark hands me one. Making conversation I say “Thanks. Pretty hot isn’t it?”. He looks at me, sweat trickling down his face. “No, not really”. And walks off. #awkward
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Seems I’m not the only one that likes figs at our place.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
My annual celebration of fig season. I make those Catalan fig tapas lunch every year to mark the start of fig ripening. Figs, gently pan fried with thyme and a pinch of pink salt. Serve on warm sourdough brushed with garlic and shave aged machego on top. Add jamon if you wish.
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Reposted by Rob Davis
Linette Umbrello @planigale.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Curator Marine Invertebrate Zoology position advertised at the WA Museum, Perth. 🪸🪼🫙🔬 search.jobs.wa.gov.au/page.php?pag...
search.jobs.wa.gov.au
WA Government Jobs | Curator Marine Invertebrate Zoology
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Reposted by Rob Davis
Pacific Conservation Biology @pacificconsbio.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Ready to connect science with the world? Your next chapter starts here! Expressions of interest are now open for associate editors for #PacificConsBio If you think this is you, click connectsci.au/pc/pages/edi...
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
A friendly motorbike frog out in the garden tonight after 8mm of rain from a deteriorating cyclone.
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Rob Davis @pezoporus.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Supervising postgraduates is the best part of my job and when they are as talented as @shelbymiddleton.bsky.social and the team includes @kennytravouillon.bsky.social @planigale.bsky.social @annajmhopkins.bsky.social and Harriet Mills, it’s as good as it gets! Go well Shelby.
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