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Sarah Dobney

@sdobney.bsky.social
198 followers 212 following 9 posts

I am a PhD candidate at the University of Windsor studying vocal communication and vocal learning in songbirds.

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Reposted by Sarah Dobney
Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The conclusion of the European Conference for Behavioural Biology. Great bioacoustics and animal behaviour! Congratulations to Natalie & Madison representing our lab, and to Jo, Liam, & Reese representing the ter Hofstede & Higgs labs @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social. Thanks to hosts @ecbb2026.bsky.social.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"Key practices for ethical research during scientific expeditions." Read our new paper, led by Nelsy Niño and collaborators, in Conservation Science and Practice: doi.org/10.1111/csp2... We advocate for a shift from “parachute science” towards collaborative approaches. @nelsyninor.bsky.social 🧵1
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Jaclyn Aubin @jaclynaubin.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Fieldwork in Churchill, Manitoba! We've been watching and recording the belugas of the Churchill River for over a week now. Stay tuned for beluga facts and updates on our best observations! @raincoast.org @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
Two white belugas swimming in dark waters
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American Ornithological Society @amornith.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
#AOS26: Tuesday plenary by Lyra Brennan, director of Mass Audubon's Coastal Waterbird Program: "Enduring commitment and unprecedented success: the conservation of beach-nesting birds in Massachusetts" Campus Center Auditorium @ 8:30am meeting.americanornithology.org/pro…
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Jaclyn Aubin @jaclynaubin.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Our new paper on beluga spatial structure is now published in Animal Behaviour! Here is the story of what we found 🧵1/6 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @marine-valeria.bsky.social @dmennill.bsky.social @raincoast.org
Overhead image of a group of belugas swimming in dark water. The title page of the paper is overlaid. It reads “From calls to communities: Acoustic monitoring of contact calls indicates spatial structure in endangered belugas”
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
"Canada-wide nocturnal bird sound migration tracker takes flight." There's an article about our Motus Audio project, and Natalie and Madison's cross-country research expedition, on CBC.ca! Read it here: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social @birdscanada.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Okay, but is the dawn chorus getting quieter? On the latest episode of Okay, But... Birds I chat with Scott Taylor about bird song and the dawn chorus. Check it out: www.okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e30
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
"Young gulls’ drab plumage may help them avoid adult attacks". An article about our new gull plumage paper is out in ScienceNews. Read it here: www.sciencenews.org/article/youn... The research, led by Hill and Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social, was published in Anim Behav: doi.org/10.1016/j.an...
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Fresh off their cross-Canada research trip, Madison and Natalie discussed Motus Audio migration monitoring with CBC Windsor Morning today. Listen to their birdy chat here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-... @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social @birdscanada.bsky.social @lincolnsavi.bsky.social
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Science X / Phys.org @sciencex.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Dutch pied flycatchers raised in Sweden wintered about halfway between the usual Dutch and Swedish sites in West Africa, pointing to both inheritance and natal environment. doi.org/hb8qb4
phys.org
Why these birds meet again in Africa: Flycatcher study reveals how genes and environment guide 13,000‑km migrations
Migratory birds such as the pied flycatcher typically have wintering locations in Africa close to others from the same breeding population.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
What is it like to work on a small island with 5000 American Herring Gulls? It is a lot like this:
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Birds of the World | The Cornell Lab @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
New funding opportunity! The Cornell Lab’s NestWatch program is offering small grants for research and community projects on nesting birds in Latin America & the Caribbean. Learn more & apply: nestwatch.org/explore-data... #Conservation #Research
nestwatch.org
NestWatch Grant Program: Nesting in the Neotropics - NestWatch
This grant program will fund research and conservation projects focused on nesting biology throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Motus Audio Day 56: Moncton, NB. Mission complete — our 100th Motus Audio recorder! Madison and Natalie deployed our 100th device in Moncton, hitting our target for 2026. A major milestone! 🇨🇦🎤🕊️💯 Explore our Canada-wide network: motus-audio.web.app @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social @birdscanada.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Motus Audio Day 52: Stratford, PEI. A landmark moment: a Motus Audio recorder in every province! Madison and Natalie arrived in PEI, the 10th Canadian province in our coast-to-coast migration network! 🇨🇦 Our Motus Audio webpage: motus-audio.web.app @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social @birdscanada.bsky.social
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Liam U. Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Brown plumages are social signals that reduce aggression towards young seabirds! doi.org/10.1016/j.an... Out now in @asab.org Animal Behaviour, ft. real gulls, plastic gulls Led by amazing undergrad Molly Hill, Lily Fanburg, @sdobney.bsky.social, and @dmennill.bsky.social
a young American Herring Gull (probably first-cycle, or ~12 months old) in brown plumage stands in front of an older, breeding bird in its iconic gray-white-black plumage.goofs with plastic birds
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Andy McGlashen @amcglashen.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
I had a great time chatting with @dmennill.bsky.social and his students Madison Bygrove and Natalie Emerick, of whom I am not at all envious, thank you very much. www.audubon.org/magazine/mee...
audubon.org
Meet the Students Roadtripping Across Canada to Install a New Generation of Bird-Tracking Tech
Since April, Madison Bygrove and Natalie Emerick have been setting up a cutting-edge, continent-wide Motus Audio network to record migrating birds—and having a grand adventure.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Motus Audio in Audubon Magazine! Natalie and Madison recount their adventures driving across Canada in this Q&A in Audubon Magazine: www.audubon.org/magazine/mee... It's like Listers but with a Chrysler Pacifica. Thank you @amcglashen.bsky.social! @birdscanada.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
American Oystercatchers are breeding on Kent Island! An unusual bird here, at the northern edge of the species' range. Last spring a small group of oystercatchers flirted with Kent Island. This spring they are breeding. My Honours student Maia, with Sarah and Jeff, found their cryptic nest.
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Yousif Attia @biophylia.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Our Big Day Birdathon in Metro Van was a huge success and lots of fun to boot! We ended our day with 136 species, 1 more than our previous high total. You can support @birdscanada.bsky.social here: www.canadahelps.org/en/charities...
Early morning birding on the coast. Two observers look through scopes at a vast ocean and a part of some islands.Birding the alpine of Cypress Mt.A team photo of the Fresh Stints.A screenshot of eBird Trip Report for May 17, 2026.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Sunshine or fog, you'll find Sarah, Maia, and Jeff recording Savannah Sparrows on Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy. This spring we're using field-portable sound level meters to study vocal amplitude in Savannah Sparrow song. @sdobney.bsky.social @biolumijeffence.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Motus Audio Day 18 BONUS: Kent Island, NB. Our Kent Island team launched a Motus Audio recorder at Bowdoin Scientific Station in the Bay of Fundy. It promptly recorded a Savannah Sparrow and a Leach's Storm-Petrel. @birdscanada.bsky.social @sdobney.bsky.social @jeff-dutter.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Motus Audio Day 17: Saskatoon, SK. Telemetry and bioacoustics working together to study bird migration! At Beaver Creek Conservation Area in the Meewasin Valley, Madison & Natalie launched our 23rd Motus Audio recorder on a Motus radio tower. 📡🎤🕊️👍 @birdscanada.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The launch of our first Song Meter of the 2026 field season! For the next 4 months we'll record Savannah Sparrows and Leach's Storm-Petrels in our collaborative studies of the birds on Kent Island. 🎤🐦‍⬛👍 @wildlifeacoustics.com @ingridpollet.bsky.social @sdobney.bsky.social @jeff-dutter.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Motus Audio Day 8: Vaseux Lake BC. We launched a recorder at Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory, a Canadian Migration Monitoring Network site. This is an offline Motus Audio recorder; we will upload data at the end of the season. Thanks to our host, bander Jason Jones, my old friend from grad school.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
In a springtime expedition to Paris, I studied noise pollution and the songs of Great Tits. You can read about the research in a new article in The Conversation: doi.org/10.64628/AAM... And the full peer-reviewed study in Ornithological Applications: doi.org/10.1093/orni... @amornith.bsky.social
A photograph of the Eiffel Tower and a microphone used to record birds in the park near the Eiffel Tower.Photograph of a Great Tit, from Wikimedia Commons c/o The Conversation.A Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter digital recorder deployed on a busy street of Paris at dawn.Dan Mennill recording birds at dawn in a park in Paris with a directional microphone.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Motus Audio Day 5: Victoria BC. Having launched six Motus Audio recorders 🎤🕊️ on Vancouver Island — the most westerly of our cross-Canada recorders — Madison and Natalie head back to mainland. Friends made along the way include a feline mariner 🐈🚣‍♂️ and a starfish-munching Glaucous-winged Gull ⭐🐟.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Motus Audio Day 1: Vancouver BC. After a year of designing, planning, and building, today is a big day: Natalie and Madison are starting a cross-Canada trip to launch 100 Motus Audio recorders. Follow us as we build a continent-wide microphone network. motus-audio.web.app #bioacoustics #ornithology
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Our new paper is out: "Acoustic differences persist in urban Parus major (Great Tit) over two decades of declining anthropogenic noise in Paris, France." A study of noise and bird song, by me and Hans Slabbekoorn, in Ornithological Applications @amornith.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1093/orni...
An infographic summarizing the key findings of the new paper "Acoustic differences persist in urban Parus major (Great Tit) over two decades of declining anthropogenic noise in Paris, France" by Dan Mennill and Hans Slabbekoorn. A cartoon image shows a sound recordist recording a Great Tit on a street in Paris. One inset graph shows that noise levels in Paris have declined from 2008 to 2023.  A second inset graph shows that Great Tits sing at higher song frequencies when the ambient environment is louder. A third inset graph shows that Great Tits continue to sing higher-freuqency songs in 2023 versus 2003; even though Paris is growing quieter, Great Tits in Paris sing higher frequency songs than quiet forests outside of Paris.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Our team launched a Motus Audio flight call recorder at Long Point Bird Observatory. Natalie & Madison added a recorder to the Old Cut Motus Tower, with help from Nelsy Sarah & Jeff, and in collaboration w/ Birds Canada. 🎤🎶🐦👍 #nocmig #bioacosutics @birdscanada.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Our new article appears in today's issue of Ethology: "In the Danger Zone: Wrens Respond More Strongly to Experimentally Simulated Predators Near Their Nest" onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... We presented 3D-printed owls near versus far from nests of tropical wrens. How did wrens respond? 🧵1
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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I just returned from Cornell's Lab of O where I processed 1170 Savannah Sparrows for paternity analysis! I had so much fun learning new techniques and meeting the outstanding people at the Lab of O. Now I can't wait to see who the fathers are! @dmennill.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social
22 boxes of tubes, each holding extracted DNA of an individual Savannah Sparrow from our field site at Kent Island, New Brunswick.A tube holding extracted DNA of one of the male Savannah Sparrows breeding on Kent Island in 2021. How many nestlings did he sire?!Me loading DNA into a gel to test the quality of our DNA for ddRAD analysis.
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ioana chiver @ioanachiver.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Our paper looking at vocal & display differences of Escudo manakins is online. Vocalizations show that island manakins are derived from a hybrid population of golden- x white-collared manakins. Interestingly, island living doesn't indicate relaxed sexual selection. Fun project & amazing team 🏝️
sciencedirect.com
Vocal and display differences in an island form of a lekking species with an acrobatic dance routine
Island environments drive distinctive morphological and life history traits known as the ‘island syndrome’. Previous studies pointed to lower sexual s…
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
We're testing out our latest prototypes of Motus Audio recorders in a campus recording studio. Led by visiting research student Jeff Dutter, with support from Natalie, Nelsy, and Madison. What effects do different plastic wraps have on our #nocmig recordings? Stay tuned to find out.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Sarah's visiting the Lab of Ornithology this month, conducting genetic analyses of parentage of Savannah Sparrows. Thanks to everyone at the Lab of O for their hospitality and mentorship. Great work @sdobney.bsky.social!
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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 03/02/2026
New research from #BiologyLetters: Why do birds construct nest tails? A test of disruptive camouflage in the blue manakin royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... | #Behaviour #Evolution
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Accepted! "Experimental study of social signaling through delayed plumage maturation in a colony-nesting seabird." A playback-and-model experiment coming to Animal Behaviour. Led by Molly Hill & @liamtaylor.bsky.social w/ Lily Fanburg @sdobney.bsky.social & me. Now that's what I call #GullOfTheDay!
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Liam U. Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Excited that our paper is headed for publication at Animal Behaviour! - "Experimental study of social signaling through delayed plumage maturation in a colony-nesting seabird." Our experiments show how the unusual, brown plumages of young seabirds can help reduce aggression at the breeding colony.
In the foreground, a young American Herring Gull with a drab, worn, brown, "predefinitive" plumage. This bird is probably ~12 months old. Behind, an older, breeding adult in a "definitive" gray and white plumage, which is probably 4 or more years old. We have little information about the ecology and evolution of delayed plumage maturation in seabirds.A breeding gull attacks a plastic model as part of behavioral experiments at the breeding colony on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada. Coco and Tracey Faber start painting raw plastic models for stimulus experiments, using photo references and museum specimens at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
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Jaclyn Aubin @jaclynaubin.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Our new review of beluga sociality and culture just dropped at Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology! Some of our key conclusions summarized 🧵 doi.org/10.1007/s002... @marine-valeria.bsky.social @dmennill.bsky.social @raincoast.org
A white beluga surfacing in greenish-brown waters. Overlaid is the title of a new review published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology: Beluga Societies: the social and cultural lives of an enigmatic odontocete.
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Zach G Gayk @zachgayk.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
"Bioacoustic Monitoring Reveals Patterns of Landscape Use by Migrating Birds at a Great Lakes Barrier Crossing." Using acoustic recorders along Lake Superior’s south shore, we recorded nearly 3 million songbird flight calls, uncovering a major migratory pathway. doi.org/10.1002/ece3... #ornithology
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Do birds have feelings? 🦉🦚🦅🦜 I'm a guest on The Warblers today, the podcast of Birds Canada. I answer a question about chickadee song. Nelsy Niño @nelsyninor.bsky.social answers a question about mimicry. Thanks for having us @birdscanada.bsky.social! Listen here: www.birdscanada.org/warblerspodc...
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Inter-brood interval affects offspring survival and fitness, and reflects timing of breeding and female quality. Our new paper on inter-brood interval appears in the new issue of Ibis, led by Hayley Spina and our collaborative Savannah Sparrow research team. @bou.org.uk @ryannorrissci.bsky.social
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Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Looking for some inspiration? Stu Mackenzie is celebrating 20 yrs at Birds Canada. Truly one of a kind. Absolute legend @birdscanada.bsky.social #birds 🌿
birdscanada.org
Celebrating 20 years of Canada’s Ambassador to Long Point – Stu Mackenzie
For two decades, Stu Mackenzie has helped shape Long Point Bird Observatory into a world-class hub for migration science, training and global collaboration. From pioneering Motus to inspiring countles...
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
"Grad student takes flight to map invasive plant." Sarika Sharma, an alum of our lab, is profiled in our campus newspaper for her research to map Phragmites in the Healthy Headwaters Lab. Congratulations Sarika! www.uwindsor.ca/news/2025-11... @ecofebria.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
BIRDS & BEERS V is one week from tonight, Thurs Nov 20, in Windsor! 🐦🍺🐦🍺 An evening of fun with UWindsor researchers including bird trivia, ornithology talks, student posters, and a short film screening. All are welcome! @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social Tickets: tinyurl.com/BirdsBeers5
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
I launched our latest Motus Audio recorder just outside Algonquin Park, with a generous assist from Motus collaborator @ryannorrissci.bsky.social. Let's see how many sparrows and thrushes are still on-the-move in mid-October.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Double brooding improves lifetime fitness. Our paper "Multigenerational fitness outcomes of double-brooding: a 30-year study of a migratory songbird" appears in the latest Behavioral Ecology: tinyurl.com/3hsyd42m. By @hayleyspina.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social and our collaborative team.
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Yousif Attia @biophylia.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Tomorrow is #OctoberBigDay! The simple act of volunteer scientists birding and submitting their lists to eBird all at the same time, produces a powerful dataset that helps us learn about bird migration timing and more! Here's a late migrating Oct #NorthernYellowWarbler that is heading to C. America.
A small all yellow-green slings to an Oak tree branch
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Dr. Natalie Sánchez has just been appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in our Department of Integrative Biology at University of Windsor. Congratulations @natingui.bsky.social! I am so excited about the collaborations and research projects that lie ahead. @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
Dr. Natalie Sánchez at a bird banding station in Costa Rica, holding a migratory thrush.
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Motus Audio recorders are now set up at Birds Canada headquarters in Port Rowan and at Old Cut Research Station at Longpoint Bird Observatory. Which bird species will we record flying southwards this fall? @birdscanada.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social [📷 N. Emerick & M. Bygrove]
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Dan Mennill @dmennill.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
It's "Birds and Reptiles Week" in the International Master's of Bioacoustics program. This week we're on campus at Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne. Today we had great lectures and workshops from Profs. Nicolas Mathevon, Ole Larsen, and Magnus Wahlberg. @nicolasmathevon.bsky.social
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