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Sarah Dobney

@sdobney.bsky.social

199 followers 213 following 9 posts

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

Posts Replies Media

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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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

I've been loving the talks and posters being presented at #IBAC2025! Come see my poster today to learn about the "Songs of the studs" 🎤🐦🪺 @dmennill.bsky.social

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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Farewell Kent Island! With an A+ Savannah Sparrow team I helped record songs of 34 males, find 36 nests, and colour band 29 adults & 18 nestlings! More to come as the season finishes. Sad to leave, but thankful to be part of this project!@dmennill.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social #ornithology

Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)

Recording Savannah Sparrows with a Marantz PMD661 recorder and a parabolic reflector. Photo by Dan Mennill.

Savannah Sparrow nest with four nestlings

Measuring bill depth of a Savannah Sparrow during colour banding. All banding with permits. Photo by Dan Mennill.

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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Nesting is progressing nicely on Kent Island. We already have one Savannah Sparrow nest with nestlings! These tiny babies will be ready to leave the nest in just 7 more days! @dmennill.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social

Savannah Sparrow nest on hatch day: two nestlings and two eggs.

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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Quick, it's not too late to participate in #Birdathon! Help us protect birds by donating, or raise money yourself and do a big day! Our team, The Windsor Warblers (www.canadahelps.org/s/jmhwMw) had so much fun on our big day! @nelsyninor.bsky.social @jaclynaubin.bsky.social @birdscanada.bsky.social

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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

The Savannah Sparrows are officially nesting on Kent Island! Our team found the first nest yesterday with 4 eggs 🥚. The happy couple is N.WB & B.RN, returning birds from 2024. Check in as we find more! @dmennill.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social @jaclynaubin.bsky.social @nelsyninor.bsky.social

Ground nest with four eggs, hidden under blueberry bush.

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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

As part of a long-term project, researchers annually monitor Savannah Sparrow breeding behaviour on Kent Island. Thanks to the long-term data, we know A LOT about the individuals breeding here! @dmennill.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social @jaclynaubin.bsky.social @nelsyninor.bsky.social

Resighting Savannah Sparrows on Kent Island. Photo by Sarika Sharma

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Sarah Dobney @sdobney.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Meet LO.N, a male Savannah Sparrow living on Kent Island, NB, Canada. We know he hatched ~11 mon. ago, on this very island. We know his parents. We know his song. We even know the exact male he learned his song from! Can't wait to learn more about LO.N as the season continues! #longtermdata #birds

Image of LO.N in the hand (handled and banded with permits). Photo y Natalie Emerick.

Image of spectrogram of LO.N's song, recorded by Natalie Emerick in May 2025.

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