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Veli-Matti Pakanen

@vmpakanen.bsky.social
49 followers 61 following 1 posts

University teacher in Oulu, Finland

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Reposted by Veli-Matti Pakanen
Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This work, led by Lina Giraldo-Deck and James Tolliver, has been an inspiring collaboration with many different colleagues @mpiforbi.bskysocial plus @vmpakanen.bsky.social @koivulakari.bsky.social @jellybb.bsky.social and others. Fotos: @simonvandepitte.bsky.social and Axel Griesch /End
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We modelled these effects to figure out what this means for the sex ratio. As predicted, the sex ratio (males:females) drops: from 1:1 to 2:3. So, different sex roles later in life impact population demography already early in life, long before the ruffs are ready for reproduction. 8
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It’s not only the size but also the wings and the flight feathers of males develop later. Maturation of wings in males starts later and takes longer than in females. 6
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Growing big takes time and a lot of food. And ruff males cannot defy physics, especially gravity laws. Large males take longer to learn to fly than smaller females. On average about three days longer, as we could show after testing hundreds of chicks in the aviary. 5
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Selection has been strong on ruff males to become big. Today’s ruff males are 70% larger than females nowadays. Growing apart happens during the first week after hatching (at hatching males and females have the same size). See here: nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 4
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Development of intraspecific size variation in black coucals, white‐browed coucals and ruffs from hatching to fledging
Most studies on sexual size dimorphism address proximate and functional questions related to adults, but sexual size dimorphism usually develops during ontogeny and developmental trajectories of sexu....
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Since they only get sperm, females generally do not choose any random dude. Most ruff females rather seem to have a sweet spot for large dominant males who perhaps can defend a nice territory with a beautiful view or where females feel safe. 3
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ruffs have conventional sex roles where most males (those of the Independent morph) compete fiercely to establish a territory in mating arenas called ‘leks’. Females visit these leks to pick a suitable partner, who provides sperm but not much else for their joint offspring. 2
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
‼️Now published @evolletters.bsky.social Developmental differences between males and females alter the sex ratio. 🐥🧵 about this study 1/9
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University of Oulu @oulu.fi · 22/08/2026
Oulun yliopiston yliopisto-opettaja Veli-Matti Pakanen on tutkinut erilaisia kahlaajia pitkään ja ollut mukana niiden suojelutyössä. Ylen luontotoimittaja Minna Pyykkö tapasi hänet Lumijoella merenrantaniityllä kesäisenä päivänä. He juttelivat kahlaajien pesinnöistä, muuttomatkoista ja suojelusta.
areena.yle.fi
Kesä kahlaajien rytmissä | Minna Pyykön maailma
Oulun yliopiston yliopistopettaja Veli- Matti Pakanen on tutkinut erilaisia kahlaajia pitkään ja ollut mukana niiden suojelutyössä. Minna Pyykkö tapasi hänet Lumijoella merenrantaniityllä kesäisenä päivänä. He juttelivat kahlaajien pesinnöistä, erilaisista elämäntavoista, muuttomatkoista ja suojelusta.
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Oikos @oikosjournal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
📆Multi-year partner fidelity is associated with higher annual reproductive output in a biparental subtropical shorebird 📷Miroslav Šálek vist.ly/5fhtr #AvianEcology #DoubleBrooding #IntermittentBreeding #MatingSystems #Monogamy #MultipleSeasonalReproduction #TropicalShorebirds #Waders
Three birds with orange and black markings stand on sandy ground.
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Petr Procházka @rytikerttunen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
What can 20+ years of GPS tracking teach us about saving Eurasian Curlews? A lot! Tracking data from 626 curlews across Europe revealed remarkably strong fidelity to breeding & wintering sites, critical life stages, and key places & pressures affecting survival. 👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... 1/3
A tagged Eurasian Curlew. Photo credit: Andreas Bange
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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 08/08/2026
New research from #ProcB: Female North American passerine birds have lower apparent survival than males doi.org/10.1098/rspb... | #Ecology #Aves
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Jeroen van der Sluijs @jeroenvandersluijs.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
135 scientist warn that the resilience of vital societal functions and food security are at stake if the EU fails to halt pollinator loss. The report (doi.org/10.5281/zeno...) blames the pollinator crisis on a dysfunctional relationship between humans and nature. www.brightsurf.com/news/LMJR7XE...
brightsurf.com
Europe risks a crisis if it fails to halt pollinator loss, researchers warn
Eight EU-funded research consortia warn that Europe's food security and societal functions are at stake due to failing pollinators. The report advocates making Pollinator Stewardship an explicit ...
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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
New #OpenAccess in #BirdStudy Artificial nests differ from natural nests in predation rates and predator identity: important to study natural nests if possible. Are artificial nests suitable to study wader nest predation? A case study on wet grasslands: doi.org/10.1080/0006... #ornithology #waders
A real Lapwing nest. See Figure 2.Lapwing on nest. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Breeding_Northern_Lapwing.jpg
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Oikos @oikosjournal.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
🌊🦢Global analysis of annual survival among shorebirds reveals a negative effect of migration distance and a decline in recent decades 📷 Vojtěch Kubelka vist.ly/593ah #AdultSurvival #Charadriiformes #DemographicTrend #JuvenileSurvival #Migration #PopulationDynamics
Several shorebirds stand by the water with 'Oikos' and article title text.
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Aleksi Lehikoinen @aksulehikoinen.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Uusi tutkimus @utu.fi #thermacell myrkystä: "Jo lyhyt altistuminen hyönteiskarkotteissa käytetylle myrkylle voi heikentää merkittävästi kimalaisten kykyä löytää takaisin pesälleen. Kimalaisten kyky suunnistaa takaisin pesälleen on koko yhdyskunnan elinehto." www.utu.fi/fi/ajankohta...
utu.fi
Hyönteiskarkotteiden myrkky häiritsee kimalaisten suunnistuskykyä
Jo lyhyt altistuminen hyönteiskarkotteissa käytetylle myrkylle voi heikentää merkittävästi kimalaisten kykyä löytää takaisin pesälleen.
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𝙱.𝙺. 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚘𝚌𝚔 @bksandercock.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Happy summer solstice from the taiga breeding waders of northern Norway ☀️
Wood Sandpiper/GrønnstilkBroad-billed Sandpiper/FjellmyrløperJack Snipe/KvartbekkasinRuff/Brushane
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
How does climate change affect waders? For Dunlin breeding around the Baltic, climate change brings higher water levels, more storms and flooded nests. Blog from 20 June 2021 🎂5️⃣ wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/d... Papers by @vmpakanen.bsky.social @koivulakari.bsky.social et al. #ornithology
wadertales.wordpress.com
Dunlin: tales from the Baltic
Veli-Matti Pakanen, Kari Koivula  and colleagues have been studying Finnish Dunlin for nearly twenty years. These are schinzii birds that breed in coastal grazing meadows around the Baltic Sea…
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Boomer year for #ruffs at Bothnian Bay. An incredible 88 nests at our study sites hatched so far, as predation and flooding have been unusually low. #ornithology #conservation #waders
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Jente Ottenburghs | Avian Hybrids @jenteo.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Your daily Avian Hybrids story! Are southern Dunlins stuck in an evolutionary trap? avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2023/08/30/a... #ornithology
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
Are southern Dunlins stuck in an evolutionary trap?
Low levels of genetic exchange between isolated populations can become problematic.
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Olli Loukola @olliloukola.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Spontaneous problem-solving in bumble bees | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Spontaneous problem-solving in bumble bees
Problem-solving using novel solutions without explicit training is often considered a hallmark of cognitive flexibility. We investigated whether bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) could solve a novel obj...
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University of Oulu @oulu.fi · 16/05/2026
Ilmastonmuutoksen myötä yleistyvät meritulvat uhkaavat yhä useammin uhanalaisten kahlaajalintujen pesintää Suomen rannikoilla. Kahlaajat ovat parhaillaan aloittamassa pesintäkauttaan.
oulu.fi
Yleistyvät tuulitulvat vievät kahlaajien pesät – avuksi maankäytön suunnittelu, tekomunat ja keinohaudonta äärimmäisenä ratkaisuna
Tulvimisen lisääntyminen on kytköksissä ilmastonmuutokseen ja koskee kahlaajien lisäksi muitakin lintuja.
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Nest failure in threatened #shorebirds has many reasons. Replacing eggs of vulnerable clutches with dummy eggs boosts nest survival of #Ruffs in grazed coastal meadows. New paper out 🎉 dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3... in @ecol-evol.bsky.social #conservation #ornithology
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
This work was led by freshly celebrated PhD Hanna Algora with vital contributions from @koivulakari.bsky.social @vmpakanen.bsky.social @jellybb.bsky.social, Kriszti Kupán and others
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Jukka Ruutiainen @jukkaruutiainen.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
#Tinttimetsä hanke julkaisee seitsemän videota metsätiaisista. Ensimmäisessä videossa tutustumme metsätiaisten elinympäristöihin Oulun yliopiston väitöskirjatutkija Satu Kumpulan kanssa. Käypä kurkkaamassa! www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVxa... @aksulehikoinen.bsky.social
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Jukka Ruutiainen @jukkaruutiainen.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
#Tinttimetsä hankkeen neljännessä videossa kerrotaan, miten tehdään pökkelöpönttö hömö- ja töyhtötiaisille. Videolla yli 30 vuotta pökkelöpönttöjä metsiinsä laittanut metsänomistaja ja luontoharrastaja Juhani Kauppinen. Tää on aika hyvä! www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVL1... @aksulehikoinen.bsky.social
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Jukka Ruutiainen @jukkaruutiainen.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Kolmannessa #Tinttimetsä hankkeen videossa esittelen, miten metsätiaisten talvireviirejä voidaan säilyttää. En pahastu ollenkaan, jos et käy katsomassa 🫣. www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4G1... @aksulehikoinen.bsky.social
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Mika Rantanen @mikarantane.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Incredibly warm March after such a cold Jan-Feb. The month will go down in history as the first March in Finland with nationwide mean temperature above freezing (0 °C). Practically all weather stations will set new March mean temperature record, except those located further out in the Baltic Sea.
Monthly mean temperature anomaly in March 2026 in Europe. Figure downloaded from http://www.karstenhaustein.com/climate.
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Four eggs ✅ Five eggs ❌ Chicks from five-egg Ringed Plover nests are far less successful. wadertales.wordpress.com/2026/03/06/f... WaderTales blog #156 #ornithology
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Nice! Previous BTO longevity record for Curlew was 32 years 7 months, set in 2011. Blog with longevity records for other waders: wadertales.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/w... #ornithology
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Aleksi Lehikoinen @aksulehikoinen.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Minulla oli ilo olla mukana ohjaamassa metsätalousinsinööri Kristiina Sillanpään opinnäytettä, jossa koottiin tutkimuskirjallisuus miten metsätaloustoimet vaikuttavat metsätiaisiin. Tämäkin työ on osa #Tinttimetsä -hankettamme. yle.fi/a/74-20210866 @nathist.bsky.social @helsinki.fi @metsakeskus.fi
yle.fi
Metsätiaiset katoavat vauhdilla eikä lakipykälien noudattaminen riitä niitä pelastamaan
Uusi tutkimuskooste kertoo, miksi laki ja sertifiointi eivät riitä suojelemaan tiaisia.
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Aleksi Lehikoinen @aksulehikoinen.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Uusi kirjallisuuskatsaus kokoaa metsien käsittelyn negatiiviset vaikutukset metsätiaisten pesintään ja talvehtimiseen, mutta listaa myös ratkaisukeinoja miten tilannetta voidaan parantaa. www.epressi.com/tiedotteet/m... #hömötiainen #Tinttimetsä @metsakeskus.fi @nathist.bsky.social @helsinki.fi
epressi.com
Metsätiaisten väheneminen voidaan vielä pysäyttää – uusi tutkimuskooste nostaa esiin ongelmat ja ratkaisut
Metsätiaiskannat ovat vähentyneet nopeasti viime vuosikymmeninä. Uusi tutkimuskooste kokoaa yhteen, miten metsien käsittely vaikuttaa tinttien elinmah...
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Lauren Ashley Davis @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
The Trump administration is preparing to allow oil and gas leasing across the entire Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, a wilderness landscape that has been protected for more than four decades, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
politico.com
Trump preparing to reopen Alaska wildlife refuge for oil drilling
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to polar bears, caribou and wolves — and may hold vast amounts of crude oil.
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Elina Mäntylä @elinamantyla.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
"Perun Tyynenmeren rannikon keskiosassa merilintujen määrä on kolmessa vuodessa vähentynyt kahdeksasosaan, kertovat paikalliset ympäristöviranomaiset." 😱 #linnut yle.fi/a/74-2017442...
yle.fi
Biologit kauhuissaan: Perun rannikon lintumäärä romahti lähes 90 prosenttia vain kolmessa vuodessa
Tutkijat tietävät, mistä lintujen katoaminen johtuu. Tärkein syy on ylikalastus.
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Simon Vandepitte @simonvandepitte.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
5/5 In addition, a huge effort is made to protect the #critically #endangered southern #dunlin. With expertise of Vroni Rohr-Bender and others, 26 chicks got an advantage be growing up in our aviary, before they got released back in the meadows, hopefully successfully #boosting the #population.
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Simon Vandepitte @simonvandepitte.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
4/5 Most time of the field season was spent searching for nests and to ringing the #chick and #adult ruffs. We found 65 nests in total which is an excellent result. Adult birds also got a radio or #GPStag to investigate #habitat use and behaviour. Aren't the chicks cute?
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Simon Vandepitte @simonvandepitte.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
2/5: Fieldseason started in early May when the #ruffs arrived in the coastal meadows of the #BothnianBay. Male ruffs are known for their fascinating #lekking #behavior! A true spectacle! The existence of the different male morphs is unique.
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Simon Vandepitte @simonvandepitte.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
3/5 Independent males have striking colours and are #aggressive. #Satellite males are mostly white coloured and have more #sneaky behavior. Female-looking faeders are extremely rare. Here an independent male is pecking a satellite to show its dominance. More: simonvandepitte.com/i-am-sexy-an...
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Simon Vandepitte @simonvandepitte.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
1/5 - What.an.increadible.fieldseason! Together with @koivulakari.bsky.social , @jelenasubotic.bsky.social , @chorlnev.bsky.social , @vmpakanen.bsky.social, Kristzi Kupan, Vroni Rohr-Bender and others we managed to find plenty of ruff nests (65!) and headstarted a bunch of Southern Dunlins (26!).
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Jeroen Reneerkens @jeroen-reneerkens.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Shorebird chicks are hatching here in Greenland! This year, egg predation has been intense, especially on Turnstone clutches, so every successful hatch feels extra special. This Turnstone male brooded its four chicks right next to my phone. A bit too close maybe...
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
There are now 148 blogs about waders/shorebirds in the WaderTales catalogue. Here's the list of what's available, with a short descriptor of each blog: wadertales.wordpress.com/about/ There are 14 blogs about (Eurasian) #Curlew, just to name one species. #ornithology
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Panu Halme @panuhalme.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Oletko sinäkin kuullut sen valheen, että metsien ojittaminen olisi loppunut? Se on ajanpeluuta. Niin kauan kun ojitus on sallittua, se jatkuu koska aina löytyy joku joka hyötyy rahallisesti. Ojitus pitää kieltää lailla. Upea Ylen juttu aiheesta. yle.fi/a/74-20166276
yle.fi
Toholammilla on suo, jollaista ei pitäisi olla olemassa
Suomen soille ei pitänyt enää kaivaa yhtään ojaa, mutta paikkatiedot osoittavat, että niin silti tapahtuu. Kävimme suolla, joka ojitettiin hiljattain.
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Suvi Ruuskanen @suviruuskanen.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Plenty of time to apply for this #postdoc in my group :) #genetics #microbiome #ecophysiology #evolution #avian #ECR
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Jelena Belojevic @jellybb.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Intraclutch egg color variation in #ruffs is striking. Pale to strongly pigmented, speckled and not speckeled and even blue eggs within a single clutch 💙
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Dunlin face major challenges - climate-change-related flooding is just one. Blog from 20 Jun 2021 🎂4️⃣ wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/d... Focus is on research by @vmpakanen.bsky.social & @koivulakari.bsky.social in the Baltic. #ConservationScience🌍
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Graham Appleton @wadertales.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Dunlin - literally 'brown and small' But not boring! Blog from 20 Jun 2021 🎂4️⃣ wadertales.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/d... Focus is on research by @vmpakanen.bsky.social & @koivulakari.bsky.social in the Baltic. #ornithology
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Clemens Küpper @chorlnev.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Capture season at Liminganlahti. When we ring the #ruff chicks, we can often also catch their mums. Reeves (female ruffs) lead a very secret life. Thanks to our long term monitoring we learned that many return to breed in the next year to the same meadow.
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Kari Koivula @koivulakari.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Southern dunlin, endangered living dinosaur. #theropods, #ornithology, #waders
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Kari Koivula @koivulakari.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Ruff lekking: The co-display of a pale satellite and a court-defending independent morph increases male attractiveness. Lekking began here (65°N) in the first week of May and continues, even though most females are already incubating and the first chicks are expected to hatch any day now.
Ruff male with brownish ornaments co-display with pale-ruffed satellite morph. Female stands by them.
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Kari Koivula @koivulakari.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Yesterday, we found the nest of this blonde female. Three of her eggs were also exceptionally pale. #ornithology #waders
Blonde ruff female standing in grasses by its nest.Ruff clutch of four eggs, three eggs abnormally pale.
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