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ecosystemunraveller.com
Dr Dave
@ecosystemunraveller.com
3.1K followers 340 following 2K posts
Professor of Ecology, educator, maker | birds, mistletoe, acoustics, conservation | updates on research, family & other beasts. Living on unceded Wiradjuri country
More at https://ecosystemunraveller.com
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Dr Dave @ecosystemunraveller.com · Jan 24
Oh, and welcome new followers, welcome aboard. Ecologist here, parasitic plants and birds, biogeography and acoustics, connectivity conservation and evolutionary ecology. Also Amazonia and aquaria, wood working and smoked meats. Welcome
Aboard.
View through an aquarium of unusual size (3.6 metres long) to a room full of handmade wood furniture looking through a very large window to a sun drenched lawn with big tree and sprawling pond. Aquarium has a substrate of brown leaves with a prominent stump with buttressed roots
Reposted by Dr Dave
terrainnrm.bsky.social
Private land is increasingly important in conserving wildlife, including threatened species: theconversation.com/citizen-scie...

#citizenscience #frogs #endangered #threatenedspecies @theconversation.com
Citizen scientists are spotting more and more rare frogs on private land
Threatened frogs aren’t just found in national parks – citizen scientists are finding them throughout private land too.
theconversation.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
albertonykus.bsky.social
Bone histology of phorusrhacids (terror birds) indicates rapid, uninterrupted growth (typical of most modern birds but unlike flightless paleognaths such as ostriches and kiwi): anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 🪶🧪 (📷Dreyer et al.)
Cross-section images of the leg bone of an extinct flightless bird, with close-ups taken through a microscope.
January 19, 2026 at 2:48 PM
ecosystemunraveller.com
Morning all.
January 19, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Dr Dave
ecosystemunraveller.com
Final pointing done and relocated the old water crock. Plugged the hole with a champagne cork, aiming for a very slow drip to sustain ferns and mosses…
Bricks steps with tiled feature. A ceramic urn thingy, barrel shaped, with an open to and bold glazed lines, sits on the edge of the lower step, mostly concealing an exposed concrete footing. Detail of ancient ceramic water holder, around 6i cm high, with an Australian coat of arms and the words ‘Victoria Lime & Cement Co, 7 Queen St. Melbourne’ which was my grandfather’s pride and joy.
January 19, 2026 at 4:18 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
michaelwestbiz.bsky.social
Scientist sackings ... 130-150 to go from the 715 Environment scientist pool? @mrrexpatrick.bsky.social in an FOI fight on #CSIRO

(No funding issues for #AUKUS !)

#auspol

michaelwest.com.au/the-science-...
The science of sacking. Be gone CSIRO scientists! - Michael West
CSIRO chief Doug Hilton announced he’s sacking 350 scientists, he now refuses to have his own ‘sacking science’ publicly reviewed.
michaelwest.com.au
January 18, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Reposted by Dr Dave
jackdashby.bsky.social
So cool to see #beavers making themselves very much at home in an urban nature reserve in West London. These epic #rodents were extinct in Britain 400 years ago, and know they're back in our cities. 🦫🌃 #rewilding #UrbanWildlife
A large tree partially chewed by beavers, with a load of woodchips below A freshly chewed tree alongside a beavers canal A large fallen tree and stump, with beaver bite-marks and the tell-tale conical shape on either side A beaver lodge (a huge pile of logs and sticks) on a bank under a tree, with reeds behind
January 19, 2026 at 9:01 AM
ecosystemunraveller.com
#MistletoeMunchersFromWayBack
amarhss.bsky.social Amar @amarhss.bsky.social · 18h
The high-pitched & rapid song of the male Orange-bellied Flowerpecker (Dicaeum trigonostigma)
#BirdsSeenIn2026 #Ipoh #Perak #Malaysia #birds #nature #wildlife @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social @tonyrinaud.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
alexanderlees.bsky.social
Recommended reading on the AI bubble...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
January 19, 2026 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
johnrhutchinson.bsky.social
"John Wick vs. Dinosaurs"-- I'd watch that!
www.artstation.com/artwork/eRba3P
John Wick vs Dinosaurs , Matt Rhodes
Redesigning John Wick for the antediluvian era, as well as the next three panels of episode three.
www.artstation.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:19 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
amarhss.bsky.social
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus). Dark image, through some foliage, but rescued with some image processing. Needs a full sceen view.
#BirdsSeenIn2026 #Ipoh #Perak #Malaysia #birds #nature #wildlife @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social @tonyrinaud.bsky.social
January 19, 2026 at 5:43 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
arctomet.bsky.social
Wink, M., Starikov, I.J., Schulze-Hagen, K. et al. What, if anything, is a vulture? Phylogeny and trait evolution in obligate avian scavengers. J Ornithol (2026). doi.org/10.1007/s103...
What, if anything, is a vulture? Phylogeny and trait evolution in obligate avian scavengers - Journal of Ornithology
Vultures are obligate scavengers that have long been regarded as a systematic entity. However, phylogenetic studies show that the scavenging lifestyle evolved in three distinct phylogenetic lineages o...
doi.org
January 18, 2026 at 2:31 PM
ecosystemunraveller.com
Final pointing done and relocated the old water crock. Plugged the hole with a champagne cork, aiming for a very slow drip to sustain ferns and mosses…
Bricks steps with tiled feature. A ceramic urn thingy, barrel shaped, with an open to and bold glazed lines, sits on the edge of the lower step, mostly concealing an exposed concrete footing. Detail of ancient ceramic water holder, around 6i cm high, with an Australian coat of arms and the words ‘Victoria Lime & Cement Co, 7 Queen St. Melbourne’ which was my grandfather’s pride and joy.
January 19, 2026 at 4:18 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
gbifmorpho.bsky.social
New paper in GEO&BIO using @gbif.org mediated data:

A species distribution modelling analysis of Rafflesia pricei (Rafflesiaceae), a parasitic flowering plant endemic to Borneo 🇲🇾

#CiteTheDOI: ✅

#OpenAccess: ⭐️

https://doi.org/10.53452/gb2717
January 14, 2026 at 12:23 PM
ecosystemunraveller.com
Good morning.
January 18, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Dr Dave
patrickstokes.com
The loss of the Harcourt Coolstores, used by dozens of businesses (wine, beer, cider, apples etc.) is a huge blow to lots of great wineries. Glenwillow, just up the road from our place, do a fantastic sparkling shiraz, and Gilgraves at Axedale make what Jess reckons is the best viognier she’s had.
timcoronel.bsky.social Tim Coronel @timcoronel.bsky.social · 1d
Do you like wine? I daresay you do. Do you like winemakers? On the whole, they are very nice people. If you'd like to help out some of the wineries most affected by the recent bushfires in central Victoria, order a case or two from the places in this article winecompanion.com.au/articles/new...
Victorian bushfires: The worst-hit wineries and how you can help
How you can help the wine producers impacted by the Victorian bushfires
winecompanion.com.au
January 18, 2026 at 8:34 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
digs.bsky.social
Three more #kakapo matings last night:
Whenua Hou:
- Nora 💚 Tutoko
- Pura 💚 Gulliver
Anchor:
- Toitiiti 💚 Deans
Great to see genetically important Gulliver mating, and matriarch Nora starting - her first known nest was in 1981! Here she is on her 2019 nest. #conservation #parrots
A female kakapo on a nest with an egg. Credit: Andrew Digby
January 18, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
jeffreybrainard.bsky.social
#SpecialIssues have fueled the growth of some of the largest #OpenAccess publishers. Does a journal that allows a #GuestEditor to both plan a special issue and write many articles in it have a conflict of interest? #scicomm #peerreview @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Some guest editors pack special issues with their own articles
Thousands have penned more than one-third of a journal issue, raising conflict-of-interest concerns
www.science.org
January 17, 2026 at 2:09 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
mikemelton.bsky.social
Barred Puffbird in #Colombia for #birdoftheday #perfectperch

#birds #nature
Brown, heavily patterned bird perched on a mossy branch in a forest, shown in profile with a stout bill and soft green background.
January 17, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Dr Dave
sandyhorne.bsky.social
Best of 2025:
A chipmunk at Deception Pass State Park, Washington state.
#BestOf2025
January 17, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Dr Dave
annbot.bsky.social
Botanists track where a plant thief hides

🌱 Now in @botany.one 🌿
botany.fyi/tb947t

Full paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
Pilostyles blanchetii with scale in Brazil by Joey Santore / iNaturalist CC-BY-NC
December 23, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
ecolsocaus.bsky.social
🦜 OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECOLOGISTS 🦜

Looking for a new role or research opportunity? Check out this round-up of exciting jobs and scholarships for ecologists and students.
⁠
👉 Swipe for more and see details online now: www.ecolsoc.org.au/opportunities/
⁠
#EcologyCareers #Hiring #ecology #EthicalJobs
Conservation Operations Officer - Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, WA Closing 9 February Are you passionate about flora conservation? Do you want to live and work in one of Australia’s last remaining biodiversity strongholds? Then do we have the job for you! As the Conservation Operations Officer – Flora, you will work with a small, well-resourced team of like-minded people to implement monitoring and research projects across Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) managed protected areas in the Kimberley. $95,782 – $100,526 p.a. plus Superannuation PHD opportunity in plant ecophysiology - Adelaide University, SA Closing 15 February We are looking for an PhD candidate to join an exciting research project focused on understanding heat and drought combined impacts on threatened plants’ mortality. This is a critical issue in Australia and worldwide as climate change is intensifying, leading to hotter droughts and increasing extinction risks for many species. The project will involve a substantial amount of fieldwork, glasshouse and laboratory work, as well as data analysis and writing throughout. $36,500 AUD p.a. SCHOLARSHIP + $3,000 AUD p.a. top up Research Fellow Quantitative Ecologist - La Trobe University, VIC Closing 5 February Join a dedicated team of scientists within the Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems. We require a quantitative ecologist with skills/experience in statistical and quantitative modelling. The successful candidate will contribute to projects on flow-ecology relationships and habitat suitability modelling for freshwater organisms and will be comfortable working with large datasets, including spatial information, hydrologic data and survey records. $114,855 – $135,633 + 17% superannuation Honours project on Mirnong restoration - RMIT, VIC Closing 31 January In collaboration with the Taungurung Land and Waters Council, we are looking for Honours students to explore factors influencing successful restoration of a favourite food plant, Mirnong (Micoseris walteri). We have capacity to develop one or more projects to analyse the soil physicochemical, microbial and environmental conditions that best support Mirnong establishment in culturally managed landscapes. The work will be a mix of lab work (microbial, soil), field work (sampling, measuring of plants and soils) and greenhouse experiments.
January 16, 2026 at 4:39 AM
ecosystemunraveller.com
Morning all.
January 17, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Reposted by Dr Dave
l-teixeiracosta.bsky.social
I'll join the uprising with a talk on "Flipping the parasite spectrum: #PlantHumanities meet eco-physiology".
Stay tuned for a communion among #ParasiticPlant ecology and physiology, literature, and social history!
January 17, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
snailseyeview.bsky.social
🎵 spider butt...spider butt... 🎵

You should definitely read this thread
c0nc0rdance.bsky.social c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 5d
Take a close look at this picture.

What an interesting coin or artifact, you probably think 🤔. Such interesting detail, intricately carved or molded 🧐 ... HAHA sucker, you're looking at a SPIDER'S BUTT.

Let's meet Cyclocosmia ricketti, the Chinese hourglass spider.

CW: spiders & their butts
"C.ricketti, female from Jiangxi Province, China (CKYH), left: opisthosomal disc; right: details of radial ribs;" Source is given in thread.
January 17, 2026 at 8:02 AM
Reposted by Dr Dave
alanjstedman.bsky.social
This photo was taken in 1911 using glass plate technology by Herbert Ponting who was part of Scott's Antarctic expedition,

The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance

Iconic imo
Photograph from 1911 taken by Herbert Ponting whilst with Scott's Antarctic Expedition The monochrome photo is taken from within a cave. The walls of the cave are made of ice. The cave entrance is in the mid distance with two figures standing looking out towards a distant ship. Between them and the ship there is first a 'beach' of ice before the sea itself. The ship could be up to 800 metres away What makes the photo so special is that where the figures are at the cave entrance there is a band of very white snow and ice (contrasting with the comparatively dark inside of the cave) that creates a stark framework in which the men and the ship are captured. It is made even more dramatic by the fact that the cave entrance is at least 30 metres high and is in the shape of a distorted elipse with the tail sloping off to the right at the top of the elipse The photo being in monochrome in a largely white environment makes the photographers skill all the more laudable
January 17, 2026 at 7:12 AM