Siobhan Leachman
@siobhanleachman.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.1K following 940 posts
Wikimedian, citizen scientist, digital curator, volunteer, nature nerd, wine geek, partner & mum. She/her. Inordinately fond of linked open data, moths & weevils. Other contact links see my ORCID. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5398-7721
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siobhanleachman.bsky.social
Very excited to have this opportunity!
wikimediaaotearoa.bsky.social
Manaaki Whenua have appointed Siobhan Leachman as their Wikimedian in Residence!

Supporting staff to share their expertise, @siobhanleachman.bsky.social will be assisting the group with contributing content from their nationally significant collections to openly accessible Wikimedia platforms.
From Collections to Commons: Announcing a Wikimedian in Residence at Manaaki Whenua
From Collections to Commons: Announcing a Wikimedian in Residence at Manaaki Whenua Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Group now have a Wikimedian in Residence on board, […]
www.wikimedia.nz
siobhanleachman.bsky.social
Last call for registering for our free 1hr introductory Wiki webinar on #Wikipedia, #WikiCommons and #Wikidata which is happening at 3pm NZST today. You can find out more information on the event and the registration link here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Wikipedia:Meetup/Online/Introductory Wiki webinar 14 October 2025 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
bhl-au.bsky.social
It’s #WorldAlgaeDay! What better day to celebrate the work of Irish phycologist William Henry Harvey. These images are drawn from the first volume of Harvey’s “Phycologia Australica”. To compile his works, Harvey travelled the world collecting specimens.

www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3809423
siobhanleachman.bsky.social
Could you share with others who might be interested?
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
wa-moths.bsky.social
What an incredibly sad article.

And how awful that Australia continues in it’s shameful place as the top country in the world for #mammal extinctions.

What a legacy we’ve lost 😞
#ausmammals #wildoz #extinction #nature
jackdashby.bsky.social
As I argue in #PlatypusMatters, Australia has the world's best mammals, but is sadly the worst place on Earth to be a mammal, with the planet's worst #extinction rate.
The Christmas Island shrew is now the latest species to be officially declared extinct.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct
The tally of Australian mammals extinct since 1788 is now 39 species – far more than for any other country
www.theguardian.com
siobhanleachman.bsky.social
gsbioblitz.bsky.social
Join the Mahoe Reserve Bioblitz in Lincoln!
🗓 Sat 25 Oct 2025, 2–4 pm
Help Canterbury Museum & Lincoln Envirotown record local species for the #GSB2025.
🦋 Explore, identify & learn — all ages welcome!
📱 Bring iNaturalist & your curiosity!
#BioBlitz #Christchurch #CitizenScience #Nature
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
gsbioblitz.bsky.social
Join the Mahoe Reserve Bioblitz in Lincoln!
🗓 Sat 25 Oct 2025, 2–4 pm
Help Canterbury Museum & Lincoln Envirotown record local species for the #GSB2025.
🦋 Explore, identify & learn — all ages welcome!
📱 Bring iNaturalist & your curiosity!
#BioBlitz #Christchurch #CitizenScience #Nature
siobhanleachman.bsky.social
The Aotearoa New Zealand Wiki Online meet up is today at noon (NZST). See this page for the agenda and meeting link. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped... #Wikipedia #Wikidata #WikiCommons #Wikisource #NewZealand
Wikipedia:Meetup/Aotearoa New Zealand Online/67 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodivlibrary.bsky.social
Devastating news: the Slender-billed Curlew has just been declared extinct. This Slender-billed Curlew is from "A history of the birds of Europe, not observed in the British Isles" (1863). #SciArt by Benjamin Fawcett #ExtinctionIsForever www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42530095
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
joshlukedavis.com
with the official IUCN listing for the slender-billed curlew now being Extinct here is the rather sad piece I wrote about what went into this decision

I tried to include everything we know about their behaviour and biology, which is tragically little 🪶🧪
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
A picture of two slender-billed curlews in the Natural History Museum's collections.
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
addressforbots.apcn.nz
They did one for New Zealand and I actually learned something that I didn't know specifically the prime minister apparently wasted a significant amount of government money having a pavlova on a mountaintop WTF

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-yj...
#NZpol #NewZeland
Honest Government Ad | Visit New Zealand!
YouTube video by thejuicemedia
www.youtube.com
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
thelabandfield.bsky.social
Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.

Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodivlibrary.bsky.social
BHL has retrospectively assigned DOIs to 50,000+ historic journal articles These articles, which include the first scientific description of the Platypus (1799), are now part of the great linked network of scholarly research: doi.org/10.5962/p.30... #ILoveBHL #RetroPIDs 🧪
@crossref.bsky.social
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
nicolekearney.bsky.social
I'm excited to be speaking at #LivingData2025 about the future of BHL. I'll be sharing a critical update on our transition toward a sustainable, global & community-governed future. 🧪 📖 🌱
🗓️ Info: www.livingdata2025.com/program.html...
🌎 #BHLTransition news: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/tag/transition
A screenshot of a Powerpoint slide: "A new future for the Biodiversity Heritage Library". The background is an historic illustration of a Bald Eagle on a rock, claws deep in a large catfish.
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodivlibrary.bsky.social
It's #NautilusNight!⁣ The common name "paper nautilus" for the genus Argonauta comes from the Greek ναυτίλος nautílos, meaning "sailor". People once believed these octopuses used two of their arms as sails, as seen in this #SciArt from "Zoography" (1807) www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/54312693 🧪
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
aunz.theconversation.com
All but four of New Zealand’s 120 lizard species are threatened or at risk. But little consideration is given to lizards during most land development projects.
NZ’s native lizards are at risk from land development – future policy must ensure better protection
theconversation.com
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
thneed.bsky.social
Come and help me transcribe a charming book of fairy-tales at the University of Otago central library tomorrow! 12.30-1.30 in seminar room 2 (look for the Wikipedia banner). See Mike's thread below for why we are doing this! #Dunedin
adzebill.bsky.social
Here's how you can help make a book of 19th century fairy tales available for everyone to read for free.
Frances Brownes was a 19th century Irish poet ("the blind poetess of Donegal"), whose best-known work is Granny's Wonderful Chair, an 1857 fairytale collection. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances...
The only photo of Frances Browne, circa 1879 Frontispiece from the 1906 edition of Granny's Wonderful Chair, illustration by Dora Curtis.
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodivlibrary.bsky.social
#WorldOctopusDay is celebrated annually on October 8th to highlight the beauty, intelligence, and conservation needs of these fascinating creatures. This octopus is from British Conchology v5: Marine shells and Naked Mollusca (1869) www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/24429566 #SciArt #ILoveBHL
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodiversitypix.bsky.social
⭐️ Harriman Alaska series
Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1910-1914.

[Source]
Historical scientific illustration from the Harriman Alaska series (1910-1914) depicting detailed anatomical parts of different starfish species, including Asterias victoriana, Orthasterias biordinata, and O. gonolena. The image is a sepia-toned, labeled plate showing close-up views of starfish arms, spines, and skeletal structures with magnification indicators. Various shapes and textures of the starfish components are rendered with fine line work, highlighting distinctive features like spines, grooves, and tube feet. The illustration is annotated with letters and numbers to identify specific parts for scientific study, offering a detailed examination of starfish morphology.
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
gsbioblitz.bsky.social
🌏 #GSB2025 is almost here (24–27 Oct)!
Looking for something to do? Explore nature near you and see what’s happening across the Southern Hemisphere. 🌿🐞🐦

🗺️ Check out the GSB events map:
www.google.com/maps/d/edit?...
#BioBlitz #CitizenScience #Biodiversity #iNaturalist
GSB Events in 2025 - Google My Maps
Locations of local events during the GSB 2025
www.google.com
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
wikidatacommunity.bsky.social
Earlier this year, we invited contributors to share their #WikidataStories. From tools and apps to bots, maps, and knowledge-sharing — 30 projects showed the many ways Wikidata makes an impact.
Wikidata Impact Stories - a collection of uses of Wikidata being used in the world
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodivlibrary.bsky.social
We're going a bit batty in celebration of #BatAppreciationMonth. Archibald Thorburn's "British Mammals" (1920-1921) contains some of our favorite bat #SciArt in #BHLib. Check it out thanks to #FieldMuseum
➡️ www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48418555 #BatMonth 🦇 🧪
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
biodiversitypix.bsky.social
🦜 A monograph of the Ramphastidae, or family of toucans
London: Published by the author, 20, Broad Street, Golden Square, [1852]-1854.

[Source]
Illustration of two toucans (Ramphastos erythrorhynchos) perched on a branch. They have large, curved yellow and red bills with black markings, striking blue skin around their eyes, black feathers covering most of their bodies, cream-colored throats, and a yellow patch near the base of their tails. Behind them are green palm-like leaves. The detailed, naturalistic style emphasizes their vibrant colors and distinctive features, typical of 19th-century scientific bird illustrations.
Reposted by Siobhan Leachman
archive.org
This week, join Sir Tim Berners-Lee & Brewster Kahle for a conversation on the past, present & future of the Web.

📅 Thurs Oct 9, 7:30 PM PT
🎟️ In-person
➡️ blog.archive.org/event/buildi...
Headshots of Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Brewster Kahle.