Phoebe Chapman
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phoebechapman.bsky.social
Phoebe Chapman
@phoebechapman.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.1K following 67 posts
🇦🇺 in 🇳🇿 at Uni of Otago using genomic approaches to explore diversity, microbes and parasites primarily in aquatic/marine ecosystems. Variously an ecologist, wildlife wrangler/photographer, diver/hiker/skier/etc 🐧 🐢 🐸 🧬 🌊 🏳️‍🌈
http://phoebeachapman.github.io
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phoebechapman.bsky.social
Saw this somewhere on the socials today, seems… relevant.
June 22, 2025 at 9:24 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Better late than never for #worldpenguinday and #superseabirdsunday! Deadpan Gentoo had enough of my photography crap I reckon #marinelife 🦑 #birds 🪶
Portrait of a plump gentoo penguin from chest up, looking straight into camera. A white chest, black neck and head with white band/crown running behind eyes. Orange and black beak. In the background are large black pebbles.
April 28, 2025 at 9:15 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
For this week’s #superseabirdsunday - hoiho / yellow-eyed penguin, Enderby Island
#seabird #birds 🪶 #naturephotography #penguin #newzealand
A black penguin, turning back to look at the camera. The penguin has a pink beak and light coloured eye, with a yellow band running between its eyes around the back of its head. In the background are green ferns and tall reeds. The foreground is light green lush grass, obscuring the bottom half of the bird.
April 13, 2025 at 7:46 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Three Southern Royal albatross sharing a juicy piece of gossip on Enderby Island (NZ sub-Antarctic)

#seabirds #superseabirdsunday #marinelife #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birds
Three large albatross, predominantly white with black mottled wings and light pink bills. The centre bird faces away from the camera, and the birds on either side face inwards towards it; all three have their heads together as if discussing something. They stand on a hill covered in yellow, green and red herbs, mosses and grasses.
March 29, 2025 at 11:08 PM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Not much a skua won’t fight over. Enderby Island, sub-Antarctic New Zealand #birds #marinelife #seabirds #birdphotography
Two medium sized mottled dark brown birds having a tug of war over a long piece of brown kelp on a sandy beach.
March 23, 2025 at 7:45 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Back from two weeks aboard the HMNZS Canterbury as one of the scientists on the 2025 Blake Expedition to the NZ sub-Antarctic Islands. Will progressively drop photos and commentary here as I go through them #marinelife #naturephotography #sealion #pinniped
March 18, 2025 at 9:27 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
2025 Blake Expedition on Operation Endurance with the NZ Navy. Off to the sub-Antarctic Campbell and Auckland Islands to do some sciencing and inspire the next generation!
February 28, 2025 at 8:43 PM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
For #superseabirdsunday - the honey coloured (and slightly judgey) eye of a Campbell albatross. Otago Canyons, NZ #birds #marinelife
An albatross sitting on the green-grey ocean surface, looking side on at the camera. The bird is mostly white, with dark grey wings and a peach/orange coloured hooked bill. It has black ‘eyeliner’ surrounding a pale yellow eye.
February 2, 2025 at 7:43 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Apparently it’s #penguinawarenessday so here’s a Hoiho (Yellow-eyed penguin) we came across on the Otago Peninsula.
#marinelife #birds #newzealand
A penguin standing behind some low herby vegetation with purple and white flowers. The penguin has pale yellow feathers flecking the top of its head, with a yellow band running from each eye around the back of the head. It is pale yellow eyes with pink edges and a red and pink bill.
January 20, 2025 at 6:01 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Salvin’s albatross at the Otago Canyons #SuperSeabirdSunday #birds #marinelife #newzealand
An albatross sitting on the ocean, looking at the camera. The albatross has dark grey wings and back, becoming lighter grey on the chest/neck and nearly white on the head. It has black eyebrows which give it a stern expression and a large hooked and pale yellow beak with orange and black edging.
January 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
The best part of studying bull kelp is exploring the cool places it chooses to set up shop #phycologyfriday #marinelife
January 17, 2025 at 9:12 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Must be #fungifriday #fungifriends
Coprinus?
Two white mushrooms side by side, growing in brown leaf litter. The mushrooms have a lacy, shaggy texture to their caps.
January 10, 2025 at 7:33 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Onshore winds in summer mean lots of blue bottles to photograph on the beach 🦑 #marinelife #wildlifephotography #naturephotography
A blue bottle jellyfish, comprised of a translucent blue, peanut shaped bubble with ‘stitches’ along the top, surrounded by bright blue tentacles; one tentacle is particularly long and stretches away into the background. The blue bottle has some sea foam bubbles and sand granules stuck to it around the bottom/centre, and it lies on cream/beige sand. The breaking waves below a blue sky make up the out of focus background.
January 7, 2025 at 12:10 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
If it weren’t for all the trauma scammers cause for the vulnerable among us, I’d seriously enjoy their contribution to society. This one really enriched my day, though I sincerely hope I didn’t break the NZ Transport Authority’s heart with my broken promise (or something)
A screenshot of a test message saying: NZ.TA: We found that you have missed the bill unpaid, please pay within 2 working days, otherwise you will face a high late payment and a list of broken promises. https://linktr.ee/TransAgency71N42Z158 For tips on using your car in an environmentally friendly manner and for any questions or assistance, please contact us at [NZ.TA].
January 5, 2025 at 7:31 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Favourite places of 2024… Gertrude Valley, Fiordland #naturephotography #newzealand
Green shrubby valley floor with white flowers in foreground. Rock cliffs on either side of the valley and snowy mountains at end of valley in distance. Blue skies with sunny rays
December 31, 2024 at 8:39 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Christmas Day tradition is a Lego project. This year we have the Arctic Explorer complete with ROV, aquarium, microbes in petri dishes and helicopter. Cat approved and apparently it actually floats (untested at the time of posting) #lego #polarscience
December 25, 2024 at 6:59 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Merry Christmas to all. This kererū posed quite nicely on top of this ‘Christmas tree’ outside our window the other day
#birdphotography #birds
A kererū - large native New Zealand pigeon with a white chest and green/purple feathers - sits at the top of a garden tree that’s shaped like a Christmas tree with its tail feathers fanned out. The background sky is grey.
December 24, 2024 at 7:38 PM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
South Island West Coast Tour de Bull Kelp complete and along with it, the 2024 working year. Almost feels like cheating getting to visit these places under the guise of ‘work’. 🦑 #newzealand #marinelife #naturephotography
Sunset view of the coastline, with the beach in the foreground and and orange yellow sky. The ocean has lots of rocky outcrops jutting upwards with waves breaking around them. A beach with a tall cliff on the left, with a waterfall falling onto the beach. A lot of rocky outcrops are in the water and on the sandy shore. The sky is blue with the sun in the centre of the picture. A view of bull kelp growing on an intertidal rock platform. The kelp is olive green with yellow stems/stipes and hangs in long spaghetti like strands. Two seals sitting on a rock platform on a hazy, drizzly day. Behind them is a calm bay and steep grassy green-brown hills.
December 21, 2024 at 6:08 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
#fungifriday #fungifriends
Clusters of many small grey mushrooms growing over a mossy tree base
December 13, 2024 at 7:01 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
We come for the kelp survey, we stay for the scenery #marinelife #newzealand #otago #naturephotography
December 10, 2024 at 4:08 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
The day a forest walk in NZ fails to produce interesting fungi to photograph will be a very sad indeed #fungifriday #fungifriends #fungi #newzealand #naturephotography
A pair of creamy brown mushrooms on long stalks growing from green fluffy moss on the sloping forest floor, surrounded by young plants and leaf litter.
December 6, 2024 at 6:09 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
December 1 is Antarctica Day! A day to mark the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959, ensuring this amazing place is preserved for science and peaceful activities. To celebrate, here’s a pic of a Chinstrap penguin I took on my trip in 2012. #Antarcticaday #birds #wildlifephotography #Antarctica
A full body portrait of a chinstrap penguin standing in the snow, staring back at the camera.
December 1, 2024 at 9:00 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Feels like a good day for an adventure #mtaspiringnationalpark #newzealand #otago
November 29, 2024 at 8:23 PM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Well it seems like things are firing up here so might be time to get back on the science socials wagon. Will be making a concerted effort to be active here. To start, here’s some fungus I found.
A cluster of orange/tan mushrooms sprouting from a dead branch
November 26, 2024 at 8:26 AM
phoebechapman.bsky.social
Hai! New and looking for all the cool science peeps. I'm an Australian postdoc at Uni of Otago, NZ. I study microbiomes and how they assist tail regeneration in Xenopus tadpoles. Bioinformatics, genomics, R coding, & some parasitology on the side. Also into photography & general outdoor shenanigans!
October 2, 2023 at 7:02 AM