Richard Hall
@richardlovesbirds.bsky.social
Theoretical ecologist based in Athens, GA. Into disease ecology and animal migration. Love birds and native gardening. he/him
Lab: https://halllab.ecology.uga.edu/
Wildlife from the backyard: https://www.instagram.com/richhallagram/
Lab: https://halllab.ecology.uga.edu/
Wildlife from the backyard: https://www.instagram.com/richhallagram/
Neotropical warbler season is over but I was charmed by the frenetic bathing of this Swamp Sparrow today, a less than annual visitor to my yard
November 1, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Neotropical warbler season is over but I was charmed by the frenetic bathing of this Swamp Sparrow today, a less than annual visitor to my yard
With all of the horrors 2025 has brought I haven't had much enthusiasm to engage with this platform, but warblers help make the world a little bit better, so thought I would share some warbler joy from a few days ago at my backyard birdbath in Athens GA. Migration is amazing!
October 23, 2025 at 12:58 AM
With all of the horrors 2025 has brought I haven't had much enthusiasm to engage with this platform, but warblers help make the world a little bit better, so thought I would share some warbler joy from a few days ago at my backyard birdbath in Athens GA. Migration is amazing!
Reposted by Richard Hall
🪶 Today, more than 1/3 of the federal grant $$ we were relying on to finance our science & conservation work in 2025 is paused w/ no indication of when, or if, we will be able to access it again. Your tax-deductible donation helps us weather this period of uncertainty. birdpop.org/pages/do... 1/2
February 24, 2025 at 10:21 PM
🪶 Today, more than 1/3 of the federal grant $$ we were relying on to finance our science & conservation work in 2025 is paused w/ no indication of when, or if, we will be able to access it again. Your tax-deductible donation helps us weather this period of uncertainty. birdpop.org/pages/do... 1/2
For the past 3 days I've been hosting Georgia's 2nd ever Hooded Oriole in my yard - it showed up right after last weekend's storms from the west. Since then almost 80 people have showed up to admire it. Amidst all the turmoil & bad news it's been nice to share a slice of joy with Georgia birders!
February 19, 2025 at 1:44 AM
For the past 3 days I've been hosting Georgia's 2nd ever Hooded Oriole in my yard - it showed up right after last weekend's storms from the west. Since then almost 80 people have showed up to admire it. Amidst all the turmoil & bad news it's been nice to share a slice of joy with Georgia birders!
Some much needed bird therapy - the huge blackbird/ cowbird/ grackle/ starling roost in a bamboo patch in west Athens. The wheeling flocks were occasionally thrown into disarray by a marauding Cooper's Hawk.
February 6, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Some much needed bird therapy - the huge blackbird/ cowbird/ grackle/ starling roost in a bamboo patch in west Athens. The wheeling flocks were occasionally thrown into disarray by a marauding Cooper's Hawk.
Rare in winter this far north, a Lincoln's Sparrow is overwintering along the N Oconee River Greenway in Athens, highlighting the value of this urban corridor. The video includes comparison with lookalike Song Sparrow in foreground (note fine streaks, slender body & bill, & buffy malar of Lincoln's)
February 2, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Rare in winter this far north, a Lincoln's Sparrow is overwintering along the N Oconee River Greenway in Athens, highlighting the value of this urban corridor. The video includes comparison with lookalike Song Sparrow in foreground (note fine streaks, slender body & bill, & buffy malar of Lincoln's)
It's the year of the Great Northern Diver! It's always to joy to see these birds staging in Athens in late March on their northbound migration. Overnight rains can sometimes result in 50+ birds in breeding attire, giving their haunting yodelling calls.
January 30, 2025 at 2:29 PM
It's the year of the Great Northern Diver! It's always to joy to see these birds staging in Athens in late March on their northbound migration. Overnight rains can sometimes result in 50+ birds in breeding attire, giving their haunting yodelling calls.
Reposted by Richard Hall
cool paper alert!
flower mites use hummingbirds as taxis to move from flower to flower
ok, super cool, but how do they quickly jump onto this taxi?
turns out they sense the hummingbird's electric field and use electrostatic attraction to hop on!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
flower mites use hummingbirds as taxis to move from flower to flower
ok, super cool, but how do they quickly jump onto this taxi?
turns out they sense the hummingbird's electric field and use electrostatic attraction to hop on!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
January 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
cool paper alert!
flower mites use hummingbirds as taxis to move from flower to flower
ok, super cool, but how do they quickly jump onto this taxi?
turns out they sense the hummingbird's electric field and use electrostatic attraction to hop on!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
flower mites use hummingbirds as taxis to move from flower to flower
ok, super cool, but how do they quickly jump onto this taxi?
turns out they sense the hummingbird's electric field and use electrostatic attraction to hop on!
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Some local birding cheer - a female Rufous Hummingbird has showed up at a friend's feeder following the recent cold snap. As more Neotropical birds attempt to overwinter in temperate regions, cold snaps may well lead to more mid-winter displacements of migrants.
January 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Some local birding cheer - a female Rufous Hummingbird has showed up at a friend's feeder following the recent cold snap. As more Neotropical birds attempt to overwinter in temperate regions, cold snaps may well lead to more mid-winter displacements of migrants.
The frigid for Georgia 18F/-8C temperatures brought a sprinkling of ducks to Lake Herrick on the UGA campus, most notably a pair of American Wigeon. Supporting cast included 5 Redheads, 3 Hooded Mergansers and a Ruddy Duck.
January 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
The frigid for Georgia 18F/-8C temperatures brought a sprinkling of ducks to Lake Herrick on the UGA campus, most notably a pair of American Wigeon. Supporting cast included 5 Redheads, 3 Hooded Mergansers and a Ruddy Duck.
Added to the top of my reading list: analysis of nocturnal flight calls of migrants suggests interspecies communication! Social associations across species during nocturnal bird migration: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Social associations across species during nocturnal bird migration
Songbirds have long been thought to undertake migration independently. Van Doren et al.
find that songbirds associate with other species during migratory flights, connections
that may be maintained by...
www.cell.com
January 21, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Added to the top of my reading list: analysis of nocturnal flight calls of migrants suggests interspecies communication! Social associations across species during nocturnal bird migration: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Asst. Prof Quantitative Insect Ecologist in University of Georgia's Entomology Dept! Great folks at UGA working on insects in this and other units.
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/406...
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/406...
Assistant Professor: Quantitative Insect Ecologist
The Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia (UGA) invites applications for a tenure-track position (9 months) in quantitative insect ecology at the Assistant Professor rank.The position ...
www.ugajobsearch.com
January 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Asst. Prof Quantitative Insect Ecologist in University of Georgia's Entomology Dept! Great folks at UGA working on insects in this and other units.
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/406...
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/406...
Reposted by Richard Hall
Birds connect places! Using movements of >10K inds of a migratory shorebird, quantified site<->site connectivity across a flyway. Identified 49 highly connected sites 🐦
But, many are unprotected. Considering connectivity improves conservation for migratory species 🌎 🧪
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
But, many are unprotected. Considering connectivity improves conservation for migratory species 🌎 🧪
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
January 9, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Birds connect places! Using movements of >10K inds of a migratory shorebird, quantified site<->site connectivity across a flyway. Identified 49 highly connected sites 🐦
But, many are unprotected. Considering connectivity improves conservation for migratory species 🌎 🧪
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
But, many are unprotected. Considering connectivity improves conservation for migratory species 🌎 🧪
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Reposted by Richard Hall
20 years on from the start of a novel avian disease epidemic that has led to catastrophic population declines in several UK species we are finally getting some significant movement on advice regarding bird feeding
www.theguardian.com/environment/... 1/2 #Ornithology #UKbirding
www.theguardian.com/environment/... 1/2 #Ornithology #UKbirding
RSPB stops selling flat bird feeders owing to deadly finch disease
Feeding birds from flat surfaces such as tables could be contributing to spread of finch trichomonosis, says charity
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2025 at 6:20 PM
20 years on from the start of a novel avian disease epidemic that has led to catastrophic population declines in several UK species we are finally getting some significant movement on advice regarding bird feeding
www.theguardian.com/environment/... 1/2 #Ornithology #UKbirding
www.theguardian.com/environment/... 1/2 #Ornithology #UKbirding
Reposted by Richard Hall
New paper out in @rsocpublishing.bsky.social! Research from our group shows that males of the polygynous ruff visit many potential breeding sites within a breeding season, travelling up to 9000 km and visiting up to 23 different sites! royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 1/7
January 8, 2025 at 7:07 AM
New paper out in @rsocpublishing.bsky.social! Research from our group shows that males of the polygynous ruff visit many potential breeding sites within a breeding season, travelling up to 9000 km and visiting up to 23 different sites! royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 1/7
One of the last birds I saw in the UK before moving to Athens, GA. Now I have a flock of them wintering in my yard!
Bit of video of another brilliant bird from this week in history. A male Baltimore Oriole in Oxfordshire on 17th December 2003. #birds #UKbirding #rarebirdsuk
December 20, 2024 at 1:14 AM
One of the last birds I saw in the UK before moving to Athens, GA. Now I have a flock of them wintering in my yard!
A mugshot of a Nelson's Sparrow sitting on the boat dock during a very high tide on the St Catherines Island Christmas Bird Count.
December 18, 2024 at 1:31 PM
A mugshot of a Nelson's Sparrow sitting on the boat dock during a very high tide on the St Catherines Island Christmas Bird Count.
Athens super-birder Patrick Maurice found an incredible first Clarke County record of Lapland Longspur today. Luckily I was able to re-find it this morning as my 250th bird species in Georgia's smallest county.
December 11, 2024 at 12:44 AM
Athens super-birder Patrick Maurice found an incredible first Clarke County record of Lapland Longspur today. Luckily I was able to re-find it this morning as my 250th bird species in Georgia's smallest county.
Another slice of migratory bird joy - more video footage of migrants that stopped by my backyard pond in Athens, GA in fall 2024. Part 2 of 2. #birds #backyardbirds
December 5, 2024 at 9:10 AM
Another slice of migratory bird joy - more video footage of migrants that stopped by my backyard pond in Athens, GA in fall 2024. Part 2 of 2. #birds #backyardbirds
A little slice of migratory bird joy - a short montage of some of the migrants that stopped by my backyard pond in Athens, GA in fall 2024. Part 1 of 2. #birds #backyardbirds
December 5, 2024 at 9:09 AM
A little slice of migratory bird joy - a short montage of some of the migrants that stopped by my backyard pond in Athens, GA in fall 2024. Part 1 of 2. #birds #backyardbirds
Love birds & coffee? Want to support bird conservation, local businesses & artists? Birds Georgia, in partnership with Georgia-based coffee roaster Cafe Campesino, has launched a certified bird-friendly coffee that supports shade-grown coffee farmers & overwintering habitat for Neotropical migrants.
November 24, 2024 at 6:08 PM
Love birds & coffee? Want to support bird conservation, local businesses & artists? Birds Georgia, in partnership with Georgia-based coffee roaster Cafe Campesino, has launched a certified bird-friendly coffee that supports shade-grown coffee farmers & overwintering habitat for Neotropical migrants.
Just lovely views of a gorgeous Snow Bunting on Long Rock Beach, Cornwall, on Sunday plus a Brucey Bonus Bonaparte's Gull found just up the beach from us that we were able to relocate after patiently scanning through the Black-headed Gulls at the inlet. #cornwallbirds
November 19, 2024 at 9:35 AM
Just lovely views of a gorgeous Snow Bunting on Long Rock Beach, Cornwall, on Sunday plus a Brucey Bonus Bonaparte's Gull found just up the beach from us that we were able to relocate after patiently scanning through the Black-headed Gulls at the inlet. #cornwallbirds
Wonderful paper uses high-resolution tracking data to show barn swallows & house martins infected with blood parasites have smaller foraging ranges in lower-quality habitat than uninfected birds. Hopefully more such papers on movement-parasitism associations to come! www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Sick without signs. Subclinical infections reduce local movements, alter habitat selection, and cause demographic shifts - Communications Biology
Subclinical infections in wild swallows reduce foraging ranges, alter habitat use, and decrease survival rates. A study using ultra-high-resolution tracking reveals overlooked impacts of infection on ...
www.nature.com
November 18, 2024 at 9:45 AM
Wonderful paper uses high-resolution tracking data to show barn swallows & house martins infected with blood parasites have smaller foraging ranges in lower-quality habitat than uninfected birds. Hopefully more such papers on movement-parasitism associations to come! www.nature.com/articles/s42...
RIP Slender-billed Curlew - wish I could have seen one. Let's hope we can do better by our remaining cherished curlew species.
Following a new study, it has been recommended that Slender-billed Curlew be declared extinct, putting to bed any hopes that the wader may still exist and marking the first known global bird extinction from mainland Europe: bit.ly/4hMX9qh
Slender-billed Curlew declared extinct
Slender-billed Curlew has been declared extinct following a new study that puts to bed any hopes that the shorebird may still exist and marks the first known global bird extinction from mainland Europ...
bit.ly
November 18, 2024 at 9:38 AM
RIP Slender-billed Curlew - wish I could have seen one. Let's hope we can do better by our remaining cherished curlew species.
Northern Gannet I photographed at Noss Head, Shetland this past summer. The dark iris likely indicates that the bird survived infection by highly pathogenic avian influenza that hammered breeding colonies here in 2022. Encouraging that it's still surviving 2 years later. #seabirds
November 16, 2024 at 6:31 AM
Northern Gannet I photographed at Noss Head, Shetland this past summer. The dark iris likely indicates that the bird survived infection by highly pathogenic avian influenza that hammered breeding colonies here in 2022. Encouraging that it's still surviving 2 years later. #seabirds