Robin Sinclair
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Robin Sinclair
@robinssci.bsky.social
2.2K followers 750 following 250 posts
Field Ecologist with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy in Australia's Top End. Living in Garramilla/Darwin on Larrakia Country.
He/they.
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robinssci.bsky.social
A Long-footed Frog (Cyclorana longipes), one of many, many frogs we encountered at Bullo River Station last week after some of the first big rains if the season.
#WildOz
November 20, 2025 at 12:26 PM
robinssci.bsky.social
A rather gregarious Rainbow Pitta (Pitta iris) looking resplendent among the leaf litter at Binybara/Lee Point in Darwin.
#WildOz
A rainbow pitta standing upright on a patch of forest floor. It has moss green wings with a neon blue patch at the shoulder, a small cap of red on its head and a velvet black head and front.
November 5, 2025 at 5:56 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
A northern rosella (Platycercus venustus) spotted during bird surveys at AWC's Wongalara Wildlife Sanctuary on Rembarrnga and Ngalakan Country.
#WildOz
A northern rosella perches on a bare branch with a grey sky in the background. It is looking at the camera with a glint in its eye. It has blue wings, with yellow and black feathers on its front giving a scalloped appearance, red on its rump and a black and white head.
November 3, 2025 at 3:35 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
One of several buff-sided robins (Poecilodryas cerviniventris) which live around the homestead at AWC's Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary. These insectivorous birds are generally found in densely vegetated habitat by streams and rivers across much of northern Australia.
#WildOz
A buff-sided Robin perched on a twig. It is a black, white and grey bird with a buff patch under its wings. It is holding its wings down and its tail is cocked.
November 2, 2025 at 3:02 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Ghost bats (Macroderma gigas) are Australia's only bat species that feeds on large vertebrates. On a recent fieldwork trip to AWC's Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary, we visited one of their feeding caves where we found remains of owlet nightjars and rainbow bee-eaters caught by bats 😮. #WildOz
A pile of colourful feathers plucked from a rainbow bee-eater and discarded by a ghost bat. The two detached wings of an owlet nightjar sitting on a cave floor.
November 1, 2025 at 2:50 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Gouldian Ficnhes are listed as endangered under the EPBC act, with numbers once thought to be as low as 2500. Their primary threat is inappropriate fire regimes resulting in large, hot late dry season fires which destroy the tree hollows the nest in and reduce the availability of the seed they eat
About 8 Gouldian Finches perched in a tree. There is a mix of adult and juvenile bird with both red and black faces.
October 31, 2025 at 4:04 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
A highlight of a recent fieldwork trip to AWC's Pungalina-Seven Emu Sanctuary was seeing my first Gouldian Finches.
We only got a brief look at a group of 6 on sanctuary (thrilling nonetheless) but then on the way back to Darwin we had ~130 of them visit our campsite in Limmen National Park.
#WildOz
Six Gouldian Finches, five sat on a lawn with a sixth coming in to land, it's wings outstretched behind it. There is one dull grey-green juvenile bird and five colourful adults. The adults have a yellow belly, purple chests, green back and bright blue on their tail and ringing their faces, which are either red or black.
October 31, 2025 at 3:57 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
"Please may I have some hash brown?"

A little friarbird interrupting my breakfast down at East Point in Darwin a little while ago.
A little friarbird perched atop a picnic table with a tree, some mulch and the ocean in the background. The friarbird is pale grey, with darker grey fings and tail feathers. It's face is masked with bare, black skin and it has a slightly downcurved, pointy black beak.
October 30, 2025 at 6:51 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Do people still use this app?

Anyway, here's a pheasant coucal in the botanic gardens in Darwin. A truly stupendous bird.
#WildOz
A large bird sites in a chain link fence. The bird has a dark head, large somewhat menacing bill, speckled dark brown wings and a long dark tail feathers with light brown barring.
October 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM
robinssci.bsky.social
This morning I caught up with one of the Woylies we recently released outside the feral-predator free area at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary. It seems to be doing well two weeks post-release.
📍Badimia Country
#WildOz

⚠️ Animal handled for monitoring purposes with required training and permits
July 16, 2025 at 8:35 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
It's always a good day when you see a numbat ☺️

📍Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, Badimia Country
July 13, 2025 at 8:46 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Yesterday I caught up with Arasari the Chuditch, who is doing well 8 months post-release at Mt Gibson. He came from the Taronga breeding program and was released as part of our reintroduction of quolls to the sanctuary.

⚠️ Handled for monitoring purposes with the appropriate training and permits ⚠️
July 12, 2025 at 12:24 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
(5/5)
For their sake and yours, please don't handle wildlife unnecessarily.
March 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
(4/5)
When handling animals we: - Keep handling to the minimum required to collect the data we need - Follow strict protocols to ensure a high standard of animal welfare is maintained - Have plans in place for if something goes wrong (e.g. injured wildlife)
March 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
(3/5)
Importantly, all animals are handled: - For population monitoring and/or research purposes - By or under the supervision of trained professionals - With the required permits and approvals
March 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
(2/5)
I'm very lucky to have a job where I get to do hands on work with wildlife, including endangered species. Occasionally, I will share pictures and videos of me or my colleagues handling wild animals as part of our work.
March 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
With (in)appropriate animal handling in the news this week, I prepared these graphics to explain why and how me and my colleagues handle wildlife.
🧵
(1/5)
A note on animal handling.
March 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
A tiny, bouncy Bilby friend 💚

Caught this morning as part of a monitoring survey at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary on Badimia Country.
#WildOz
March 4, 2025 at 3:58 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Early morning trapping surveys have their perks 😊
Acacia shrubland with a sandy track running through it, off towards a gorgeous orange sunrise.
March 4, 2025 at 3:42 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Warlandi = Rainbow
🌈😊
#BadimiaLanguage
A segment of rainbow in a warm coloured sunset sky.
March 2, 2025 at 11:02 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
I'm going to restart my thread of posts using Badimia language from over on the other site. The words will primarily come from the Badimaya Dictionary published a few years ago.
A copy of the Badimaya Dictionary with the subtitle "An Aboriginal language of Western Australia". The cover depicts a pencil drawing of a red dirt and rocky landscape with a large blue-green snake moving through it.
March 1, 2025 at 4:14 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
The Badimia word for chicken is "dyugi" which is derived from the Australian-English "chook".

(The 'dy' gets pronounced somewhat like the 'j' in 'jump')
March 1, 2025 at 4:10 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
A Dhudhun-dhudhun (Badimia for gecko) outside my front door. It's a Bynoe's Gecko (Heteronotia binoei), one of the most widespread gecko species on the continent.
#WildOz
A gecko on a rammed earch brick wall. The gecko has rough skin, with orange on the tip of its tail and on the top of its head and transverse, dotted striped down its back of cream and brown on black. It's underside is pale.
March 1, 2025 at 12:22 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending an introductory workshop for the Badimia Guwaga Language Project which aims to revitalise the critically endangered Badimia language. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm in the community for keeping the language alive.
A projector screen with a slide reading "Badimia Guwaga Language Workshop, Mount Magnet, 26 Feb - 2 March 2025"
February 28, 2025 at 11:29 AM
robinssci.bsky.social
I'm a sucker for a good rocky outcrop.

📍Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, Badimia Country
A small cliff of red orange stone with blue skies and eucalyptus woodland in the background. The view from the top of a rocky outcrop, looking out over green eucalyptus forest and orange brown rocks. A view between rocks and a small mallee eucalypt.
February 28, 2025 at 11:00 AM