Alexander Lees
@alexanderlees.bsky.social
Birds, science, politics. Reader Man Met Uni, Associate Cornell Lab of #Ornithology, Chair BOURC, Trustee @bou.org.uk SC @ras-network.bsky.social. Usually found in the #PeakDistrict or #Amazonia, he/him. Views own.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity - new #OA @nature.com paper with @patrickawalkden.bsky.social @josephtobias.bsky.social, combining #PredictsProject with #Avonet doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity - Nature
Large-scale analyses of bird species traits reveal that land-use change reduces resilience of key ecological functions more than previously thought.
doi.org
November 27, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity - new #OA @nature.com paper with @patrickawalkden.bsky.social @josephtobias.bsky.social, combining #PredictsProject with #Avonet doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
PhD up for grabs in applied ecology focusing on species traits and ecological processes, supervised by @jmbecologist.bsky.social @orlyrazgour.bsky.social, Ben Woodcock, and me.
Worth a look!
Worth a look!
PhD opportunity!
Focusing on ecological processes offers an adaptive approach to conservation at a time of rapid environmental change
But how do we measure & conserve these processes?
This PhD will explore the use of species traits to assess ecosystem condition
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Focusing on ecological processes offers an adaptive approach to conservation at a time of rapid environmental change
But how do we measure & conserve these processes?
This PhD will explore the use of species traits to assess ecosystem condition
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
PhD up for grabs in applied ecology focusing on species traits and ecological processes, supervised by @jmbecologist.bsky.social @orlyrazgour.bsky.social, Ben Woodcock, and me.
Worth a look!
Worth a look!
Reposted by Alexander Lees
1/ 📢Looking for counters for the International Swan Census (ISC) on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 in Northumberland.
Please visit the vacant site map to request a site near you: app.bto.org/gsmp/public/...
#Ornithology #UKBirding
Please visit the vacant site map to request a site near you: app.bto.org/gsmp/public/...
#Ornithology #UKBirding
November 26, 2025 at 9:37 AM
1/ 📢Looking for counters for the International Swan Census (ISC) on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 in Northumberland.
Please visit the vacant site map to request a site near you: app.bto.org/gsmp/public/...
#Ornithology #UKBirding
Please visit the vacant site map to request a site near you: app.bto.org/gsmp/public/...
#Ornithology #UKBirding
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Two funded PhD projects with @marius-somveille.bsky.social, myself and collaborators. Examining migratory connectivity for seabirds www.uea.ac.uk/course/phd-d... and and the dynamics of seasonal migration www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK742/p...
#ornithology
@ueaceec.bsky.social @ueaenv.bsky.social
#ornithology
@ueaceec.bsky.social @ueaenv.bsky.social
www.uea.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Two funded PhD projects with @marius-somveille.bsky.social, myself and collaborators. Examining migratory connectivity for seabirds www.uea.ac.uk/course/phd-d... and and the dynamics of seasonal migration www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK742/p...
#ornithology
@ueaceec.bsky.social @ueaenv.bsky.social
#ornithology
@ueaceec.bsky.social @ueaenv.bsky.social
A previously unknown species of hawk-cuckoo has been described from Borneo:
New hawk-cuckoo species described from Borneo
A previously unknown species of hawk-cuckoo has been described from Borneo. The newly recognised taxa was previously considered a population of Dark Hawk-Cuckoo, which is found in Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. Bornean birds principally differ from that species (and the closely related Large Hawk-Cuckoo) by their unique three-syllabled main song.
bit.ly
November 26, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Why having #Cop30 in a rainforest nation and not a petrostate mattered:
✅Record number of indigenous delegates
✅Focus on value of forests and forest finance
✅Host city on the frontline of climate impacts
✅Protest permitted and climate justice foregrounded
theconversation.com/why-hosting-... 🌎
✅Record number of indigenous delegates
✅Focus on value of forests and forest finance
✅Host city on the frontline of climate impacts
✅Protest permitted and climate justice foregrounded
theconversation.com/why-hosting-... 🌎
Why hosting the UN climate summit in the Amazon was so important, despite the disappointing outcome
The realities of climate and land use change are jarringly obvious in Amazonia.
theconversation.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Why having #Cop30 in a rainforest nation and not a petrostate mattered:
✅Record number of indigenous delegates
✅Focus on value of forests and forest finance
✅Host city on the frontline of climate impacts
✅Protest permitted and climate justice foregrounded
theconversation.com/why-hosting-... 🌎
✅Record number of indigenous delegates
✅Focus on value of forests and forest finance
✅Host city on the frontline of climate impacts
✅Protest permitted and climate justice foregrounded
theconversation.com/why-hosting-... 🌎
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Our new paper is out today in Journal of the Royal Society Interface (link below). All about eggshell roughness: "Scratching beyond the surface: examining macroecological patterns in avian eggshell texture". Congrats first author Marie Attard, and thank you @leverhulme.ac.uk for the funding.
November 26, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Our new paper is out today in Journal of the Royal Society Interface (link below). All about eggshell roughness: "Scratching beyond the surface: examining macroecological patterns in avian eggshell texture". Congrats first author Marie Attard, and thank you @leverhulme.ac.uk for the funding.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
🧵 1/n Paper out in Proceedings B! @royalsocietypublishing.org
How far can frugivorous birds disperse seeds during migration?
📸 Song thrush (Turdus philomelos) equipped with one of the satellite GPS tags used to track its migratory movements (credit: Sascha Rösner)
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
How far can frugivorous birds disperse seeds during migration?
📸 Song thrush (Turdus philomelos) equipped with one of the satellite GPS tags used to track its migratory movements (credit: Sascha Rösner)
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 AM
🧵 1/n Paper out in Proceedings B! @royalsocietypublishing.org
How far can frugivorous birds disperse seeds during migration?
📸 Song thrush (Turdus philomelos) equipped with one of the satellite GPS tags used to track its migratory movements (credit: Sascha Rösner)
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
How far can frugivorous birds disperse seeds during migration?
📸 Song thrush (Turdus philomelos) equipped with one of the satellite GPS tags used to track its migratory movements (credit: Sascha Rösner)
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
New issue of #BirdStudy
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
November 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
New issue of #BirdStudy
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Little Terns nesting in Morocco
Urban Sparrowhawk diet
Urban Blackbird & Robin song shifts
Goosander tracking
Alpine Wheatears
Supplementary feeding of Turtle Doves
Red Kites and wind turbines
Białowieża Robin paternity
www.tandfonline.com/toc/tbis20/c...
#ornithology #birds
Bird feeding again.....
Your daily Avian Hybrids story!
Human activities facilitate hybridization in Allen’s Hummingbird
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/29/h...
#ornithology
Human activities facilitate hybridization in Allen’s Hummingbird
avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2021/05/29/h...
#ornithology
Human activities facilitate hybridization in Allen’s Hummingbird
Genetic analyses uncover a hybrid population in southern California.
avianhybrids.wordpress.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Bird feeding again.....
Reposted by Alexander Lees
‘Fossil fuel giants finally in the crosshairs’: Cop30 avoids total failure with last-ditch deal
‘Fossil fuel giants finally in the crosshairs’: Cop30 avoids total failure with last-ditch deal
It took some oblique wording, but Saudi Arabia made a last-minute decision to sign deal that marks departure for Cop
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:56 AM
‘Fossil fuel giants finally in the crosshairs’: Cop30 avoids total failure with last-ditch deal
Reposted by Alexander Lees
UK wildfires devastated more areas in 2025 than at any time since records began, figures show
UK wildfires devastated more areas in 2025 than at any time since records began, figures show
Firefighters call for long-term investment and say UK is dangerously underprepared as climate crisis worsens
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:25 PM
UK wildfires devastated more areas in 2025 than at any time since records began, figures show
Our thoughts on why hosting #Cop30 in the Amazon mattered🌎🦋🌴 theconversation.com/why-hosting-...
Why hosting the UN climate summit in the Amazon was so important, despite the disappointing outcome
The realities of climate and land use change are jarringly obvious in Amazonia.
theconversation.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Our thoughts on why hosting #Cop30 in the Amazon mattered🌎🦋🌴 theconversation.com/why-hosting-...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
🚨🚨"It is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else." Excellent piece by @anneapplebaum.bsky.social:
November 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM
🚨🚨"It is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else." Excellent piece by @anneapplebaum.bsky.social:
Reposted by Alexander Lees
🧬 DNA from a biopsy sample taken from a surfacing beaked whale with a modified crossbow confirms these specimens as ginkgo-toothed beaked whales (mesoplodon ginkgodens), a species never (knowingly) seen alive. #consgen 🦊
These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two
The search for a gingko-toothed beaked whale had taken five years, when a thieving albatross nearly ruined it all
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
🧬 DNA from a biopsy sample taken from a surfacing beaked whale with a modified crossbow confirms these specimens as ginkgo-toothed beaked whales (mesoplodon ginkgodens), a species never (knowingly) seen alive. #consgen 🦊
Reposted by Alexander Lees
While the rest of the world was at #COP30, the U.S. government was busy rolling back bedrock environmental protections www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/c...
In One Week, Trump Moves to Reshape U.S. Environmental Policy
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM
While the rest of the world was at #COP30, the U.S. government was busy rolling back bedrock environmental protections www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/c...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Granted I have had less time for birding in Longdendale @peakdistrict.bsky.social this year but I have seen just the one (1) Wheatear... also 1 Whinchat and no Redstart at all...
#UKBirding
#UKBirding
Where are all the wheatears?
After a blank spring for sightings of an iconic common migrant in his local area, our columnist weighs up the pros and cons of south-coast birding:
After a blank spring for sightings of an iconic common migrant in his local area, our columnist weighs up the pros and cons of south-coast birding:
David Campbell: where are all the wheatears?
After a blank spring for sightings of an iconic common migrant in his local area, our columnist weighs up the pros and cons of south-coast birding.
bit.ly
November 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Granted I have had less time for birding in Longdendale @peakdistrict.bsky.social this year but I have seen just the one (1) Wheatear... also 1 Whinchat and no Redstart at all...
#UKBirding
#UKBirding
Reposted by Alexander Lees
After two weeks of #COP30 negotiations, countries agreed to BEGIN DISCUSSIONS on fossil fuel phase out. And as the article says, "they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries."
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff
Wealthy countries agree to triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
After two weeks of #COP30 negotiations, countries agreed to BEGIN DISCUSSIONS on fossil fuel phase out. And as the article says, "they achieved this incremental progress only in the teeth of implacable opposition from oil-producing countries."
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
THIS is the problem with requiring unanimous decisions.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
“Moraes said Bolsonaro’s electronic ankle monitor had been tampered with at 12.08am on Saturday. That suggested “the convict had planned to break the ankle monitor in order to ensure the success of his escape, aided by the confusion caused by the protest”
Brazilian police arrest Bolsonaro amid suspicions he was about to flee
Politician reportedly taken from his villa into custody at a federal police base about 7 miles from presidential palace
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:43 PM
“Moraes said Bolsonaro’s electronic ankle monitor had been tampered with at 12.08am on Saturday. That suggested “the convict had planned to break the ankle monitor in order to ensure the success of his escape, aided by the confusion caused by the protest”
Reposted by Alexander Lees
"Meta internally projected late last year that it would earn about 10 per cent of its overall annual revenue — or $16bn — from running advertising for scams and banned goods, internal company documents show" - Reuters www.ft.com/content/4560...
We have to be able to hold tech platforms accountable for fraud
Algorithms ensure that people who click on scams are likely to see more of them
www.ft.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:50 AM
"Meta internally projected late last year that it would earn about 10 per cent of its overall annual revenue — or $16bn — from running advertising for scams and banned goods, internal company documents show" - Reuters www.ft.com/content/4560...
This hits hard:
"It was, notably, published six months before ChatGPT was released—the demarcation line after which you could no longer assume a sentence had been produced by a human."
thelocal.to/investigatin...
"It was, notably, published six months before ChatGPT was released—the demarcation line after which you could no longer assume a sentence had been produced by a human."
thelocal.to/investigatin...
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 22, 2025 at 12:04 PM
This hits hard:
"It was, notably, published six months before ChatGPT was released—the demarcation line after which you could no longer assume a sentence had been produced by a human."
thelocal.to/investigatin...
"It was, notably, published six months before ChatGPT was released—the demarcation line after which you could no longer assume a sentence had been produced by a human."
thelocal.to/investigatin...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Are you an MSc student based at a UK university? Or do you know one?
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
Postgraduate opportunities
The RSPB is offering a variety of exciting research projects for postgraduate students in 2026.
www.rspb.org.uk
November 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Are you an MSc student based at a UK university? Or do you know one?
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
RSPB @rspbscience.bsky.social have just released their list of research projects for 2026:
www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu...
#ornithology #conservationscience 🌍
Even consummate migrants like Corncrakes can end up being ship-assisted, although presumably being adopted by a family and fed prawns is a rarer occurrence.... #UKBirding #Ornithology
www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2563328...
www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2563328...
November 22, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Even consummate migrants like Corncrakes can end up being ship-assisted, although presumably being adopted by a family and fed prawns is a rarer occurrence.... #UKBirding #Ornithology
www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2563328...
www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2563328...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Now online in Journal of #Ornithology
Cryptic diversity in the Amazonian Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) Swainson 1838 with a neotype designation and revalidation of Tachyphonus saucius Strickland 1844
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Cryptic diversity in the Amazonian Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) Swainson 1838 with a neotype designation and revalidation of Tachyphonus saucius Strickland 1844
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Cryptic diversity in the Amazonian Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) Swainson 1838 with a neotype designation and revalidation of Tachyphonus saucius Strickland 1844 - Journal of Ornitho...
The Amazon is home to the greatest bird diversity in the world, but its avian diversity is still underestimated, partially due to cryptic diversity. An accurate assessment of cryptic species is necess...
link.springer.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Now online in Journal of #Ornithology
Cryptic diversity in the Amazonian Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) Swainson 1838 with a neotype designation and revalidation of Tachyphonus saucius Strickland 1844
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Cryptic diversity in the Amazonian Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) Swainson 1838 with a neotype designation and revalidation of Tachyphonus saucius Strickland 1844
link.springer.com/article/10.1...