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
Had a great time at Manchester Met’s Animal Behaviour and Conservation research day yesterday, with four amazing talks including @vixfranks.bsky.social on HiHi social networks. Enjoyed learning about cool research by @stephharris.bsky.social, @jacobcdunn.bsky.social and Mark Mainwaring too!
February 13, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Had a great time at Manchester Met’s Animal Behaviour and Conservation research day yesterday, with four amazing talks including @vixfranks.bsky.social on HiHi social networks. Enjoyed learning about cool research by @stephharris.bsky.social, @jacobcdunn.bsky.social and Mark Mainwaring too!
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Amazing story of a moth once thought extinct being recorded in the wild after 150 years!
This story shows the power of platforms like #inaturalist and the value of a #bioblitz, with this moth recorded during the Great Southern BioBlitz 2021 @gsbioblitz.bsky.social
#mothsmatter #inverts #bugsky
This story shows the power of platforms like #inaturalist and the value of a #bioblitz, with this moth recorded during the Great Southern BioBlitz 2021 @gsbioblitz.bsky.social
#mothsmatter #inverts #bugsky
An emerald-green moth missing for nearly 150 years has been rediscovered in South Africa.
Photos posted online confirmed the survival of Drepanogynis insciata, once known only from 1870s specimens — highlighting the power of citizen science platforms like iNaturalist.
Photos posted online confirmed the survival of Drepanogynis insciata, once known only from 1870s specimens — highlighting the power of citizen science platforms like iNaturalist.
Citizen science rediscovers rare South African moth
A strikingly handsome emerald-green moth, lost to science for nearly one-and-a-half centuries, has been rediscovered in South Africa by citizen scientists who posted photographs of it online. The…
news.mongabay.com
February 14, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Amazing story of a moth once thought extinct being recorded in the wild after 150 years!
This story shows the power of platforms like #inaturalist and the value of a #bioblitz, with this moth recorded during the Great Southern BioBlitz 2021 @gsbioblitz.bsky.social
#mothsmatter #inverts #bugsky
This story shows the power of platforms like #inaturalist and the value of a #bioblitz, with this moth recorded during the Great Southern BioBlitz 2021 @gsbioblitz.bsky.social
#mothsmatter #inverts #bugsky
Generative AI in its current form isn't going to facilitate any step-change in scientific understanding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Grant proposals drafted with AI help more likely to win NIH funding
But funding proposals to US agencies also tend to be more similar to previously funded projects if they are written or edited with the help of a chatbot.
www.nature.com
February 15, 2026 at 6:52 AM
Generative AI in its current form isn't going to facilitate any step-change in scientific understanding
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
It's still a shock to find a new PFAS forever chemical hotspot, even when it's inevitable. A bit of digging around paper mills, which often use PFAS, revealed the banned carcinogen PFOS at levels as high as 3,000ng/l in groundwater in south Cumbria
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Race to find source of carcinogenic Pfas in Cumbria and Lancashire waters
Exclusive: High levels of banned ‘forever chemical’ have been detected in rivers and groundwater at 25 sites
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:37 AM
It's still a shock to find a new PFAS forever chemical hotspot, even when it's inevitable. A bit of digging around paper mills, which often use PFAS, revealed the banned carcinogen PFOS at levels as high as 3,000ng/l in groundwater in south Cumbria
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
club300.dk/articles.php...
Hadn’t seen this note previously on a potential W-w x Velvet Scoter hybrid collected in Greenland
Hadn’t seen this note previously on a potential W-w x Velvet Scoter hybrid collected in Greenland
Club300.dk - Artikler
club300.dk
February 14, 2026 at 6:58 PM
club300.dk/articles.php...
Hadn’t seen this note previously on a potential W-w x Velvet Scoter hybrid collected in Greenland
Hadn’t seen this note previously on a potential W-w x Velvet Scoter hybrid collected in Greenland
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Friendly reminder:
NO ONE needs AI slop and more AI data centres
EVERYBODY needs clean water, affordable energy, and a habitable planet
NO ONE needs AI slop and more AI data centres
EVERYBODY needs clean water, affordable energy, and a habitable planet
February 8, 2026 at 10:50 AM
Friendly reminder:
NO ONE needs AI slop and more AI data centres
EVERYBODY needs clean water, affordable energy, and a habitable planet
NO ONE needs AI slop and more AI data centres
EVERYBODY needs clean water, affordable energy, and a habitable planet
Reposted by Alexander Lees
I am seeking a postdoc to join my group at UCLA -- ideally the candidate would have some experience in either population genetics or microbes/microbiome (computational background needed). We have a range of projects and are happy to tailer to your interests. Please dm/email me if interested.
February 12, 2026 at 7:18 PM
I am seeking a postdoc to join my group at UCLA -- ideally the candidate would have some experience in either population genetics or microbes/microbiome (computational background needed). We have a range of projects and are happy to tailer to your interests. Please dm/email me if interested.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
"I have a hunch more Brits would say they prefer people, immigrants or not, who pay their taxes, rather than billionaires who bugger off to Monaco and don’t," says Emily Maitlis.
Jim Ratcliffe, she adds, is "out of his depth" with his 'colonisation' claims
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
Jim Ratcliffe, she adds, is "out of his depth" with his 'colonisation' claims
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
Why does a billionaire living in Monaco think the UK has been ‘colonised’ by migrants? | The News Agents
Jim Ratcliffe, believed to be the seventh-richest Brit in the world, has faced backlash for claims the UK has been “colonised” by migrants. Has this language been normalised in Britain?
www.thenewsagents.co.uk
February 12, 2026 at 5:30 PM
"I have a hunch more Brits would say they prefer people, immigrants or not, who pay their taxes, rather than billionaires who bugger off to Monaco and don’t," says Emily Maitlis.
Jim Ratcliffe, she adds, is "out of his depth" with his 'colonisation' claims
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
Jim Ratcliffe, she adds, is "out of his depth" with his 'colonisation' claims
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
February 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
Reposted by Alexander Lees
With more than 150 illustrations, including unique maps, charts and colour photographs, The Marsh Tit and The Willow Tit brings together a wealth of information surrounding these fascinating species.
Buy here: https://bit.ly/450KqLW
#birdguides #books #birdbooks #birding #birdwatch
Buy here: https://bit.ly/450KqLW
#birdguides #books #birdbooks #birding #birdwatch
February 11, 2026 at 10:01 PM
With more than 150 illustrations, including unique maps, charts and colour photographs, The Marsh Tit and The Willow Tit brings together a wealth of information surrounding these fascinating species.
Buy here: https://bit.ly/450KqLW
#birdguides #books #birdbooks #birding #birdwatch
Buy here: https://bit.ly/450KqLW
#birdguides #books #birdbooks #birding #birdwatch
Reposted by Alexander Lees
A lovely article about our research on Gannets featuring interviews with #seabirders @heyjooode.bsky.social and @sue-lewis.bsky.social
#ornithology
#ornithology
New by me! I spoke to Northern Gannet researchers in the UK about what it was like to see HPAI rip through seabird colonies there and how things have gone since. 🪶🌎🧪 www.biographic.com/after-the-ou...
After the Outbreak - bioGraphic
A northern gannet colony devastated by avian influenza is slowly recovering—and so are the researchers who witnessed the virus’s wrath.
www.biographic.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:17 PM
A lovely article about our research on Gannets featuring interviews with #seabirders @heyjooode.bsky.social and @sue-lewis.bsky.social
#ornithology
#ornithology
Reposted by Alexander Lees
When there are limpet shells in your thatch, you know something's not quite right with the weather.
Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @tomallanwriter.bsky.social considers storm damage in a beleaguered Devon village.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @tomallanwriter.bsky.social considers storm damage in a beleaguered Devon village.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Country diary: How much bad weather can one village take? | Tom Allan
Torcross, Devon: 2026 has been defined by storms here. My job of repairing a thatched roof is simple compared with the wider recovery
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:09 AM
When there are limpet shells in your thatch, you know something's not quite right with the weather.
Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @tomallanwriter.bsky.social considers storm damage in a beleaguered Devon village.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Today's @theguardian.com country diary by @tomallanwriter.bsky.social considers storm damage in a beleaguered Devon village.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Reposted by Alexander Lees
🚨3 Lectureships in Biology 🚨
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
February 12, 2026 at 9:10 AM
🚨3 Lectureships in Biology 🚨
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Come join us in Bristol @bristolbiosci.bsky.social!
We are looking for new collegues working across a broad spectum of topics in biology, including ecology & environmental change. Get in touch if you have Qs!
Apply here by 8 March: www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Fancy a meeting in a castle to decide the future of 450 million Europeans? This is what 27 EU leaders are doing today, without you even knowing it 🤷
Find out more in our video & join 170,000+ people who signed the petition to defend nature laws, sign here 👇 handsoffnature.eu#take-action
Find out more in our video & join 170,000+ people who signed the petition to defend nature laws, sign here 👇 handsoffnature.eu#take-action
February 12, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Fancy a meeting in a castle to decide the future of 450 million Europeans? This is what 27 EU leaders are doing today, without you even knowing it 🤷
Find out more in our video & join 170,000+ people who signed the petition to defend nature laws, sign here 👇 handsoffnature.eu#take-action
Find out more in our video & join 170,000+ people who signed the petition to defend nature laws, sign here 👇 handsoffnature.eu#take-action
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Important reflections on the state of the world, and how to proceed in the age of #AidCuts
#AtrocityPrevention #Peace
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
#AtrocityPrevention #Peace
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How to rescue the aid industry: focus on conflict prevention, not just relief
In an era of escalating conflict, a development-only approach to aid will yield fleeting results.
www.nature.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:43 AM
Important reflections on the state of the world, and how to proceed in the age of #AidCuts
#AtrocityPrevention #Peace
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
#AtrocityPrevention #Peace
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
The points to remember
1) this is not the new normal. This is the beginning of an escalation of these events over the coming decades.
2) Australians were warned, in 1988. They were very well-informed. The political classes massaged the issue to protect coal (domestic and exports).
FAFOcene.
1) this is not the new normal. This is the beginning of an escalation of these events over the coming decades.
2) Australians were warned, in 1988. They were very well-informed. The political classes massaged the issue to protect coal (domestic and exports).
FAFOcene.
HISTORIC HEAT IN AUSTRALIA
Climatic history is set to be rewritten with an absolutely deadly week:
Today 48.5C in South Australia,47.2 New South Wales,
45.3 Queensland,45.0 Victoria
‼️We might expect 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS >46C in New South Wales and we can't rule out 50C.
A HELL
Climatic history is set to be rewritten with an absolutely deadly week:
Today 48.5C in South Australia,47.2 New South Wales,
45.3 Queensland,45.0 Victoria
‼️We might expect 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS >46C in New South Wales and we can't rule out 50C.
A HELL
January 25, 2026 at 11:05 AM
The points to remember
1) this is not the new normal. This is the beginning of an escalation of these events over the coming decades.
2) Australians were warned, in 1988. They were very well-informed. The political classes massaged the issue to protect coal (domestic and exports).
FAFOcene.
1) this is not the new normal. This is the beginning of an escalation of these events over the coming decades.
2) Australians were warned, in 1988. They were very well-informed. The political classes massaged the issue to protect coal (domestic and exports).
FAFOcene.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
“Do we want a technology that normalizes and amplifies deception? That transforms privacy into a commodity? A society where a techno-oligarch can interfere, as one of them did yesterday, in the…phones of millions of citizens to tell them lies? The answer must be a clear no, and we will not give in.”
For Spain’s Sánchez, the fight against tech billionaires is personal
The prime minister has endured years of abuse on the social media platforms he now seeks to regulate.
www.politico.eu
February 12, 2026 at 5:13 AM
“Do we want a technology that normalizes and amplifies deception? That transforms privacy into a commodity? A society where a techno-oligarch can interfere, as one of them did yesterday, in the…phones of millions of citizens to tell them lies? The answer must be a clear no, and we will not give in.”
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Precipitación acumulada en #Grazalema desde el 1 de septiembre (inicio del año hidrometeorológico):
¡¡3.320 l/m²!! 🤯
¡Tremendo! ¡Histórico, sin duda, incluso en Grazalema!
¡¡3.320 l/m²!! 🤯
¡Tremendo! ¡Histórico, sin duda, incluso en Grazalema!
February 10, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Precipitación acumulada en #Grazalema desde el 1 de septiembre (inicio del año hidrometeorológico):
¡¡3.320 l/m²!! 🤯
¡Tremendo! ¡Histórico, sin duda, incluso en Grazalema!
¡¡3.320 l/m²!! 🤯
¡Tremendo! ¡Histórico, sin duda, incluso en Grazalema!
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Techbros seem to love Tolkien, so here's an analogy to help you understand what genAI is.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
December 17, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Techbros seem to love Tolkien, so here's an analogy to help you understand what genAI is.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
Also see Mauna Loa Observatory.
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
February 11, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Also see Mauna Loa Observatory.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
An interesting goose paired to a Tundra Bean. The all pale peachy-pink bill, white halter and small dark spots on the upper belly perhaps point to it being a Tundra Bean X Russian Whitefront hybrid rather than an aberrant Tundra Bean. With Ash McElwee and Graham Fellows
February 11, 2026 at 8:16 PM
An interesting goose paired to a Tundra Bean. The all pale peachy-pink bill, white halter and small dark spots on the upper belly perhaps point to it being a Tundra Bean X Russian Whitefront hybrid rather than an aberrant Tundra Bean. With Ash McElwee and Graham Fellows
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Three decades on from the last documented sighting, Slender-billed Curlew was declared extinct a year ago. Arnoud van den Berg reflects on his experiences with this iconic bird at its final known winter refuge:
Slender-billed Curlew: shorebird lost forever
Three decades on from the last documented sighting, Slender-billed Curlew was declared extinct a year ago. Arnoud van den Berg reflects on his experiences with this iconic bird at its final known winter refuge.
bit.ly
February 11, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Three decades on from the last documented sighting, Slender-billed Curlew was declared extinct a year ago. Arnoud van den Berg reflects on his experiences with this iconic bird at its final known winter refuge:
Seemingly limited justification for reinforcement for the 'Critically low' (actually Green Listed) Long-eared Owl population: 'decreasing winter roost counts' (= Continental migrants short-stopping?) & UK breeding population apparently stable & limited by food & Tawny Owls #UKBirding #Ornithology
February 11, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Seemingly limited justification for reinforcement for the 'Critically low' (actually Green Listed) Long-eared Owl population: 'decreasing winter roost counts' (= Continental migrants short-stopping?) & UK breeding population apparently stable & limited by food & Tawny Owls #UKBirding #Ornithology
Reposted by Alexander Lees
The RSPB is looking for surveyors to census the UK’s largest Storm Petrel colony on Mousa, Shetland.
We need 2-4 volunteers who are comfortable working and camping in a remote location with limited facilities, to help complete playback surveys during mid-July 2026. 🪺🏝️🏕️
We need 2-4 volunteers who are comfortable working and camping in a remote location with limited facilities, to help complete playback surveys during mid-July 2026. 🪺🏝️🏕️
February 10, 2026 at 12:08 PM
The RSPB is looking for surveyors to census the UK’s largest Storm Petrel colony on Mousa, Shetland.
We need 2-4 volunteers who are comfortable working and camping in a remote location with limited facilities, to help complete playback surveys during mid-July 2026. 🪺🏝️🏕️
We need 2-4 volunteers who are comfortable working and camping in a remote location with limited facilities, to help complete playback surveys during mid-July 2026. 🪺🏝️🏕️