Sarah Dobney
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sdobney.bsky.social
Sarah Dobney
@sdobney.bsky.social
180 followers 200 following 8 posts
I am a PhD candidate at the University of Windsor studying vocal communication and vocal learning in songbirds.
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Reposted by Sarah Dobney
royalsocietypublishing.org
New research from #BiologyLetters: Why do birds construct nest tails? A test of disruptive camouflage in the blue manakin royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... | #Behaviour #Evolution
February 3, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Accepted! "Experimental study of social signaling through delayed plumage maturation in a colony-nesting seabird." A playback-and-model experiment coming to Animal Behaviour. Led by Molly Hill & @liamtaylor.bsky.social w/ Lily Fanburg @sdobney.bsky.social & me.

Now that's what I call #GullOfTheDay!
February 2, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
liamtaylor.bsky.social
Excited that our paper is headed for publication at Animal Behaviour! - "Experimental study of social signaling through delayed plumage maturation in a colony-nesting seabird."

Our experiments show how the unusual, brown plumages of young seabirds can help reduce aggression at the breeding colony.
In the foreground, a young American Herring Gull with a drab, worn, brown, "predefinitive" plumage. This bird is probably ~12 months old. Behind, an older, breeding adult in a "definitive" gray and white plumage, which is probably 4 or more years old. We have little information about the ecology and evolution of delayed plumage maturation in seabirds. A breeding gull attacks a plastic model as part of behavioral experiments at the breeding colony on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada. Coco and Tracey Faber start painting raw plastic models for stimulus experiments, using photo references and museum specimens at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
February 2, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
jaclynaubin.bsky.social
Our new review of beluga sociality and culture just dropped at Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology! Some of our key conclusions summarized 🧵
doi.org/10.1007/s002...
@marine-valeria.bsky.social @dmennill.bsky.social @raincoast.org
A white beluga surfacing in greenish-brown waters. Overlaid is the title of a new review published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology: Beluga Societies: the social and cultural lives of an enigmatic odontocete.
January 21, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
zachgayk.bsky.social
"Bioacoustic Monitoring Reveals Patterns of Landscape Use by Migrating Birds at a Great Lakes Barrier Crossing." Using acoustic recorders along Lake Superior’s south shore, we recorded nearly 3 million songbird flight calls, uncovering a major migratory pathway. doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
#ornithology
December 17, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Do birds have feelings? 🦉🦚🦅🦜
I'm a guest on The Warblers today, the podcast of Birds Canada. I answer a question about chickadee song. Nelsy Niño @nelsyninor.bsky.social answers a question about mimicry. Thanks for having us @birdscanada.bsky.social!
Listen here: www.birdscanada.org/warblerspodc...
December 15, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Inter-brood interval affects offspring survival and fitness, and reflects timing of breeding and female quality. Our new paper on inter-brood interval appears in the new issue of Ibis, led by Hayley Spina and our collaborative Savannah Sparrow research team. @bou.org.uk @ryannorrissci.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
saskajanet.bsky.social
Looking for some inspiration? Stu Mackenzie is celebrating 20 yrs at Birds Canada. Truly one of a kind. Absolute legend @birdscanada.bsky.social #birds 🌿
Celebrating 20 years of Canada’s Ambassador to Long Point – Stu Mackenzie
For two decades, Stu Mackenzie has helped shape Long Point Bird Observatory into a world-class hub for migration science, training and global collaboration. From pioneering Motus to inspiring countles...
www.birdscanada.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
"Grad student takes flight to map invasive plant." Sarika Sharma, an alum of our lab, is profiled in our campus newspaper for her research to map Phragmites in the Healthy Headwaters Lab. Congratulations Sarika!
www.uwindsor.ca/news/2025-11...
@ecofebria.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
BIRDS & BEERS V is one week from tonight, Thurs Nov 20, in Windsor! 🐦🍺🐦🍺 An evening of fun with UWindsor researchers including bird trivia, ornithology talks, student posters, and a short film screening. All are welcome! @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
Tickets: tinyurl.com/BirdsBeers5
November 13, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
I launched our latest Motus Audio recorder just outside Algonquin Park, with a generous assist from Motus collaborator @ryannorrissci.bsky.social. Let's see how many sparrows and thrushes are still on-the-move in mid-October.
October 15, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Double brooding improves lifetime fitness. Our paper "Multigenerational fitness outcomes of double-brooding: a 30-year study of a migratory songbird" appears in the latest Behavioral Ecology: tinyurl.com/3hsyd42m. By @hayleyspina.bsky.social @ryannorrissci.bsky.social and our collaborative team.
October 14, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
biophylia.bsky.social
Tomorrow is #OctoberBigDay! The simple act of volunteer scientists birding and submitting their lists to eBird all at the same time, produces a powerful dataset that helps us learn about bird migration timing and more! Here's a late migrating Oct #NorthernYellowWarbler that is heading to C. America.
A small all yellow-green slings to an Oak tree branch
October 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Dr. Natalie Sánchez has just been appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in our Department of Integrative Biology at University of Windsor. Congratulations @natingui.bsky.social! I am so excited about the collaborations and research projects that lie ahead. @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social
Dr. Natalie Sánchez at a bird banding station in Costa Rica, holding a migratory thrush.
October 9, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Motus Audio recorders are now set up at Birds Canada headquarters in Port Rowan and at Old Cut Research Station at Longpoint Bird Observatory. Which bird species will we record flying southwards this fall? @birdscanada.bsky.social @ibiouwindsor.bsky.social [📷 N. Emerick & M. Bygrove]
October 3, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
It's "Birds and Reptiles Week" in the International Master's of Bioacoustics program. This week we're on campus at Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne. Today we had great lectures and workshops from Profs. Nicolas Mathevon, Ole Larsen, and Magnus Wahlberg. @nicolasmathevon.bsky.social
September 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Our week of field-based learning has finished with a beautiful sunset, a campfire lecture, and a starry night. And a shockingly hard acoustic quiz. Can you differentiate a screaming deer, a creaking door, and a shrieking Nazgul? Next week: bird & reptile week on campus. @nicolasmathevon.bsky.social
September 20, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
behavecol-lab.bsky.social
Please share!🙏
🚨 PhD Oportunity in Avian Behavioural Ecology in Spain
The BirdBond Project (MNCN & IREC) studies how pair bonds form, change & affect reproduction/survival in the spotless starling 🐦
September 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
Sarah Dobney presented her doctoral studies at the International Bioacoustics Congress #ibac2025 in Kerteminde, Denmark. Way to go @sdobney.bsky.social!
September 15, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
We've launched a Motus Audio Recorder on Pelee Island! Natalie, Madison, and Nelsy launched our 10th recorder, which will survey migratory birds passing over Pelee Island this fall.
@ibiouwindsor.bsky.social @birdscanada.bsky.social @peleeislandbird.bsky.social
September 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
sdobney.bsky.social
Thank you so much!
September 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
sdobney.bsky.social
I've been loving the talks and posters being presented at #IBAC2025! Come see my poster today to learn about the "Songs of the studs" 🎤🐦🪺 @dmennill.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
aosiecka.bsky.social
Yay bioacousticians all around! <3 Come see me at the #IBAC session tomorrow - or anytime for coffee/bikes!
September 8, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
dmennill.bsky.social
"UWindsor students co-author scientific paper after immersive Paris field course." Today's campus newsletter has a write-up about our new paper, arising from our field course on Bird Song and Anthropogenic Noise. 🇫🇷🎶🐦 Check it out: www.uwindsor.ca/news/2025-07...
UWindsor students co-author scientific paper after immersive Paris field course
<p><em>By Sara Elliott</em></p> <p>“The field course was a pivotal point in my academic journey because if not for my study abroad experience, I genuinely would not be in this lab and I wouldn’t be d...
www.uwindsor.ca
July 30, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Sarah Dobney
birdscanada.bsky.social
The latest issue of Avian Conservation and Ecology (ACE) is out now!

Volume 20, Issue 1 features a variety of captivating bird research papers, including a new study co-authored by Danielle Ethier, Senior Scientist at Birds Canada.

Dive into this study and more at avianconservationecology.org
A landscape photo of a boreal forest. Overlay text reads "The challenge: We don’t know how birds are doing in much of the boreal forest because it’s too hard to survey in these remote regions." A Blackpoll Warbler perches on a branch. Overlay text reads "A new window: Because monitoring programs rarely reach the far north, boreal bird migration in the spring and fall offers a way to track their populations using migration data from bird observatory counts." A Blackpoll Warbler sings from a tree. Overlay text reads "An innovative method: Using the Blackpoll Warbler as a case study, researchers combined migration counts with feather isotopes. The feather chemistry helped reveal the origins of the birds, while migration counts provided insights into the changes in their populations." A landscape shot of the Blackpoll Warbler's habitat. Overlay text reads: "The big picture: This approach will help us protect more species by identifying where conservation is most urgently needed."
July 21, 2025 at 8:40 PM