Steph Szarmach
@stephszarmach.bsky.social
Postdoc at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Movement ecology, population genetics, and evolutionary genomics 🐦🪶🧬
Pinned
Out now in Movement Ecology: We used multi-sensor geolocators to track myrtle warblers breeding in Alaska and found that they migrated much farther than expected to the Gulf Coast—rather than to the closer Pacific Coast non-breeding area 🪶🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
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 Steph Szarmach
This needs to blow up in the bird feed please 🪶
January 24, 2026 at 10:20 PM
This needs to blow up in the bird feed please 🪶
Out now in Movement Ecology: We used multi-sensor geolocators to track myrtle warblers breeding in Alaska and found that they migrated much farther than expected to the Gulf Coast—rather than to the closer Pacific Coast non-breeding area 🪶🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
January 23, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Out now in Movement Ecology: We used multi-sensor geolocators to track myrtle warblers breeding in Alaska and found that they migrated much farther than expected to the Gulf Coast—rather than to the closer Pacific Coast non-breeding area 🪶🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
I could give you a great summary of our new warbler diet paper… but if a picture says a thousand words, this awesome graphical abstract by @rushstudio.bsky.social tells the whole story. 🦉🧪
academic.oup.com/auk/article/...
academic.oup.com/auk/article/...
January 21, 2026 at 3:59 PM
I could give you a great summary of our new warbler diet paper… but if a picture says a thousand words, this awesome graphical abstract by @rushstudio.bsky.social tells the whole story. 🦉🧪
academic.oup.com/auk/article/...
academic.oup.com/auk/article/...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
January 12, 2026 at 8:04 PM
semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
#Fairbanks #Alaska at -30F protests against ICE. We remember Renee Good and the many, many hurt and stolen.
Standing here loving cold, not murder, not abductions, and not vice.
Standing here loving cold, not murder, not abductions, and not vice.
January 10, 2026 at 1:48 AM
#Fairbanks #Alaska at -30F protests against ICE. We remember Renee Good and the many, many hurt and stolen.
Standing here loving cold, not murder, not abductions, and not vice.
Standing here loving cold, not murder, not abductions, and not vice.
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
I had a blast talking with @drscottataylor.bsky.social on the most recent episode of Okay, but...birds. Tune in for my hot take on why Hudsonian Godwits are far superior to Arctic Terns as migratory birds! (I welcome any & all angry comments from tern supporters 😉)
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
E5: Okay, but why fly from the Arctic to Antarctica and back every year? — Okay, But... Birds
okaybutbirds.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:09 PM
I had a blast talking with @drscottataylor.bsky.social on the most recent episode of Okay, but...birds. Tune in for my hot take on why Hudsonian Godwits are far superior to Arctic Terns as migratory birds! (I welcome any & all angry comments from tern supporters 😉)
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
okaybutbirds.com/episodes/e5
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Science communication is more siloed than ever - platforms, algorithms, and lack of in-person contact can cost us opportunities to connect with one another about science. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social talks about how we, as scientists, can expand our audiences and connect with our communities. (1/2)
January 4, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Science communication is more siloed than ever - platforms, algorithms, and lack of in-person contact can cost us opportunities to connect with one another about science. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social talks about how we, as scientists, can expand our audiences and connect with our communities. (1/2)
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
It’s very clear which game(s) my partner and i have a 50/50 winning streak at 🐘🪱 Most fun location I played at this year was jury duty #bgstats2025 @bgstatsapp.bsky.social
January 2, 2026 at 3:27 AM
It’s very clear which game(s) my partner and i have a 50/50 winning streak at 🐘🪱 Most fun location I played at this year was jury duty #bgstats2025 @bgstatsapp.bsky.social
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Just in time for the holidays, I had a fun chat with @drscottataylor.bsky.social about splits and lumps… and some of the other controversies roiling avian taxonomy 🤓
🦉🧪
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
🦉🧪
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Okay, but why did my life list just shrink?
Podcast Episode · Okay, But... Birds · S1 E3 · 27m
podcasts.apple.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Just in time for the holidays, I had a fun chat with @drscottataylor.bsky.social about splits and lumps… and some of the other controversies roiling avian taxonomy 🤓
🦉🧪
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
🦉🧪
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
New paper out. If you like colorful birds, hybridization, and phylogenetics, read on! 🧵https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003501
A colorful legacy of hybridization in wood-warblers includes frequent sharing of carotenoid genes among species and genera
Introgression between species can shape evolutionary trajectories in important ways. This study of the entire family of the colorful wood-warblers (Parulidae) uses whole-genome sequencing to reveal fr...
doi.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
New paper out. If you like colorful birds, hybridization, and phylogenetics, read on! 🧵https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003501
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Long Pond in Acadia NP about an hour after sunset tonight, on the eve of a snowstorm. The light reflecting off of the waves in the foreground is actually moonlight, not the remnants of twilight in the distance.
Look at that textbook, U-shaped glacial trough. *chef kiss*
Look at that textbook, U-shaped glacial trough. *chef kiss*
December 2, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Long Pond in Acadia NP about an hour after sunset tonight, on the eve of a snowstorm. The light reflecting off of the waves in the foreground is actually moonlight, not the remnants of twilight in the distance.
Look at that textbook, U-shaped glacial trough. *chef kiss*
Look at that textbook, U-shaped glacial trough. *chef kiss*
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Our paper on tinamou evolution is finally out in @systbiol.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...
November 9, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Our paper on tinamou evolution is finally out in @systbiol.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
My lab is hiring a 2-yr hummingbird evolution and genomics postdoc and a 1-yr salaried research and lab tech. Both with full U. Wyoming benefits. Please spread the word! Info below. Best consideration date Nov 1, start dates early Spring 2026.
October 14, 2025 at 8:08 PM
My lab is hiring a 2-yr hummingbird evolution and genomics postdoc and a 1-yr salaried research and lab tech. Both with full U. Wyoming benefits. Please spread the word! Info below. Best consideration date Nov 1, start dates early Spring 2026.
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
August 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Do you like songbirds? Are you concerned about how wildfire smoke may impact their physiology?
I'm searching for graduate students who are interested in looking at the effect of wildfire smoke on songbird physiology! Come join my lab @usaskartsci.bsky.social!
research-groups.usask.ca/ivy-lab/
I'm searching for graduate students who are interested in looking at the effect of wildfire smoke on songbird physiology! Come join my lab @usaskartsci.bsky.social!
research-groups.usask.ca/ivy-lab/
The Ivy Lab! - Welcome to the Ivy Lab!
research-groups.usask.ca
May 6, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Do you like songbirds? Are you concerned about how wildfire smoke may impact their physiology?
I'm searching for graduate students who are interested in looking at the effect of wildfire smoke on songbird physiology! Come join my lab @usaskartsci.bsky.social!
research-groups.usask.ca/ivy-lab/
I'm searching for graduate students who are interested in looking at the effect of wildfire smoke on songbird physiology! Come join my lab @usaskartsci.bsky.social!
research-groups.usask.ca/ivy-lab/
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Do appreciate a line dancing break during the #Gritty5k @nhl-flyers.bsky.social
October 4, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Do appreciate a line dancing break during the #Gritty5k @nhl-flyers.bsky.social
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Thanks @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social for inviting me to share my story about how unexpected challenges can lead towards new discoveries!
There's a new guest post on the WOS blog! Emily Griffith (@e-v-griffith.bsky.social) describes her work documenting the UV-fluorescent pigments in the plumage of Long-eared Owls. 🦉 #ornithology wilsonsociety.org/2025/09/09/g...
September 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Thanks @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social for inviting me to share my story about how unexpected challenges can lead towards new discoveries!
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
The lack of mainstream coverage of regular huge protests reminds me of a talk from a Twitter employees who explained that they had to drop BLM off the Trending Tags section because otherwise it would have been there permanently. The modern media environment has no appetite for sustained movements.
The crowd has no beginning and no end as it begins its march to the White House
September 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
The lack of mainstream coverage of regular huge protests reminds me of a talk from a Twitter employees who explained that they had to drop BLM off the Trending Tags section because otherwise it would have been there permanently. The modern media environment has no appetite for sustained movements.
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Video of Columbia Heights residents driving ICE agents out of their area. source: www.instagram.com/reel/DNjkvLQ...
August 20, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Video of Columbia Heights residents driving ICE agents out of their area. source: www.instagram.com/reel/DNjkvLQ...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
Congrats to @stephszarmach.bsky.social on receiving your wizzarding robes this weekend from @psubiodept.bsky.social! Enjoy the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. They are very lucky to have you!
August 17, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Congrats to @stephszarmach.bsky.social on receiving your wizzarding robes this weekend from @psubiodept.bsky.social! Enjoy the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. They are very lucky to have you!
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
New paper published! How does a mid-size river impact gene flow and population structure, including when there is an adaptive sexual trait present on one bank but not the other? With Peri Bolton, Robb Brumfield (@limpkin.bsky.social), Jerry Wilkinson, and Mike Braun.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Impact of a putative riverine barrier on genomic population structure and gene flow in the presence of sexual selection
Abstract. Gene flow connects populations and facilitates the exchange of alleles, impacting speciation and adaptation. In western Panama, lekking golden-co
doi.org
July 8, 2025 at 7:09 PM
New paper published! How does a mid-size river impact gene flow and population structure, including when there is an adaptive sexual trait present on one bank but not the other? With Peri Bolton, Robb Brumfield (@limpkin.bsky.social), Jerry Wilkinson, and Mike Braun.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
"The Nazis... imagined their targets would self-deport. Once the myth of self-deportation collapsed, they turned to more punitive measures. On Tuesday, Noem similarly noted the Everglades camp was meant to frighten immigrants into self-deporting. 'If you don’t,' she said, 'you may end up here.'"
Opinion | Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp.
This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.
www.msnbc.com
July 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"The Nazis... imagined their targets would self-deport. Once the myth of self-deportation collapsed, they turned to more punitive measures. On Tuesday, Noem similarly noted the Everglades camp was meant to frighten immigrants into self-deporting. 'If you don’t,' she said, 'you may end up here.'"
Reposted by Steph Szarmach
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
May 4, 2025 at 6:21 AM
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.