David Shorthouse
@dshorthouse.bsky.social
1K followers 65 following 81 posts
father, husband, biodiversity informatician. Opinions mine and not those of my employer. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7618-5230
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
dshorthouse.bsky.social
A 2980m portage will be the longest one I've ever done. Trimming unnecessary bulk and weight is tough to do when temps dip below freezing. And pro-tip: Will have to sleep with the lumpy water filter in my sleeping bag.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Preparing for a chilly Canadian Thanksgiving paddle with several 2km+ portages in Algonquin Provincial Park with a friend from my high school years. Might be the last one of the season. 🛶 💪 🦃 🥶
Screenshot of a map depicting a 40km canoe loop in Algonquin Provincial Park Screenshot of temperature forecast in Algonquin Provincial Park for Friday, October 10, 2025.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
We did a pitstop at Mazinaw Rock on the 3rd deepest lake in Ontario, Canada. We watched the sun dip below the trees from atop the cliff, clamoured down the trail in the dark, then paddled back to the put-in under a full moon en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazinaw...
Mazinaw Rock - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Had a great little weekend meaningfully connecting with my eldest son. From the moment we pushed off in the canoe, we were in perfect rhythm, completing portages and camp chores without comment of these things, instead reserving words for his aspirations, his anxieties, and giving shape to his life.
Young man at the bow of a canoe, admiring the sunset on a cliff face.
Reposted by David Shorthouse
siobhanleachman.bsky.social
Very excited to have this opportunity!
wikimediaaotearoa.bsky.social
Manaaki Whenua have appointed Siobhan Leachman as their Wikimedian in Residence!

Supporting staff to share their expertise, @siobhanleachman.bsky.social will be assisting the group with contributing content from their nationally significant collections to openly accessible Wikimedia platforms.
From Collections to Commons: Announcing a Wikimedian in Residence at Manaaki Whenua
From Collections to Commons: Announcing a Wikimedian in Residence at Manaaki Whenua Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Group now have a Wikimedian in Residence on board, […]
www.wikimedia.nz
Reposted by David Shorthouse
svmering.bsky.social
Our article "Wikidata for botanists: benefits of collaborating and sharing Linked Open Data" is part of this new issue of @annbot.bsky.social
See: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
Result of a great #collaboration @siobhanleachman.bsky.social @joaquimsantos1978.bsky.social Heidi Meudt! #Wikidata #LOD
annbot.bsky.social
🆕 The new issue of Annals of Botany is now online!

🧬 Symbiosis, physiology & molecular responses
🌸 Pollination & plant–insect interactions
🌾 Nutrients & root processes
📊 Open data & measurements
🌱 Seeds, seedlings & climate change

New issue👉 botany.fyi/91590f

#PlantScience #Botany
The cover image shows the Australian Queen of Sheba orchid, a plant which exhibits floral deception by mimicking buzz-pollinated tinsel lilies. Floral trait analyses, pollinator observations, and reproductive success metrics reveal how visual and olfactory signals interact to attract shared pollinators, advancing our understanding of the complex evolution of mimicry in deceptive pollination systems. [See Scaccabarozzi et al., pp. 583–595.]
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Was serenaded by a pack of wolves approx. 1km to the west of my campsite on Collins Inlet near Killarney Provincial Park. Have a listen! jumpshare.com/share/mTo7sZ...
Philip Edward Island - Collins Inlet wolves (1).m4a
Shared with Jumpshare
jumpshare.com
Reposted by David Shorthouse
ipbes.net
RIP #JaneGoodall - one of the modern pioneers of profound interconnections between people, animals and ecosystems. Her life was lived through science, compassion and tireless advocacy for the multiple values of nature - leaving a legacy that will endure for people and planet.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Stunning and other-worldly solo canoe trip circumnavigating Philip Edward Island on the NE shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. Two nights and three days, not a cloud in the sky and what little wind there was, it was at my back.
A tent peeking through four tree trunks in the foreground and the Collins Inlet in the background. Smoothed bedrock on the shores of Philip Edward Island Smoothed bedrock on an island off the shore of Philip Edward Island and the expanse of Lake Huron in the distance. A lonely red canoe is perched on the smooth rock. Paddling a canoe solo through the thousands of small islands that dot the shores of Philip Edward Island.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Make it to PEI? Putting-in from Chikinishing tomorrow morning. Tried Bustard Islands from Camp Doré but shuttle too rich for me.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Departing on another paddling adventure to somewhere near here, the greatest concentration of freshwater islands in the world.
Map of Georgian Bay in Lake Huron with the NE shoreline circled.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Is that…kitty kibble? That’s an Unkindness.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Almost peed on one last summer! You hear 'em before you see 'em so take care as you plant your feet.
Eastern massasauga rattle snake in French River Provincial Park, August 2024
dshorthouse.bsky.social
“All our employees received the Internet security training we designed and paid for so it’s not our fault. Besides, we disabled all the USB connections for network-attached devices.”
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Ditto. Who can plan for weather? Done because of squatters in popular areas like Dalles Rapids, less so in the 800-range island sites on the delta. On the plus side, you can get a similar feel for Georgian Bay on a 4+ day loop with v. few portages. Look out for massasauga rattlers in either place!
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Awesome place. If fall winds in forecast will be a problem, French River Prov. Park is a reasonably good option via Hartley Bay Marina - a shorter drive for you. It's newly book-by-site this paddling season so ymmv.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Back from a 4-day solo canoe trip to N. Algonquin. Beaver dams, lift overs, lining, oh my! Been so luck with the weather on my adventures this summer.
View from under a portaged canoe, showing a wooden, plank path across a marshy area. Cruising in a canoe along a winding marsh in Northern Algonquin.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Northern Algonquin: Kioshkokwi Lake "Kiosk" to Mouse Lake, down Maple Creek and back to Kiosk, maps.app.goo.gl/gLD6Vu5bqETP.... Not a particularly challenging route, but the weather will be wonderful and I will take my time.
maps.app.goo.gl
dshorthouse.bsky.social
A four-day solo paddle with multiple, lengthy portages starts tomorrow morning. It's been at least 20 years since the last time I was truly all alone, fending for myself. I am grateful for my family who understand that I have been quietly aching for this. #MyLittleRedCanoe
A solitary man in a grey rain coat lines a red canoe from a rocky shore using a white painter under a dreary, grey sky.
dshorthouse.bsky.social
What to do with scraps of uneaten dehydrated food from the last canoe trip? Plan another one!

Son and I couldn't complete this Algonquin trip in May; he had a rotten virus. Good on him to tap the mat. At that time we were deafened by spring peepers and an American Bittern youtu.be/bAxAEoAVmuc?...
Teenage boy in the foreground of a spectacular sunset on the southern shore of Club Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
dshorthouse.bsky.social
Doing a 3.5 day solo canoe trip next weekend that’ll have a bit of rigour to get the heart pumping. Five portages over 800m! A fire ban is unfortunate but we need rain in Eastern Ontario, Canada.
a man is sleeping in a red kayak in the water .
ALT: a man is sleeping in a red kayak in the water .
media.tenor.com