Alice Boyle

Alice Boyle

@birdfiddler.bsky.social

birds~rain, prairies, wet tropical forests, conservation, migration & dispersal; equity & social justice; @WesternU (prev Kansas State); also fiddle player, contra dance musician www.aliceboyle.net

2K followers1.4K following504 posts

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Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

#NewPaperAlert! This is 1 of those one... in file cabinet many years; DELIGHTED to see it out! We tried hard to find evidence for food availability mattering to grassland birds... & failed. Folks, food can't explain everything! Don't forget alt hypoths. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.comFood Availability Cannot Explain Dispersal and Settlement Decisions of a Grassland BirdWe test a commonly assumed explanation for animal movements—namely that food availability shapes where animals disperse to. Based on the results of four strong predictions, 3 years of data, and hundr...

Alice Boyle reposted

Mike Kaspari
@mikekaspari.bsky.social

Nutrient levels in plants are declining worldwide, in rainforests and kelp forests, grasslands and agricultural fields. Soil loss is part of the equation. But we are also polluting the air with CO2—and with it empty plant calories—in a process called Nutrient Dilution. bsky.app/profile/mike...

Doug Parr@dougparr.bsky.social

Due to **declining soil quality**, nutrients in fruit & vegetables are sharply lower Researchers at Deep Science Ventures found twice the fruit & veg need to be eaten today to get the same level of minerals like potassium, magnesium or copper than 60 yrs ago www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

independent.co.ukVegetables are half as nutritious than 60 years ago. Experts now know whyFewer than a third of wheat varieties used in bread released since the 1960s meet the recommended zinc target, due to poor soil quality
Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

I usually don't post my bird photos because they are not good. But today's alt #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BadWeather — birds in inclement weather and I had to post this pathetic hawk following a mega-rain in Tsavo East in Kenya. Rain can be a stressor for birds!

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

Very much looking forward to Thursday and seeing Kristin shine!

Kristen S. Hobbs@kayeshobbs.bsky.social

I’m defending my PhD this Thursday, Oct 8 at 9 AM CT! I tested how precipitation affects migration, courtship behavior, and population genomics in tropical manakins. Lots of fun testing theoretical expectations across chapters with @birdfiddler.bsky.social Message me for the Zoom link!

Alice Boyle reposted

Ethan Linck
@elinck.bsky.social

I'm hiring a postdoc to help build tools for inferring complex speciation histories with genomic data. strong computational skills are a must, but this is a training opportunity. 60K$+ salary, 2 years, details flexible. please reach out! (and repost) ad here: jobs.montana.edu/postings/53150

jobs.montana.eduPostdoctoral ResearcherThe Department of Ecology at Montana State University is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Scholar as part of NSF-funded research on speciation under alternating cycles of gene flow and isolation (fundi...
Ethan Linck@elinck.bsky.social

grateful to have received the lab's first NSF grant to study cyclical processes of speciation with new theory and tools (applied to Melanesian birds). ad to come, but I'll be looking for a postdoc with computational biology chops—please reach out! (and repost) www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/...

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

I am nerdily into enjoying when I eat a taxonomically diverse meal; this just upped the sophistication of that game by a huge leap!

Michael Hickerson@hickerlab.bsky.social

How much of the tree of life did you eat? Phylodiet scores a meal by phylogenetic diversity: type what you ate and it builds the dated tree of the organisms in it, from ~3,300 edible eukaryotes, back 2 billion years. Last night's dinner, below. 🧵 mjhickerson.github.io/phylodiet/app/phylodiet.html

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

This was the culmination of a ton of work and SO MUCH FUN! The grads and faculty showed up in force and shared some of the fabulous goings on at the CAM! I am so exhausted now!

Centre for Animals on the Move at Western@animalsonthemove.bsky.social

Birding walks and banding demos happening NOW, right outside the Advanced Facility for Avian Research. You can register on site :D #WesternU #WesternHoco

Alice Boyle reposted

Centre for Animals on the Move at Western
@animalsonthemove.bsky.social

Replying to @animalsonthemove.bsky.social

The Research Showcase (11-2 at the Great Hall) also features short, engaging talks on animals. Learn how cell phones can help track the migratory journeys of monarch butterflies, and what female chickadees are looking for in a mate! (3/3)

Alice Boyle reposted

Centre for Animals on the Move at Western
@animalsonthemove.bsky.social

Replying to @animalsonthemove.bsky.social

Stop by our Research Showcase between 11-2 at the Great Hall (Somerville House). There are interactive displays for all ages, featuring animal tracking, wildlife conservation, bee colonies, animal-themed card making with our Artist in Residence, and more! Also refreshments! (2/3)

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

I’ve been working hard on the event for a while now… come and celebrate with us! #western #FallFestival

Centre for Animals on the Move at Western@animalsonthemove.bsky.social

Our second annual fall festival of Animals on the Move is coming up this weekend! There are still a few slots for bird banding demos and bird walks, and the science showcase doesn't have a cap, so please come and join us!

Alice Boyle reposted

Beth MacDougall-Shackleton
@bethmacshack.bsky.social

Day 6 without power and crickets from dean and VPR (apparently this is above, or below, their pay grades). What about the Chem building, also without power? Lots of volatile substances that need fumehoods and temp control to be safe. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

cbc.ca'Irreplaceable' samples destroyed in latest power outage at Western University in London, Ont. | CBC NewsIrreplaceable research samples have been destroyed, experiments delayed and lab access cut off after a four-day power outage at Western University in London, Ont., left biology researchers scrambling ...

Alice Boyle reposted

Joe Brennan
@biologyjoe87.bsky.social

Looking for sci comm opportunities? Join us as a writer for American Naturalist press releases! These write-ups are primarily written by graduate students and other early-career scientists. No experience required; we have editors to help along the way. Apps due Sept 1. Please share widely :D

forms.gleLooking for Press Release Writers & Editors for The American NaturalistSign up for the opportunity to write and/or edit for The American Naturalist! We are seeking authors to write press releases for new journal articles. See examples of recent press releases here. We a...
Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

@westernu.ca is a great place to work... except every summer, Biology experiences prolonged and devastating power outages that is ruining research, training, and reputation. I have escaped most consequences so far, but my colleagues are at their wits ends. CBC reports... tinyurl.com/42trwfvm

tinyurl.comWestern biology department faces research delays, sample losses after 4-day power outage | CBC NewsIrreplaceable research samples have been destroyed, experiments delayed, and lab access cut off after a four-day power outage at Western University left biology researchers scrambling to protect years...
Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

I found more Ontario #grassland today complete with #GrasshopperSparrows Unfortunately, I don’t know who owns it yet. I also found a U-Pick blueberry farm. All in all, 10/10 kind of day

Alice Boyle reposted

Johnnie Jae
@johnniejae.bsky.social

Replying to @johnniejae.bsky.social

For anyone asking how to help: Donate to True North Aid to assist Remote Indigenous Wildfire Evacuees - truenorthaid.ca/donate/ & Namaygoosisagagun First Nation Response: Donations an7gc.ca/donate/

truenorthaid.caDonate - True North Aid | Canadian Charity Supporting Indigenous CommunitiesDonate to True North Aid's general fund and support Indigenous-led and community initiatves in remote communities.
Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

For me, hanging out on the shores of Lake Huron is the definition of summer. Spent my childhood at my grandmother’s cottage and although this is a different part of the lake, the vibes are identical. Bliss.

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

If you want graphical evidence that #cattle prefer recently-burned areas, here you go! 1 week of foraging locations from pre-treatment yr ( #VirtualFence ); collars recorded locations, but cattle went where they liked. Purple = burned that yr, yellow = not burned. #Tallgrass #prairie #VF

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

Ontario #GrasshopperSparrows are weird… saw 2 singing from TREES yesterday, & apparently are totally fine with huge military telecommunications structures. So looking forward to understanding what makes them tick.

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

The #grasslands in #Ontario are small and scattered and really different from the Great Plains… and also incredibly beautiful! Grasshopper Sparrows, upland Sandpipers, Eastern Meadowlarks & other hanging on in #CardenAlvar

Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

A few years ago, my dad moved into Shaftesbury Park and depends on the WOG Regional Health Authority’s self & family managed care program. SP has been delivering the care—no more. Many residents and their families are so screwed by this illegal BS. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

cbc.caWinnipeg retirement home accused of 'union-busting' after 70 aides notified of job loss | CBCThe Canadian Union of Public Employees is accusing a Winnipeg retirement home of union-busting after dozens of health-care aides received termination notices just as they became certified members.
Alice Boyle
@birdfiddler.bsky.social

Union busting sucks, but so does leaving people like my dad high and dry. He is no longer mobile so is entirely dependent on people helping him transport, wash, feed, and do most other things. I don’t know what to do.