Keith C Hamer
LightNews LightNews
banner
keithchamer.bsky.social
Keith C Hamer
@keithchamer.bsky.social
310 followers 220 following 1 posts

Ecologist and seabird biologist, now happily retired

Videos
Environmental science 52%
Biology 16%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

evelynalexander.bsky.social
Evelyn Alexander @evelynalexander.bsky.social · 3d
Thrilled to share my first PhD publication - gannets put more effort into diving when they are in groups 🐟🐟🐟

Out now in @meps-ir.bsky.social www.int-res.com/abstracts/me...

+Thanks to my coauthors who put a lot of effort into collecting the videos!

#seabirds #ornithology #animalbehaviour

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

bou.org.uk
BOU @bou.org.uk · 7d
EARLY VIEW in IBIS

A half century of monitoring reveals contrasting survival responses of Icelandic seabirds to climate and fisheries pressures | onlinelibrary.wiley....

Sarah E. Gutowsky et al | #ornithology 🪶
Bird with colourful bill flying low over water.

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

hannahdugdale.bsky.social
Dugdale Research Group @hannahdugdale.bsky.social · 10d
Congratulatiosn to MSc student Mariia Vlasova, PhD student @yuhengsun.bsky.social, and Janet Chik on their Mol Ecol paper ‘Parental Age Effects on Offspring Telomere Length Across Vertebrates: A Meta-Analysis’ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

lurkymclurkface.bsky.social
LurkyMclurkface @lurkymclurkface.bsky.social · 11d
Am I imagining things or has the Beeb used a picture of Coquet Island for this 'volunteers wanted' piece on Skomer?
#NEbirding

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

bendps.bsky.social
Benjamin Dupuis @bendps.bsky.social · 12d
!📃New paper📃!
My 2nd PhD paper is out in @animalecology.bsky.social ky.social !
Using a unique 25-year #biologging and population monitoring🐧 dataset , we uncover how environmental changes 🧊 scale up from individual to population responses.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#move
Energetics link long‐term environmental variations to breeding success in a wild penguin population
Using a unique 25-year dataset, we uncover how environmental changes scale up from individual to population responses. We show that sea ice drives individual energetics, while parental foraging effor...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

birdguides.bsky.social
BirdGuides @birdguides.bsky.social · 13d
The RSPB has reported that seven satellite-tagged Hen Harriers are suspected or confirmed to have been illegally killed in England during 2025, all on or close to land managed for grouse shooting:
Seven satellite-tagged Hen Harriers lost on English grouse moors in 2025
The RSPB has announced that seven satellite-tagged Hen Harriers are suspected or confirmed to have been illegally killed in England during 2025, renewing calls for licensing of all gamebird shooting to tackle raptor persecution.
bit.ly

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

bou.org.uk
BOU @bou.org.uk · 19d
⏰ DEADLINE APPROACHING...

...for the 2026 BOU Summer Placement Scheme

Financially supporting undergraduate students to carry out summer #ornithology research placements

Application deadline: 30 January 2026

Guidelines & application form: bou.org.uk/funding/s...

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

lilabuckingham.bsky.social
Lila Buckingham @lilabuckingham.bsky.social · 19d
✨New paper!✨
An individual‐based model to quantify the non‐breeding season impact of wind farms on #seabirds

doi.org/10.1002/2688...

@ninanatureresearch.bsky.social
@seatrackscience.bsky.social
@signecd.bsky.social
@masden.bsky.social
An individual‐based model to quantify the non‐breeding season impact of wind farms on seabirds
A novel individual-based model to predict the impacts of offshore wind farms on seabirds during the non-breeding season, using long-term tracking data from SEATRACK. We demonstrate the model by simul...
doi.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Chris R. Shepherd, Stuart White

raptorpersuk.bsky.social
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 19d
147 Hen Harriers confirmed 'missing' or illegally killed in UK since 2018 - most of them on or close to grouse moors.

Data extracted from reports by Natural England, RSPB, HSE, various Police forces, National Wildlife Crime Unit.

#RaptorResearch 🌍

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/01/21/1...
147 Hen Harriers confirmed ‘missing’ or illegally killed in UK since 2018, most of them on or close to grouse moors
For anyone who still wants to pretend that the grouse shooting industry isn’t responsible for the systematic extermination of Hen Harriers on grouse moors across the UK, here’s the latest catalogue…
raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

egioxford.bsky.social
Edward Grey Institute @egioxford.bsky.social · 21d
For those of us who involved in running long-term studies, our work's value can be increased by synthetic studies like this one, which included Wytham Great Tit data, and suggests that plasticity in timing in response to temperatures buffers against population change
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

oceanauk.bsky.social
Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · 25d
⚠️🌊 'Forever chemicals' & mercury, which can be released into the sea by oil & gas activity, are disrupting energy production in seabirds at a cellular level, potentially affecting reproduction & flight ability - new research finds 🪶

#EndOffshoreDrilling
oceanographicmagazine.com/news/marine-...
Marine 'forever chemicals' disrupt energy production in seabirds
New study finds marine pollutants are disrupting energy production at the cellular level in wild seabirds, potentially affecting fitness
oceanographicmagazine.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Jane K. Hill, Colin M. Beale , and 1 more

jackhhatfield.bsky.social
Jack Hatfield @jackhhatfield.bsky.social · Jan 7
New paper with @jonathan-gdon.bsky.social @cmbeale.bsky.social and Chris Thomas looking at species contributions to biotic homogenisation and differentiation.

@anthropocenebio.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1111/geb....
doi.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

richgreg3.bsky.social
Richard D. Gregory @richgreg3.bsky.social · Dec 22
@rspbscience.bsky.social
jappliedecology.bsky.social Journal of Applied Ecology @jappliedecology.bsky.social · Dec 22
🌳 Woodland proximity limits benefits of conservation land management for farmland breeding waders - Where grassland breeding wader assemblages may be put at risk by tree planting, buffer zones >500 m should be implemented to mitigate the negative effect on wader species👇

buff.ly/ETYsi3y

Reposted by Rob Marchant, Graeme S. Cumming, Keith C. Hamer

ukceh.bsky.social
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) @ukceh.bsky.social · Dec 15
Warming oceans are having widespread and often negative effects on migratory seabirds, new research involving UKCEH shows.

The study compared seasonal sea surface temperatures with seabird numbers to quantify effects on reproduction, survival & population trends. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

🧪1/
Demographic responses of North Atlantic seabirds to seasonal ocean warming | PNAS
Climate-driven ocean warming is profoundly reshaping marine ecosystems, with cascading effects on biodiversity and trophic interactions. For migrat...
doi.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

rspbscience.bsky.social
RSPB Science @rspbscience.bsky.social · Dec 10
Can GPS tracking reveal how #seabirds make use of tidal mixing fronts when foraging? 🧪

New research shows a bird’s use of ocean fronts may relate to its regular foraging areas

Read on for more

Or read the full paper: doi.org/10.1007/s002...

@ellingbry.bsky.social
Fine-scale behavioural responses to mixing fronts are linked to variation in geographic space use in a medium ranging seabird - Marine Biology
Marine predators forage in dynamic, heterogeneous environments, where resources are unevenly distributed. Consequently, predators often concentrate foraging activity in areas where oceanographic proce...
doi.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

oceanauk.bsky.social
Oceana UK @oceanauk.bsky.social · Dec 8
🚨 BREAKING: Cod at risk of COLLAPSE as 2026 fishing catch limits are set at levels far exceeding scientific advice!

🐟 Cod populations are in such a dire state, scientists specified a ZERO catch limit for North Sea cod was needed to prevent total collapse of the struggling population 🔽 1/

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

raptorpersuk.bsky.social
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Dec 1
Hen Harrier found poisoned on a grouse moor in North Yorkshire.

Once again, details have only come to light through scrutiny of a spreadsheet - where's the publicity from the Police? This is supposed to be a national wildlife crime priority!

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/01/h...
Hen Harrier found poisoned on a grouse moor in North Yorkshire
I’ve blogged recently about a number of illegally-killed Hen Harriers whose deaths have not been publicised by the authorities (Hen Harrier ‘Susie’ who was found dead with gunshot…
raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

raptorpersuk.bsky.social
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Nov 24
Extensive effort by multiple law enforcement / science / conservation partners to determine this as a wildlife crime. But of course, yet again the offender hasn't been identified, charged, prosecuted etc. Something needs to change.

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/24/h...
Hen Harrier found dead in Northumberland National Park with shotgun damage to satellite tag
This is a blog about one of those dead Hen Harriers for whom we’ve been waiting over a year for Natural England to confirm the cause of death. A Hen Harrier (photo by Pete Walkden) The young …
raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

simonlewis.bsky.social
Simon Lewis @simonlewis.bsky.social · Nov 22
Cover decision text, not passed yet, unfccc.int/sites/defaul...

No mention of roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels or curbing deforestation.

Bitterly disappointing.
unfccc.int

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

smdavies67.bsky.social
Susan Davies @smdavies67.bsky.social · Nov 22
@wadertales.bsky.social has reminded me of his super blog which provides an overview of the migration pathways for our #waders ▶️ wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/07/20/w...
Which wader, when and why?
This is a quick summary of wader migration, for British and Irish birdwatchers. The maps are taken from the migration book Time to Fly by Jim Flegg, published by the British Trust for Ornithology, …
wadertales.wordpress.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Steve Carver

raptorpersuk.bsky.social
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Nov 21
New report on gamebird releases in Cairngorms National Park doesn't tell even half the story.

Study included less than half (45%) of estates rearing & releasing non-native gamebirds. MSPs need to interpret results cautiously & appropriately.

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/21/n...
New report on gamebird releases in Cairngorms National Park doesn’t tell even half the story
In spring 2025, news emerged that the GWCT (Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust) was going to be conducting a pilot study to look at the number of non-native gamebirds (Pheasants & Red-legge…
raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

nature.com
Nature @nature.com · Nov 20
This inner compass could help to explain how certain animals can achieve astonishing feats of long-distance navigation

go.nature.com/4pn3KL9
Has birds’ mysterious ‘compass’ organ been found at last?
Multiple lines of evidence suggest that pigeons sense magnetic fields by detecting electric currents in their inner ears.
go.nature.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Chris R. Shepherd

raptorpersuk.bsky.social
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Nov 20
Another 'missing' Hen Harrier, this time in the Moorfoot Hills, south of Edinburgh - a well known hotbed of illegal raptor persecution over several decades.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/20/s...
Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier ‘Circe’ disappears in suspicious circumstances in Moorfoot Hills, south Scotland
Press release from Hen Harrier Action (20th November 2025) HEN HARRIER ACTION APPEALS FOR INFORMATION AS ANOTHER RARE HEN HARRIER SUSPECTED TO HAVE BEEN ILLEGALLY KILLED IN SCOTLAND A satellite tag…
raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

yorkswildlife.bsky.social
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust @yorkswildlife.bsky.social · Nov 20
On the 15th November, the Derwent Hunt once again trespassed into our Chafer Wood nature reserve near Ebberston. We are absolutely outraged at their audacity and disrespect.

If you have evidence of the hunt or hounds accessing YWT land, please send to info@ywt.org.uk

Read our full statement below.

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

duckswabber.bsky.social
Michelle Wille @duckswabber.bsky.social · Nov 18
More work linking irregular iris pigmentation in gannets to prior HPAI infections: likelihood of NP antibody increased with iris pigment irregularity. Moderate correlations for H5 antibodies.
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Brooke Harrington, Pieter Vantieghem , and 1 more

jamescbr.bsky.social
James CBR @jamescbr.bsky.social · Nov 18
For the first time, humans have tracked an individual butterfly, as shown in the Monarch migration of north America.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/s...
@savebutterflies.bsky.social
@bc-suffolk.bsky.social
We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

seabirdmortenf.bsky.social
Morten Frederiksen @seabirdmortenf.bsky.social · Nov 14
Needing to model impacts on seabird populations in Northwest Europe?

Not sure where to find useful values for demographic variables?

Look no further! In this new paper, we provide model-derived values for age-specific survival of 25 species.

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Demography of marine birds in the Northeast Atlantic: Informed parameter values for population modelling
We developed matrix population models for 54 regional populations of 25 marine bird species in the north-east Atlantic, based on 30 years of monitoring data. In Step 1, we parameterised the models wi...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

raptorpersuk.bsky.social
Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Nov 14
Hen Harrier Susie, whose chicks were stamped to death on a Yorkshire Dales grouse moor in 2022, has been found dead on a N Pennines grouse moor with gunshot injuries.

18+ months of silence about this crime from the police & Natural England.

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/11/14/h...
Hen Harrier ‘Susie’, whose chicks were stamped to death in 2022, has been found dead on a North Pennines grouse moor with gunshot injuries
If ever there was an example demonstrating the high level of persecution faced by Hen Harriers on UK grouse moors, the lack of consequences for the offenders, and the lack of justice for the victim…
raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Keith C. Hamer, Jane K. Hill , and 1 more

alexh.bsky.social
Alex Holcombe @alexh.bsky.social · Nov 13
" 60 per cent of UK university libraries are considering dropping their big deals with the five major academic publisher"
Many call for diamond open access. A new organisation with many partners, @ojcollective.bsky.social , is launching in January.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Chaos is coming for scholarly publishing - Research Professional News
Buckling of commercial models alongside maturing of community-led efforts promises major shifts, says Caroline Edwards
www.researchprofessionalnews.com

Reposted by Ingolf Kühn, Jonathan Lenoir, Joaquín Hortal , and 4 more

leibnizlib.bsky.social
LIB @leibnizlib.bsky.social · Nov 10
#LIBresearch: A new study introduces the Global Repository of Insect Traits (GRIT) — a worldwide initiative integrating insect trait data to make insects more understandable and comparable across ecosystems. → doi.org/10.1111/icad.70035

@cscherber.bsky.social
Toward a global repository of insect traits (GRIT)
Biodiversity loss is accelerating, yet insect conservation is hindered by the absence of a centralised, comprehensive trait database. We propose the GRIT, a FAIR, open-access platform uniting datase...
doi.org