Keith C. Hamer | Lightnews

Keith C Hamer

@keithchamer.bsky.social

290 followers 210 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

Philip Amies @amiesphilip.bsky.social · 3d

Might be as close to the reality as any account gets.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure

Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.

www.nature.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Liam U. Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social · 3d

Direct publisher link:
academic.oup.com/beheco/advan...

Plan ahead, or wing it? How storm-petrel parents adjust food delivery to young chicks

New technology reveals how storm-petrels choose to allocate more food to their single chick as it grows older. These pelagic seabirds fly hundreds of kilom

academic.oup.com

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

BOU @bou.org.uk · 4d

📢 APPLICATIONS OPEN

For BOU Member Conference Attendance Grants

Now funding member attendance at any #ornithology conference 🪶

Low-carbon travel encouraged

⏰ Deadline: 5 January 2026

bou.org.uk/funding/m...

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Edinburgh Napier University @edinburghnapier.bsky.social · 6d

🐦‍⬛ | Wild seabirds are more likely to split up in windy weather, according to a newly published study led by #EdNapier.

The paper reveals that environmental conditions before the breeding season appear to have an impact on mate faithfulness.

Full story ➡️ orlo.uk/Zfiqf

#MustBeNapier

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 6d

This is an exciting project as part of an exciting larger grant - excellent opportunity

Andreas Nord @cyanistesnord.bsky.social · 6d

I am recruting a #postdoc for a project investigating the evolution of avian heat tolerance in @erc.europa.eu project #HotLife. Fieldwork over broad latitudinal gradients, common-garden experiments, and more. Read more and apply👇
shorturl.at/WA1Qa

Would appreciate a re-post!

@evoldir.bsky.social

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Lesley A. Hall, Steve Carver

Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · 14d

Victorian attitudes towards birds of prey in the UK are fueled by sensationalist fear-mongering like this, published routinely by mainstream media.

#RaptorResearch

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/28/a...

Absurd claim that White-tailed Eagles ‘snatched’ five Shetland ponies leads to inevitable call to ‘shoot eagles’

The absurd claim that White-tailed Eagles had ‘snatched’ five Shetland pony foals on South Uist hit the headlines at the end of August. A crofter / farmer named Donald Cameron said that…

raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Ruth Dunn @ruthedunn.bsky.social · 15d

New in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com: our review of the influence of #seabirds, via their nutrient transfer, on islands & adjacent marine ecosystems 🐦🏝️🪸

We highlight knowledge gaps & future directions ✨

"The circular seabird economy is critical for oceans, islands and people": doi.org/10.1038/s443...

Schematic diagram of the influence of seabirds on temperate and tropical near-shore marine systems.
Temperatre systems:
- Nutrient enrichment and predation on herbivorous invertebrates can lead to increased algal production
- Phytoplankton communities change, featuring more large-celled species
- Intertidal organisms incorporate seabird-enriched material by grazing on detritus and biofilm in tidepools
- Macroalgae biodiversity and primary production are boosted
Tropical systems:
- Mangrove leaf nutritional quality increases
- Corals recover faster after bleaching events
- Fish biomass increases across different trophic groups
- Pelagic and benthic consumers' foraging behaviour shifts
- Parrotfish grazing and bioerosion rates increase
- Fish grow larger

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Pieter Vantieghem

Richard Fox @richardfoxbc.bsky.social · 20d

Fascinating Swedish study proving that threatened butterflies can still disperse surprisingly long distances eg Marsh Fritillary >8km and more than 10% of Large Blues travelled at least 1km resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🌍

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Colin Beale @cmbeale.bsky.social · 22d

This was a great paper to work with @tiff-ki.bsky.social and great to see it out now!

Richard Fox @richardfoxbc.bsky.social · 22d

Really nice paper from @tiff-ki.bsky.social & co. shows no overall decline in butterfly species richness in Sulawesi over 166 yrs, but changing communities with endemics & forest specialists declining. Short-term trends unreliable measures of long term. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 🌏

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Jen Gill @jengill.bsky.social · 23d

New Wadertales blog on an important IBIS paper from Jesse Conklin et al: the winter distribution of bar-tailed godwit subspecies is not what we thought:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/10/18/r...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#ornithology @wadertales.bsky.social @globalflyway.bsky.social

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Ben Sheldon @sheldonbirds.bsky.social · 28d

New work from @devisatarkar.bsky.social et al on how effects of climate variability- particularly more unusual events - depend on developmental stage & prevailing conditions in Wytham Woods great tits.

Devi Satarkar @devisatarkar.bsky.social · 28d

New preprint! 🪶

We analysed 60 years of data on 83,000+ great tits to show how extreme climate impacts on nestling growth and survival are stage-specific and context-dependent 🐣 🌍🔥❄️

With @davididiaquez.bsky.social @iremsepil.bsky.social @sheldonbirds.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

a 14 day old great tit nestling, ringed for individual identification

Figure from the paper showing that extreme climatic events interact with ambient climatic conditions and breeding timing within a season, in a developmental stage-specific manner, to influence nestling growth in great tits

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Federico De Pascalis

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · Oct 10

Why does a pigeon-sized bird purposely throw itself into hurricane-force winds?

With the help of lightweight GPS trackers, WHOI biologist Francesco Ventura has unlocked the Desertas petrel’s secret to success: cyclones!

📲 Find out what surprised researchers the most from BBC: go.whoi.edu/Petrel

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Niels de Winter @nielsjdewinter.bsky.social · Oct 7

Such a sad story, but good that it can be told in full in museums now.
doi.org/10.1126/scie...

Fate of the last female great auk is finally solved

DNA and historical sleuthing have traced the extinct bird’s remains to a museum in Ohio

doi.org

Reposted by Robin J. Pakeman, Keith C. Hamer

Xavier Lambin @lambin-ecology.bsky.social · Oct 5

For 101 years, ecologists have sought to explain the 3-4 years multi-annual cycles of voles and lemmings. In our paper, doi.org/10.1073/pnas..., we find that Density-dependent recruitment, but not survival drives cyclic dynamics in a field vole population, overturning accepted wisdom.

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Oct 4

29 'missing' Hen Harriers & nearly 40 birds of prey poisoned, trapped or shot in Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2015.

Not so much a National Park - more of a National Disgrace.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #Ornithology #Yorkshire

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/04/2...

29 ‘missing’ Hen Harriers & nearly 40 birds of prey poisoned, trapped or shot in Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2015

Media attention has been drawn to the Yorkshire Dales National Park this week, following the RSPB’s press release on the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged Hen Harrier named &#821…

raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

BOU @bou.org.uk · Oct 3

Temporal Variation in Early-Life Conditions Impacts on Later-Life Levels of Infection in Sex Specific Ways | doi.org/10.1002/ece3... | Ecology and Evolution | #ornithology 🪶

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Raptor Persecution UK @raptorpersuk.bsky.social · Oct 2

Natural England confirms ongoing & relentless illegal persecution is reason why Hen Harriers are still rare in England.

#RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #Ornithology

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/02/h...

Hardly any Hen Harrier nesting attempts on English grouse moors for second year running

Natural England has finally got around to publishing the data for the 2025 Hen Harrier breeding season, which demonstrate very clear differences between areas managed for conservation and those man…

raptorpersecutionuk.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Dugdale Research Group @hannahdugdale.bsky.social · Sep 19

Come & work with us - fully funded 4 year PhD on Social Ageing: Social environment effects on senescence, using an epigenetic clock www.rug.nl/about-ug/wor... @rug.nl @david-s-richardson.bsky.social @keesvanoers.bsky.social @seychelleswarbler.bsky.social photo: @charlisdavies.bsky.social

Reposted by Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Marcel E. Visser, Keith C. Hamer , and 3 more Marco Festa‐Bianchet, Marcel E. Visser, Keith C. Hamer, Cecilia Nilsson, Benjamin Larue, Marcus W. Rhodes

Stu Bearhop @stubearhop.bsky.social · Sep 18

Fully funded PhD working on insectivorous bird declines with a broad range of stakeholders. Starting ASAP #ornithology #zoology #biodiversity #science #ecology
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

BOU @bou.org.uk · Sep 17

Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds | royalsocietypublishi... | Biology Letters | #ornithology 🪶

Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds | Biology Letters

The ability to unequivocally identify the sex and reproductive status of individuals is crucial across many fields of study. Recent evidence indicates that avian sex determination is more flexible than once believed, with sex-reversed individuals ...

royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Journal of Animal Ecology @animalecology.bsky.social · Sep 10

🐧Early-growth trajectories affect juvenile survival, age at first reproduction and lifetime fitness in a long-lived seabird, the little penguin ➡️ buff.ly/vfGiKL8

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

BOU @bou.org.uk · Sep 4

Over on #theBOUblog, science writer Dr Ashleigh Marshall discusses combining disparate data streams to derive survival estimates for Whimbrels: bou.org.uk/blog-afm-...

From this recent #IBISjournal paper: doi.org/10.1111/ibi.... | #ornithology

Where there's a Whimbrel there's a way

LINKED PAPER Disparate data streams together yield novel survival estimates of Alaska-breeding Whimbrels. Ruthrauff, D. R., Harwood, C. M., Tibbitts, T. L., Patil, V. P. 2024. IBIS. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.13273. VIEW Science is rarely straightforward, and ecological data, especially that collected

bou.org.uk

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Jane K. Hill

Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity @anthropocenebio.bsky.social · Sep 4

A lively and light hearted moth vs butterfly discussion on The Infinite Monkey Cage with @janehillyork.bsky.social, @chrisjiggins.bsky.social, Katy Brand, @profbriancox.bsky.social & Robin Ince.

Are you team butterfly or team moth 🦋💡?

Listen to the episode in full: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

The Infinite Monkey Cage - Series 33 - Moths v Butterflies - Katy Brand, Jane Hill and Chris Jiggins - BBC Sounds

Brian Cox and Robin Ince adjudicate a fluttery face off!

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

Adrift Lab (Marine Science) @adriftlab.bsky.social · Sep 4

New #AdriftLab paper celebrates what can be achieved through #LongTermMonitoring & #banding studies (send us a DM if you'd like a PDF) #NewPaper #seabirds #shearwaters #BreedingEcology #demography doi.org/10.1080/0158...
@seabirdsentinel.bsky.social
@thelabandfield.bsky.social

Age at first return of Sable Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes)

Long-term datasets are fundamental to the accurate estimation of demographic parameters for long-lived species. This is particularly the case for declining species where there is an imperative to i...

doi.org

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer, Tommaso Jucker

ForestPlots @forestplots.bsky.social · Sep 3

A very cool story! Expelled by Antarctic Ice: Evolutionary History of the Cunonieae Tribe (Cunoniaceae).
How an extraordinary group of trees emerging in Antarctica went on to tropical success, now dominating many high Andean forests in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
doi.org/10.1111/jse....

Reposted by Ben C. Sheldon, Joseph A. Tobias, Keith C. Hamer , and 1 more Ben C. Sheldon, Joseph A. Tobias, Keith C. Hamer, Márk E. Hauber

Matthew Cobb @matthewcobb.bsky.social · Sep 3

Amazing! Full article here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother

Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.

www.nature.com

Reposted by Brendan J. Godley, Keith C. Hamer, Joanne M. Morten

Ruth Dunn @ruthedunn.bsky.social · Aug 7

New research led by @alicetrevail.bsky.social combines tracking data to show the value of large marine protected areas in encompassing diverse megafauna movements 🐢

doi.org/10.1111/1365...

@jappliedecology.bsky.social @iomarinescience.bsky.social @exetermarine.bsky.social @zslofficial.bsky.social

Reposted by Julie L. Lockwood, Keith C. Hamer

Ruth Dunn @ruthedunn.bsky.social · Aug 6

"Commuting in crosswinds and foraging in fast winds: the foraging ecology of a flying fish specialist" 💨🐦🐟

New @iomarinescience.bsky.social research out now in @royalsocietypublishing.org: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

📸 @robinfreeman.bsky.social

🧪🌍🪶

Composite image of the Proceedings B journal title, the manuscript title and the author list, alongside an image of a red-footed booby flying amongst palm trees. Some text reads: "Winds shape the behavioural decisions of red-footed boobies, impacting their foraging commutes and feeding behaviour".

Reposted by Keith C. Hamer

North Yorks Bird News @nybirdnews.bsky.social · Jul 30

Thirsk ducks in the news again 🦆🐥 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Duck wardens return to Thirsk to protect birds

The volunteers patrol route between river and car park to stop the ducks being hit by cars.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Ben C. Sheldon, Keith C. Hamer, Márk E. Hauber , and 1 more Ben C. Sheldon, Keith C. Hamer, Márk E. Hauber, Samuele Ramellini

Oxford Biology @biology.ox.ac.uk · Jul 30

Wild great tits signal ‘divorce’ long before the breeding season — even in the winter, months before the couples rebreed with different partners in the following spring

New study with @universityofleeds.bsky.social in @royalsocietypublishing.org 👇
bit.ly/4lRt7TN
@sheldonbirds.bsky.social

Great tits show early signs of splitting up: researchers uncover social clues to bird 'divorce'

bit.ly

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