Alexander Lees
@alexanderlees.bsky.social
Birds, science, politics. Reader Man Met Uni, Associate Cornell Lab of #Ornithology, Chair BOURC, Trustee @bou.org.uk SC @ras-network.bsky.social. Usually found in the #PeakDistrict or #Amazonia, he/him. Views own.
Today in doomscrolling
January 7, 2026 at 8:03 AM
Today in doomscrolling
3 Great Black-backed Gulls west over a snowy Bottoms Res @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social this pm were my first in Longdendale since one in March 2024. Increasingly scarce inland now with landfill closure #UKBirding
January 6, 2026 at 2:13 PM
3 Great Black-backed Gulls west over a snowy Bottoms Res @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social this pm were my first in Longdendale since one in March 2024. Increasingly scarce inland now with landfill closure #UKBirding
Reposted by Alexander Lees
📰Published📰Toxic wallflowers and reluctant moths: a slow start to an evolutionary arms race🌼
buff.ly/dZ8pn0l
🧪🌍
buff.ly/dZ8pn0l
🧪🌍
Toxic wallflowers and reluctant moths: a slow start to an evolutionary arms race
Broti Biswas, Erik van Bergen, Teresa Vaello, Laura J. Dällenbach, Christopher W. Wheat, Tobias Züst This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found her…
buff.ly
January 6, 2026 at 9:00 AM
📰Published📰Toxic wallflowers and reluctant moths: a slow start to an evolutionary arms race🌼
buff.ly/dZ8pn0l
🧪🌍
buff.ly/dZ8pn0l
🧪🌍
Reposted by Alexander Lees
📖Published📖
Authors review the current usage of uncrewed vehicles in ecological monitoring and highlight how these applications could be extended to further biodiversity research 🌍 🧪 Read more here 👇
buff.ly/qpnZubf
Authors review the current usage of uncrewed vehicles in ecological monitoring and highlight how these applications could be extended to further biodiversity research 🌍 🧪 Read more here 👇
buff.ly/qpnZubf
January 5, 2026 at 4:45 PM
📖Published📖
Authors review the current usage of uncrewed vehicles in ecological monitoring and highlight how these applications could be extended to further biodiversity research 🌍 🧪 Read more here 👇
buff.ly/qpnZubf
Authors review the current usage of uncrewed vehicles in ecological monitoring and highlight how these applications could be extended to further biodiversity research 🌍 🧪 Read more here 👇
buff.ly/qpnZubf
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Reposted by Alexander Lees
One of the most beautiful things I have seen for some time. Frosted Hymenophyllum tunbrigense. Never seen this patch with frost before @sussexwildlife.bsky.social Eridge Rocks nr. Tunbridge Wells; named after this tiny disjunct population; more common in UK Atlantic woodland @bsbibotany.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 9:04 AM
One of the most beautiful things I have seen for some time. Frosted Hymenophyllum tunbrigense. Never seen this patch with frost before @sussexwildlife.bsky.social Eridge Rocks nr. Tunbridge Wells; named after this tiny disjunct population; more common in UK Atlantic woodland @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Reposted by Alexander Lees
A must read for conservation geneticists on the utility (or not??) of using molecular diversity to predict adaptive potential 👇🏻
I'm excited to share that our preprint is now available on bioRxiv! Our study challenges the widespread use of molecular genetic diversity as a predictor adaptive potential, with important implications for how genetic data is used to inform conservation decisions.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Nucleotide diversity is a poor predictor of short-term adaptive potential
A capacity to adapt is essential for a population to avoid extinction in a changing world and is recognised as a global conservation priority. Adaptation requires additive (heritable) genetic variatio...
www.biorxiv.org
January 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM
A must read for conservation geneticists on the utility (or not??) of using molecular diversity to predict adaptive potential 👇🏻
Quite the record!
www.artsobservasjoner.no/Image/3281465
www.artsobservasjoner.no/Image/3281465
January 5, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Quite the record!
www.artsobservasjoner.no/Image/3281465
www.artsobservasjoner.no/Image/3281465
White House official account. What a time to be alive.
January 5, 2026 at 7:42 AM
White House official account. What a time to be alive.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Reposted by Alexander Lees
On X, a senior U.S. Justice Department official is promoting a post that praises colonization as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to the backwards parts of the world.”👇
January 5, 2026 at 12:44 AM
On X, a senior U.S. Justice Department official is promoting a post that praises colonization as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to the backwards parts of the world.”👇
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Trump: "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it ... the EU needs us to have it"
January 5, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Trump: "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it ... the EU needs us to have it"
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Here’s a closer look at the amazing prehistoric rufous scrub bird - ancient relatives to most song birds and related to lyrebirds, we are hoping that our breakthrough with capture techniques == new opportunities for conservation (1/2)
January 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM
Here’s a closer look at the amazing prehistoric rufous scrub bird - ancient relatives to most song birds and related to lyrebirds, we are hoping that our breakthrough with capture techniques == new opportunities for conservation (1/2)
Reposted by Alexander Lees
It's wild that the PM of a NATO member feels compelled to put out a statement like this vis-à-vis the US government.
January 4, 2026 at 8:23 PM
It's wild that the PM of a NATO member feels compelled to put out a statement like this vis-à-vis the US government.
Candidate Short-billed Gull
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
eBird Checklist - 4 Jan 2026 - Miðvágur--shore and bay - 32 species
Submitted by Bartal Gaard simonsen.
ebird.org
January 4, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Candidate Short-billed Gull
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
ebird.org/checklist/S2...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Canadian birders were treated to a shock Christmas present in the form of the nation's first Taiga Flycatcher:
Taiga Flycatcher in Vancouver is first for Canada
Canadian birders have been treated to a shock Christmas present in the form of the nation's first Taiga Flycatcher. The East Asian visitor was stunningly discovered on Christmas Day in central Vancouver by local birder Ethan Moon. Frequenting the unsuspecting Sunset Beach Park, the bird generated a big twitch.
bit.ly
January 4, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Canadian birders were treated to a shock Christmas present in the form of the nation's first Taiga Flycatcher:
Reposted by Alexander Lees
BTO Ringing Report also shows historic lows for Willow Tits & Wood Warblers. 2024 saw just 132 Willow Tits and 109 Wood Warblers ringed in UK, lowest for ~65 years since introduction of mist-nets. Not a single Willow Tit chick ringed since 2022. Number of Marsh Tits ringed also declining.
1/2 How old? 😮 Discover bird longevity records up to 2024 in our newly released BTO Ringing and Nest Recording Report! ⬇️ #Ornithology 🪶
📖 www.bto.org/ringing-...
📖 www.bto.org/ringing-...
January 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM
BTO Ringing Report also shows historic lows for Willow Tits & Wood Warblers. 2024 saw just 132 Willow Tits and 109 Wood Warblers ringed in UK, lowest for ~65 years since introduction of mist-nets. Not a single Willow Tit chick ringed since 2022. Number of Marsh Tits ringed also declining.
Like reintroductions, reinforcements only work when the drivers of species declines have been eliminated. One populist rewilder claims of 50K Water Vole releases; unlikely to be successful if these are not associated with long-term Mink control/eradication.
A project to protect river animals by eradicating mink has seen the East of England become the only place in Britain where water vole populations are increasing...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Explosion' of water vole numbers across the East of England
A project to boost water voles in East Anglia by eliminating mink is proving to be a success.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 4, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Like reintroductions, reinforcements only work when the drivers of species declines have been eliminated. One populist rewilder claims of 50K Water Vole releases; unlikely to be successful if these are not associated with long-term Mink control/eradication.
January 4, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Welcome to 2026 where imperialism is alive and kicking.
January 4, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Welcome to 2026 where imperialism is alive and kicking.
Reposted by Alexander Lees
The New York Times has just confirmed that 40 civilians died in President Trump's invasion.
This is the aftermath in one area
This is the aftermath in one area
January 4, 2026 at 3:56 AM
The New York Times has just confirmed that 40 civilians died in President Trump's invasion.
This is the aftermath in one area
This is the aftermath in one area
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Some of your cells are not genetically yours — what can they tell us about life and death? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Some of your cells are not genetically yours — what can they tell us about life and death?
A tiny population of cells that are passed across the placenta between mother and baby challenge basic tenets of human immunology.
www.nature.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Some of your cells are not genetically yours — what can they tell us about life and death? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
Donald Trump randomly bombing a neighbouring country and kidnapping its leader is a wild infringement of international law, and sets an insane precedent
On top of that, as evil as Maduro is, all they've left so far is a vacuum that cartels can fill
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
On top of that, as evil as Maduro is, all they've left so far is a vacuum that cartels can fill
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Live Updates: U.S. Captures Venezuelan Leader, Trump Says
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Donald Trump randomly bombing a neighbouring country and kidnapping its leader is a wild infringement of international law, and sets an insane precedent
On top of that, as evil as Maduro is, all they've left so far is a vacuum that cartels can fill
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
On top of that, as evil as Maduro is, all they've left so far is a vacuum that cartels can fill
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Reposted by Alexander Lees
The US helped Machado to leave Venezuela before deposing Maduro 🧐
January 3, 2026 at 6:34 PM
The US helped Machado to leave Venezuela before deposing Maduro 🧐
