Simon Vandepitte
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simonvandepitte.bsky.social
Simon Vandepitte
@simonvandepitte.bsky.social
Graduated as an ecologist at Ghent University in '23 Ornithology - Waders - Conservation - Photography - Ecology - ...
Reposted by Simon Vandepitte
The diversity in plumage and behaviors of #ruffs is stunning and probably an underused asset for their #conservation @simonvandepitte.bsky.social #IWSG2025 #shorebirds #ornithology
September 28, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The #hunting season in #France on #waterfowl opened again on the 2nd of August. It is absolutely outrageous and stupid. Waterfowl have already very #difficult times in the #changing #world. The argument of cultural traditions is stupid, everything changes, even traditions.

see: shorturl.at/8rJx8
L’ouverture de la chasse en Baie de Somme - Nos Viventia
NOS VIVENTIA documente la chasse des oiseaux d'eau en baie de Somme, révélant des massacres cruels et illégaux, et porte plainte pour actes de cruauté.
www.nosviventia.com
August 5, 2025 at 7:38 AM
1/5 - What.an.increadible.fieldseason! Together with @koivulakari.bsky.social , @jelenasubotic.bsky.social , @chorlnev.bsky.social , @vmpakanen.bsky.social, Kristzi Kupan, Vroni Rohr-Bender and others we managed to find plenty of ruff nests (65!) and headstarted a bunch of Southern Dunlins (26!).
July 6, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Meet the #Tuit-Tuit or #Reunion #Cuckooshrike, a #critically #endangered bird, the #rarest bird I saw so far. . I was happy to observe one bird during my stay last year. The bird was #colour-ringed. Read more in my blog about this bird and #endemism

visit: simonvandepitte.com/blog
January 29, 2025 at 7:11 PM
They are #fascinating, very very fascinating!
Very nice and #interesting paper about how the striking male morphs emerge in #ruff populations. By - among others - @chorlnev.bsky.social and his group from mpiforbi.bsky.social
... #genetics started to reveal their #magic!
A single gene underlies male mating morphs in ruff sandpipers, a new Science study finds. The results show how evolutionary changes in a single gene's structure, sequence, and regulation can drive significant diversity within a single species.

Learn more in our new issue: https://scim.ag/4arzNmU
January 24, 2025 at 7:10 PM
One last image from the #ruffs before heading to some pictures from a more tropical location...

From left to right: A #satellite male, three #independent males and one female...

In case you are #wandering what is going on, read the story about these #waders on
simonvandepitte.com/i-am-sexy-an...
January 19, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Who says #nature #documentaries need classical music?
In July I also worked on a project related to the #behavioural #ecology of #ruffs. Their #courtship #behaviour is memorizing. My new blog on my website tries to tries to convey this feeling.

More: simonvandepitte.com/i-am-sexy-an...
January 15, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Do not underestimate the #powerof the #pony from Ursula von der Leyen! #Coexistence with #wolves is #inevitable, bridging gaps between #stakeholders needed . Hopefully this is not the start of more downgrades...
wwf.eu WWF EU @wwf.eu · Dec 3
💔 Today, the Bern Convention voted to lower the wolf's protection status.

It's extremely disappointing to see the EU & other countries prioritise political decisions over science

Instead of supporting coexistence measures, we backtrack on our own conservation success: www.wwf.eu?16132891/Nat...
December 4, 2024 at 9:53 AM
Hi! I am a biologist, graduated in '23 at Ghent University. I am passionated about #ecology, #conservation and #birds, especially #waders. I am also a #photographer. On my website you can find a blog too. For example about the highly endangered #dunlin from the #Bothnian Bay near #Oulu. Enjoy!
simon vandepitte - SOS Baltic dunlin
The dunlin is a shorebird species with an extensive distribution in the northern hemisphere. Several subspecies are known, and this blog highlights a particular one: the southern dunlin, or in fancy s...
simonvandepitte.com
December 2, 2024 at 8:11 AM