Anna MacDonald
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annamac.bsky.social
Anna MacDonald
@annamac.bsky.social
10K followers 3K following 190 posts
Uses DNA to study wildlife | plays hockey 🏑 | drinks tea | hikes | adventures with dogs | open heart surgery x2
#conservation #genetics #consgen #eDNA #ecology #Antarctica #biodiversity #seabirds #marsupials #WildOz
Live in lutruwita / Tasmania 🇦🇺🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈 she/her
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annamac.bsky.social
So long Hobart, see you in February! I’m on board Australia’s icebreaker RSV Nuyina, heading south for the summer to collect environmental DNA samples to study biodiversity. We left yesterday afternoon, heading to Casey Station in #Antarctica and then Heard Island ❄️ 🐧 🧬 #eDNA
This is a selfie of me in my bright green jacket, standing on the heli deck of RSV Nuyina. There is distant land (southern Tasmania) in the background, across the water. The deck has “NUYINA” written in large white letters behind me.
November 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
annamac.bsky.social
“Cheese?”
Portrait of a dog in the kitchen, looking happy and expectant and optimistic that she will get some cheese
September 16, 2025 at 10:51 AM
annamac.bsky.social
I mean look at this
September 16, 2025 at 10:41 AM
annamac.bsky.social
A little more dog spam, Sakura and Syra enjoying a forest walk 🐾 🐾
#RescueDog #AdoptDontShop
Two husky type dogs, one wolf grey and one black and white, standing on a train in the forest with green trees behind. Both dogs look happy
September 16, 2025 at 10:39 AM
annamac.bsky.social
Our other (slightly younger) old lady Syra is a kelpie-husky-malamute mix and she does like to run with me. Never tried her with a sled but I reckon she’d have been speedy when she was younger!
September 16, 2025 at 10:35 AM
annamac.bsky.social
It’s been a while since I posted some dog spam. Here’s Sakura enjoying the beach 🐾
#RescueDog #AdoptDontShop
A photo of a happy husky-type dog walking along the sand at the beach, with water in the background.
September 16, 2025 at 10:11 AM
annamac.bsky.social
Next at #ICCB2025 our symposium on using non-invasive & museum genetic samples for conservation. First up is @kymottewell.bsky.social on using scat DNA for ghost bat individual ID and #consgen. The ghost bat is Australia’s largest carnivorous bat (*bat in photo not to scale!)
Kym Ottewell presenting a slide featuring a large photo of a ghost bat
June 19, 2025 at 12:36 AM
annamac.bsky.social
Today is World Albatross Day! In a nice coincidence of timing, my #ICCB2025 talk this morning will be about using DNA from albatross and petrel 🪶 and penguin 💩 to inform Antarctic seabird conservation 🧬 #consgen

Learn more about World Albatross Day from ACAP here: www.acap.aq/world-albatr...
June 18, 2025 at 9:05 PM
annamac.bsky.social
Finally, @hernmoral.bsky.social shared depressing examples of genetic diversity loss in severely bottlenecked birds. He cautioned about time-lagged loss of genetic diversity after apparent recovery: it takes time to see genomic effects of bottleneck & these can affect fitness #ConservationGenetics
Herman Morales presenting a slide titled Honeyeater time-lagged genetic diversity loss
June 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM
annamac.bsky.social
Next, @lauradbertola.bsky.social spoke about genetic diversity in lions, and how baseline data from wild populations is being used to inform management & breeding of captive populations (which have uncertain and potentially admixed origins) #ConservationGenetics
Laura Bertola presenting a slide titled A species-wide baseline of lion diversity and its application for an ex situ breeding program
June 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
annamac.bsky.social
Carolyn Hogg outlined Australia’s Threatened Species Initiative (TSI) and showed how genomics has contributed to Tasmanian devil conservation over many years. Check out the TSI website for online #ConservationGenetics training resources. The age of genomics is here! (3/5)
Carolyn Hogg presenting a slide titled The Age of Genomics is here
June 18, 2025 at 12:56 PM
annamac.bsky.social
Christina Hvilsom spoke about biobanking for biodiversity, and the importance of genetic diversity for wild species. We can do lots of great things now with genomics, but we need to make sure the right samples are available and appropriately maintained. #ConservationGenetics
Christina Hvilsom presenting a slide titled “Genetic diversity of wild species” which outlines the inclusion of genetic diversity in CBD Global Biodiversity Framework’s Goal A and Target 4. Not the most flattering photo of Christina - sorry!
June 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
annamac.bsky.social
I’ve not been very good at sharing science from #ICCB2025 but I attended a great session this afternoon on applying genetics to biodiversity conservation. Talks from @hernmoral.bsky.social, @lauradbertola.bsky.social, Christina Hvilsom and Carolyn Hogg (1/5)
The four conference symposium speakers standing together in front of a screen featuring the symposium’s title slide
June 18, 2025 at 12:42 PM
annamac.bsky.social
I’m loving #ICCB2025 catchups with #ConservationGenetics friends - like lunch with this lovely group of people ☺️

@drrebeccajordan.bsky.social
@kymottewell.bsky.social
@hernmoral.bsky.social
@cegrueber.bsky.social
@brennaforester.bsky.social
@robynshaw.bsky.social
@coalitioncongen.bsky.social
A group of 11 people sitting at a long cafe table, smiling at the camera
June 17, 2025 at 2:31 AM
annamac.bsky.social
We’ve had a few devil captures on the #CameraTrap recently. Here’s a nice one from last night. This is about 50m from our house 😈 🧪🌿
#Tasmania #Lutruwita #WildOz #MammalWatching #mammals
May 25, 2025 at 9:47 AM
annamac.bsky.social
#CameraTrap video 6/6 is an almost identical video of a Tasmanian devil heading in the same direction, down the hill. Maybe the same devil. This one has read the manual that says devils are most active at around midnight 😈
#Tasmania #Lutruwita #marsupial #WildOz
April 20, 2025 at 6:27 AM
annamac.bsky.social
#CameraTrap video 5/6 is a Tasmanian devil passing the same spot a few days later. Sarcophilus harrisii is an Endangered species facing threats including Devil Facial Tumour Diseases, habitat loss and road danger. Very happy to see them hanging on here 😈
#Tasmania #Lutruwita #marsupial #WildOz
April 20, 2025 at 6:25 AM
annamac.bsky.social
#CameraTrap video 4/6 is yet one more spotted tailed quoll video. You can learn more about Dasyurus maculatus here: bie.ala.org.au/species/http...
#Tasmania #Lutruwita
#marsupial #WildOz #quollity
April 20, 2025 at 6:19 AM
annamac.bsky.social
#CameraTrap video 3/6 is more spotted tailed quoll. Dasyurus maculatus seems to prefer wet forest: this camera is located in a patch of undisturbed wet eucalypt forest in NW #Tasmania #Lutruwita.
#marsupial #WildOz #quollity
April 20, 2025 at 6:17 AM
annamac.bsky.social
#CameraTrap videos 2/6 is another spotted tailed quoll video. Dasyurus maculatus is one of the largest extant #marsupial carnivores. They weigh up to ~ 8 kg (the largest males) or 4 kg (the largest females) and eat invertebrates, mammals, birds and reptiles.
#Tasmania #Lutruwita #WildOz #quollity
April 20, 2025 at 6:14 AM
annamac.bsky.social
Quoll AND devil alert! I’ve got better phone reception so can upload #CameraTrap videos. Video 1/6 is a spotted tailed quoll. Dasyurus maculatus is listed as Near Threatened by IUCN Red list and in Australia the population in #Tasmania #Lutruwita is Vulnerable #marsupial #WildOz #quollity
April 20, 2025 at 6:08 AM
annamac.bsky.social
Quoll alert! I’m very excited. I’ve been trying to get quoll footage at our bush block in NW #Tasmania for ages. I just checked videos from the last month. A spotted tail quoll visited 4 times! New #CameraTrap species for me 🤩 Here are a couple of screenshot stills #WildOz #Lutruwita #marsupial
Screenshot from a black and white night time video on a wildlife (infrared) camera. Fallen logs and bracken are in the foreground with forest trees behind in the dark. A dark quoll stands front right facing to the right. Prominent white spots are visible on the body and tail. The timestamp is 04.03 on 24/03/2025. Screenshot from a black and white night time video on a wildlife (infrared) camera. Fallen logs and bracken are in the foreground with forest trees behind in the dark. A dark quoll stands on one of the fallen logs facing slightly away from camera, up the trail. Prominent white spots are visible on the body and tail. The timestamp is 21.09 on 18/03/2025.
April 19, 2025 at 7:29 AM
annamac.bsky.social
Some of the #WildOz treats encountered during our summer break in northern Tasmania #lutruwita
A lacewing insect (I think Nothancyla verreauxi? )resting on a white cloth background. It has a long green body with clear lacy wings and two long antennae. A brightly coloured wasp resting on wooden palings. I think genus Theronia. The back pair of legs is a vivid light green colour, the abdomen is also green with black bands. The front and middle pairs of legs and the rest of the body are orange. It has clear wings and two long antennae. I saw lots of these but they didn’t keep still to pose for photos - this was the best I could get. A golden stag beetle, Lamprima aurata, photographed on the road against a background of grey asphalt. The beetle is an iridescent golden-bronze colour, with hints of green around the edges. A cluster of pale white-grey mushrooms growing against the base of an old tree stump on the forest floor. There is also green moss growing on the tree trunk, and tussocks of mat rushes are visible in the background. I think the mushrooms are genus Omphalotus.
January 15, 2025 at 8:22 PM
annamac.bsky.social
Happy new year to all from these two muttleys! A bit late as we all took a nice long relaxing summer break at a place with limited internet access 😊
A close up photo of two dogs standing side by side. Both have happy grins - the photo was taken in the middle of a game. Sakura on the left is a wolf grey coloured husky-lab mix, Syra on the right is a black and white kelpie-husky mix. They are standing on short green grass with glimpses of trees and a wooden cabin in the background.
January 15, 2025 at 8:07 PM
annamac.bsky.social
This week we spotted our first backyard flag iris flowers of the season #WildOz #lutruwita #Tasmania 🌱🌏
A white flag iris flower on a tall green stalk. The flower has three large white lobes, and bright yellow and dark purple colours in the centre. The backdrop is blurred to emphasise the iris, but shows leaf litter and other green leaves behind the flower
November 16, 2024 at 10:40 PM