Clare Hawkins
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clawkins.bsky.social
Clare Hawkins
@clawkins.bsky.social
3K followers 630 following 260 posts
Conservation biologist in lutruwita/Tasmania 🌍🌏 Coordinates citizen science to monitor threatened species: NatureTrackers & more with the Bookend Trust & the University of Tasmania https://naturetrackers.au/
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clawkins.bsky.social
Clare Hawkins @clawkins.bsky.social · Aug 7
#NatureTrackers' big #news! 🧵
with @btobirds.bsky.social
#bioacoustics #acoustics #citizenscience #CallTrackers #Tasmania #conservation #science #conservationscience #wildlife #monitoring #nationalscienceweek #STEM #ornithology #birds #curlew #threatenedspecies #biodiversity #nature 🌏🧪🦇🪶🦉🌿🎙️
clawkins.bsky.social Clare Hawkins @clawkins.bsky.social · Aug 7
This season, we can announce a new call recogniser in the software: for Critically Endangered FAR EASTERN CURLEWS, seen but rarely heard in #Tasmania.
It recognised calls from our 1st recordings near curlews, at dusk & dawn.
Where else will #CallTrackers detect them?
#news 🧪🌏🪶🌿🎙️
📷 Elaine McDonald
Far eastern curlew on low wetland vegetation in Tasmania, showing off its immensely long, slightly downward curved bill.
clawkins.bsky.social
NUMBER 3 WEDGE-TAILED EAGLE (Tasmanian *obviously* 😆)
Australian bird of the year! A tiny feathery hiatus from the grim day-to-day | First Dog on the Moon
(unless you are a bird)
www.theguardian.com
September 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
In Hobart this Sunday? Your ears are very much needed for this special BITTERN QUEST!
Help check CallTrackers' haunting recordings from around Tasmania—tentatively identified as likely the 'boom' of an Endangered Australasian bittern—in order to...
#nationalscienceweek #citizenscience #bioacoustics
A small raft is being punted by someone dressed as a squire; on the raft is a life size model of a horse, entirely covered in red and white squared cloth, and ridden by an armoured knight. They on a calm river and floating past some promising looking bittern habitat (reeds) Photo: Jim Whitehead
August 13, 2025 at 10:39 PM
clawkins.bsky.social
The Field Guide to the Insects of Tasmania now offers yet another fantastic tool…
#Tasmania #insects #nature #TakeACloserLook
August 13, 2025 at 4:20 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
#NatureTrackers' big #news! 🧵
with @btobirds.bsky.social
#bioacoustics #acoustics #citizenscience #CallTrackers #Tasmania #conservation #science #conservationscience #wildlife #monitoring #nationalscienceweek #STEM #ornithology #birds #curlew #threatenedspecies #biodiversity #nature 🌏🧪🦇🪶🦉🌿🎙️
clawkins.bsky.social Clare Hawkins @clawkins.bsky.social · Aug 7
This season, we can announce a new call recogniser in the software: for Critically Endangered FAR EASTERN CURLEWS, seen but rarely heard in #Tasmania.
It recognised calls from our 1st recordings near curlews, at dusk & dawn.
Where else will #CallTrackers detect them?
#news 🧪🌏🪶🌿🎙️
📷 Elaine McDonald
Far eastern curlew on low wetland vegetation in Tasmania, showing off its immensely long, slightly downward curved bill.
August 7, 2025 at 5:08 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
If you contribute to CallTrackers' annual surveys for #Tasmania 's 'noisy but elusive' species (like bats & the Endangered Australasian bittern)—you get to use @btobirds.bsky.social's Acoustic Pipeline software. Increasingly accurately, this can flag likely calls of these species...
#citsci 🧪🌏🪶🌿🦇🎙️
Small, green wildlife acoustic recorder set up at Moulting Lagoon, Tasmania, to record ultrasonic and audible sounds made by wildlife: recorder on stake in foreground; dunes, sand and sea in background Australasian bittern, facing camera, well-hidden in green reeds with upward-pointing dull yellow bill, yellow eyes looking forward, beige and white feathered breast. Photo: Helen Cunningham
August 7, 2025 at 4:48 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Learn all about it for #NationalScienceWeek! Every Sept-March, you can help monitor wildlife across #Tasmania & learn more about your more elusive neighbours, by borrowing #CallTrackers’ state-of-the-art recorders from various libraries.
Find out more in a workshop: naturetrackers.au/news/spring-...
August 5, 2025 at 7:40 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Tasmanians! Getting into the massive #NationalScienceWeek buzz? Maybe you've already booked into a 'Discover CallTrackers' acoustic monitoring workshop, or 'Bittern Quest'? Details in #NatureTrackers' calendar—see August: naturetrackers.au/about/events...
But ALSO...

#CitSci #STEM #Tasmania 🧪🌏🌿🎙️🪶🦇
August 3, 2025 at 3:11 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
It's a difficult concept & a *nightmare* choice (& I want more invertebrates) but still - let's give more fab species a big boost! Vote! Vote! Vote!
Meet the contestants for Australia's top underrated animal
Move over, roos and emus — this National Science Week, we're looking for the most underrated Australian animal. Meet the contestants, and vote for who you think should win.
www.abc.net.au
August 1, 2025 at 5:59 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Step 1: find out who’s living there *before* you bust up its habitat!
Eg 5 threatened burrowing crayfish burrow only in small areas of land in #Tasmania, often vulnerable to compaction & destruction eg by cattle & housebuilding
www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov.au/Pages/Result...

#extinctionmatters
biodivcouncil.bsky.social Biodiversity Council @biodivcouncil.bsky.social · Jul 13
Invertebrates, like bees, worms and spiders, play many vital functions in our ecosystems. But almost 1,000 Aussie invertebrates are threatened with extinction. We asked Assoc Prof Kate Umbers from Biodiversity Council and Invertebrates Australia how to help 🐝

#insects #conservation #CitizenScience
July 13, 2025 at 11:19 PM
clawkins.bsky.social
Affected predators include Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles (details: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...)
These poisons are widely for sale at eye-level in Australian hardware stores; much more carefully regulated elsewhere. Advice & action here: www.actforbirds.org/ratpoison
#Tasmania
July 5, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Reposted by Clare Hawkins
amarotuninetti.bsky.social
new 🦇 print 📸
i've been having an Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) come by right at sunset the last few nights and making some very fun echolocation & social calls 😍 along with the usual crew of big browns

(dm if interested in prints) 🍃🔊
photo compilation of an Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) swooping by against a dark forest background. below the bat is a series of audio spectrograms showing the bat's sequence of echolocation sounds. the sequence also includes the calls and feeding buzz of a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) captured in the background audio spectrogram of the echolocation and social calls of an eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) getting (i think) annoyed with a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
June 27, 2025 at 5:58 PM
clawkins.bsky.social
#Tasmania #conservation #dogs - what a combo! Scientist, conservation dog handler, & fabulous communicator Nic Gill is speaking in Hobart this Thurs. Find out more about her here nicole-gill.com/about/
June 29, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by Clare Hawkins
biodivcouncil.bsky.social
Many of Australia’s invertebrates, which include insects and other animals without backbones, are doing it tough. You can help by taking simple actions, like planting local native flowers, leaving part of your garden ‘wild’, or switching off outdoor lights 🐝

#invertebrates #insects
June 26, 2025 at 6:50 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Nearly home - about to hop on the overnight ferry as the next leg of my #FlightFree #BirdNerdRoadie trip from #ICCB2025 in Meanjin/Brisbane to Tasmania, & farewelled by a beautiful black-shouldered kite… 🪶
(almost never seen in TAS)
A small far-off raptor hangs stationary above sea, bushes and a street light in a cloudless pastel post-sunset sky Can just spot a small raptor in the too right corner above silhouettes of fences, street lights, signs & a spiralling, spiky sculpture against a fading pink sky Black-shouldered kite hanging in a blue cloudless sky, looking down near the photographer. Dark shadowed wings, pale grey head & body, dark streak across eye, fanning mid grey tail. A footpath lined by railings and the sea to the right, in the foreground, heads to the Geelong ferry terminal, with the red and white Spirit of Tasmania ferry ready for passengers, in front of a pale sunset.
June 23, 2025 at 8:16 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
A fascinating set of publications, including these findings from an app rather like eBird for night-time lights.
#CitSci #DarkSkies #SaveEnergy #Conservationscience 🌏🧪
June 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
clawkins.bsky.social
Waiting at Brisbane Roma St Station to start the first leg of my #NatureNerdRoadie trip home to Tasmania, & realising I’ve never wondered how long-billed birds drink out of shallow puddles…
#WildOz
🌿🪶
June 21, 2025 at 5:26 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
More details on the power line risk model for Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles - how it was created, & how it’s used.

#Tasmania #wedgetailedeagle #conservationscience 🌏🦅🪶🌿🧪
Overhead power lines kill millions of birds a year. Scientists found a way to help cut the devastating toll
As electricity networks expand, the risk of birds becoming injured or electrocuted by power lines increases. How can we protect them?
theconversation.com
June 20, 2025 at 3:53 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Exciting news in the world of #Tasmanian #WedgeTailedEagle conservation!

#Tasmania #conservationscience
🌏🦅🪶🌿🧪
utas.edu.au University of Tasmania @utas.edu.au · Jun 19
Our researchers have developed a powerful risk mapping tool to help prevent fatal collisions between endangered wedge-tailed eagles and overhead power lines. The model is already helping guide conservation strategies across Tasmania. Read more: utas.au/Tracking_
June 19, 2025 at 6:23 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
They were all #ICCB2025 *fantastic*. The context of #conservationscience can be a bit 😳 but each scientist had us laughing, & following along with all the science AND maths 👏👏
ecologygrant.bsky.social Grant Hamilton 🐨 @ecologygrant.bsky.social · Jun 18
#ICCB2025 comedy at a conference! What more could you want??
June 18, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Reposted by Clare Hawkins
ecosystemunraveller.com
Such a beautiful welcome to Turrbal country from song woman Butinga and Aunty Cathryn. Welcoming us to #ICCB2025 with first nations representatives responding in song, and delegates from
90 countries embracing the smoke, the welcome, the deep connection with Country
Smoke rising from the front of a large auditorium
June 15, 2025 at 7:09 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
A plenary of huge encouragement to get the #ICCB2025 conference started from Queensland Chief Scientist & QUT Professor Kerrie Wilson.

#conservationscience 🌏
June 15, 2025 at 8:07 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
It’s so great to arrive in the Brisbane sunshine. I’m looking forward to the start of #ICCB2025! *Please* come on Monday pm to discuss #citizenscience approaches to population monitoring. We have a range, for different contexts - including extras which wouldn’t easily fit on the poster…
‘#ICCB2025 I'm presenting at the International Congress for Conservation Biology 2025 Meeanjin Brisbane, Australia | 15 - 19 June’ (in front of the beautiful blue/green Aboriginal graphic design for ICCB2025 with places and lines, fish & turtles) ‘Mon Jun 16, 04:30 PM (103) Approaches to Keep Long-term Track of Species Conservation Effectiveness across Tasmania • Great Hall 3 & 4 Type: Poster Session’ (from the ICCB app)
June 15, 2025 at 1:47 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Departed Hobart for my next #naturenerdroadie trip yesterday - excited to be on my way to the #ICCB2025 in Brisbane. Great sunrise/full moon as I walked from the ferry to N Geelong station this morning!
First leg: Clare grinning for a selfie in front of the Hobart to Launceston bus Sunrise on a near cloudless morning across the water on the way out of the Spirit of Tasmania ferry terminal, with two intriguing wooden structures in the water in the foreground - some sort of moorings? They look to be long out of use. Magpies singing in the cold, atop a pole at North Geelong station. Far off silhouette of spotted dove on a wire above trees, below full moon, in front of pink sky.
June 12, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Clare Hawkins
climateplatypus.bsky.social
this is all a bit exhausting.
luckily (helpfully(?)) today is June 12.
so it's all worth it.
thank you @firstdogonthemoon.bsky.social.
June 12, 2025 at 4:09 AM
clawkins.bsky.social
Chasing up the last few #WhereWhereWedgie records & reminiscing over some good survey days, eg these views of battling Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles at the start of one of my 10-minute scans.
(After landing out of sight, both eventually flew off in opposite directions).
#Tasmania #citizenscience 🌿🪶
Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles coming close together in flight against a blue-grey sky Still against the sky, the eagles' talons come into contact, with one bunching its wings, the other flying on its side. Eagles still locked together, tumbling towards the ground (between two trees on a dry hillside paddock) The two eagles are still locked together, still tumbling awkwardly, soon to hit the ground
June 11, 2025 at 10:30 PM