David Smyth 🦇🌳
@david-smyth-eco.bsky.social
Research Ireland PhD Student
Lesser Horseshoe Bat Conservation using Bioacoustics, DNA Metabarcoding & Habitat Analysis 🦇
ATU Galway 📍
Interested in Landscape Ecology, IAS, wild woodlands, rewilding, camera traps and bioacoustics
Views my own
He/Him
Lesser Horseshoe Bat Conservation using Bioacoustics, DNA Metabarcoding & Habitat Analysis 🦇
ATU Galway 📍
Interested in Landscape Ecology, IAS, wild woodlands, rewilding, camera traps and bioacoustics
Views my own
He/Him
Fieldwork the last few days.
This is a path normally.
Lets hope the bats are ok!
This is a path normally.
Lets hope the bats are ok!
November 12, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Fieldwork the last few days.
This is a path normally.
Lets hope the bats are ok!
This is a path normally.
Lets hope the bats are ok!
@ramoneskaraoke.bsky.social
I saw you post about a pippyg cover the other day
Currently installing these to monitor roost activity- two offcuts, a microwave tub for eggs and cable ties.
🤞 it works
I saw you post about a pippyg cover the other day
Currently installing these to monitor roost activity- two offcuts, a microwave tub for eggs and cable ties.
🤞 it works
November 11, 2025 at 7:52 PM
@ramoneskaraoke.bsky.social
I saw you post about a pippyg cover the other day
Currently installing these to monitor roost activity- two offcuts, a microwave tub for eggs and cable ties.
🤞 it works
I saw you post about a pippyg cover the other day
Currently installing these to monitor roost activity- two offcuts, a microwave tub for eggs and cable ties.
🤞 it works
Not sure, local professionals said it might be a car or fence, but unlikely to survive a fence.
Seems to be doing ok, locals said he was dominant in mixed herd of stags and hinds - but I picked up a 10ish pointer later so may be moved on by now
Seems to be doing ok, locals said he was dominant in mixed herd of stags and hinds - but I picked up a 10ish pointer later so may be moved on by now
November 2, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Not sure, local professionals said it might be a car or fence, but unlikely to survive a fence.
Seems to be doing ok, locals said he was dominant in mixed herd of stags and hinds - but I picked up a 10ish pointer later so may be moved on by now
Seems to be doing ok, locals said he was dominant in mixed herd of stags and hinds - but I picked up a 10ish pointer later so may be moved on by now
Tripod.
Seems to be in good condition.
Answers on a postcard as to what happened.
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
Seems to be in good condition.
Answers on a postcard as to what happened.
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Tripod.
Seems to be in good condition.
Answers on a postcard as to what happened.
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
Seems to be in good condition.
Answers on a postcard as to what happened.
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
I could not feel my fingers while recording this.
November 2, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I could not feel my fingers while recording this.
Almost makes the hiking, rain and cold yesterday worth it.
#SnapshotEurope
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
#SnapshotEurope
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Almost makes the hiking, rain and cold yesterday worth it.
#SnapshotEurope
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
#SnapshotEurope
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
Snapshot Season in Conamara.
Last fox has a snack
Last fox has a snack
October 28, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Snapshot Season in Conamara.
Last fox has a snack
Last fox has a snack
Trying my best to be a mountain man it seems.
First round of camera checks done for a very haphazard #snapshoteurope
First round of camera checks done for a very haphazard #snapshoteurope
October 19, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Trying my best to be a mountain man it seems.
First round of camera checks done for a very haphazard #snapshoteurope
First round of camera checks done for a very haphazard #snapshoteurope
Would have been done quicker but spent ages waiting to see if any rival stag would turn up!
Heard roars just as I left!
Bonus feature in photo; Those ridges are an indicator of past history of the land and very common in west of Ireland sadly.
Heard roars just as I left!
Bonus feature in photo; Those ridges are an indicator of past history of the land and very common in west of Ireland sadly.
October 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Would have been done quicker but spent ages waiting to see if any rival stag would turn up!
Heard roars just as I left!
Bonus feature in photo; Those ridges are an indicator of past history of the land and very common in west of Ireland sadly.
Heard roars just as I left!
Bonus feature in photo; Those ridges are an indicator of past history of the land and very common in west of Ireland sadly.
Lots of wooded spots with cameras also.
October 5, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Lots of wooded spots with cameras also.
Traipsing the bogs of Conamara for Snapshot Galway!
Year 3 of camera trapping set up - hoping the wind and rain didn't knock them out
Year 3 of camera trapping set up - hoping the wind and rain didn't knock them out
October 5, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Traipsing the bogs of Conamara for Snapshot Galway!
Year 3 of camera trapping set up - hoping the wind and rain didn't knock them out
Year 3 of camera trapping set up - hoping the wind and rain didn't knock them out
I was asking @landethics.bsky.social on this a few weeks ago.
Are they looking at biodiversity in a static sense rather than overall wildness/ecological integrity?
Are they looking at biodiversity in a static sense rather than overall wildness/ecological integrity?
October 2, 2025 at 11:25 AM
I was asking @landethics.bsky.social on this a few weeks ago.
Are they looking at biodiversity in a static sense rather than overall wildness/ecological integrity?
Are they looking at biodiversity in a static sense rather than overall wildness/ecological integrity?
Bioacoustics?
Already finished it mate.
(Praying this design works and all detectors come back safely)
Already finished it mate.
(Praying this design works and all detectors come back safely)
September 26, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Bioacoustics?
Already finished it mate.
(Praying this design works and all detectors come back safely)
Already finished it mate.
(Praying this design works and all detectors come back safely)
Would normally say its a squirrel seeing this in a woodland.
BUT
This is in an isolated woodland complex 20km away from nearest population of reds with treeless landscape between.
Anybody able to shed some light?
BUT
This is in an isolated woodland complex 20km away from nearest population of reds with treeless landscape between.
Anybody able to shed some light?
September 20, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Would normally say its a squirrel seeing this in a woodland.
BUT
This is in an isolated woodland complex 20km away from nearest population of reds with treeless landscape between.
Anybody able to shed some light?
BUT
This is in an isolated woodland complex 20km away from nearest population of reds with treeless landscape between.
Anybody able to shed some light?
Can a fieldwork weary PhD student ask if this passage below (and in ALT) potentially answering 2nd part of naturalness/ecological integrity vs biodiversity/metrics?
Would def have hypothesised it to be a predictor before reading passage but now wondering what scale of study areas are (i.e. fences)
Would def have hypothesised it to be a predictor before reading passage but now wondering what scale of study areas are (i.e. fences)
September 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Can a fieldwork weary PhD student ask if this passage below (and in ALT) potentially answering 2nd part of naturalness/ecological integrity vs biodiversity/metrics?
Would def have hypothesised it to be a predictor before reading passage but now wondering what scale of study areas are (i.e. fences)
Would def have hypothesised it to be a predictor before reading passage but now wondering what scale of study areas are (i.e. fences)
Don't know why its so hard to recruit volunteers these days.....
Snapshot Galway started again yesterday- 20 cameras for 2 months in the windswept valleys!
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
Snapshot Galway started again yesterday- 20 cameras for 2 months in the windswept valleys!
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
September 15, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Don't know why its so hard to recruit volunteers these days.....
Snapshot Galway started again yesterday- 20 cameras for 2 months in the windswept valleys!
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
Snapshot Galway started again yesterday- 20 cameras for 2 months in the windswept valleys!
@irishwoodlandtrust.bsky.social
This woodland is amazing (biased of course)
September 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM
This woodland is amazing (biased of course)
Perks of the (volunteer) job
September 13, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Perks of the (volunteer) job
But there's the familar pressures for nature in Ireland: high grazing impact, invasive alien species
Its overgrazed by sika (no regen) & there's an encroaching wall of rhododendron (the dark green blanket of canopy).
Neither of which can be easily or cheaply treated given the terrain and habitat.
Its overgrazed by sika (no regen) & there's an encroaching wall of rhododendron (the dark green blanket of canopy).
Neither of which can be easily or cheaply treated given the terrain and habitat.
September 7, 2025 at 12:16 PM
But there's the familar pressures for nature in Ireland: high grazing impact, invasive alien species
Its overgrazed by sika (no regen) & there's an encroaching wall of rhododendron (the dark green blanket of canopy).
Neither of which can be easily or cheaply treated given the terrain and habitat.
Its overgrazed by sika (no regen) & there's an encroaching wall of rhododendron (the dark green blanket of canopy).
Neither of which can be easily or cheaply treated given the terrain and habitat.
A story of opportunity and pressure!
My understanding is that this was a plantation around 15 years ago.
It was clearfelled and let naturally regenerate (drains potentially blocked also?)
There's wood sorrel on the ground (an old woodland indicator, likely hung on in plantation and spreading again)
My understanding is that this was a plantation around 15 years ago.
It was clearfelled and let naturally regenerate (drains potentially blocked also?)
There's wood sorrel on the ground (an old woodland indicator, likely hung on in plantation and spreading again)
September 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM
A story of opportunity and pressure!
My understanding is that this was a plantation around 15 years ago.
It was clearfelled and let naturally regenerate (drains potentially blocked also?)
There's wood sorrel on the ground (an old woodland indicator, likely hung on in plantation and spreading again)
My understanding is that this was a plantation around 15 years ago.
It was clearfelled and let naturally regenerate (drains potentially blocked also?)
There's wood sorrel on the ground (an old woodland indicator, likely hung on in plantation and spreading again)
www.eventbrite.com/e/galway-gre...
Galway People!
Green Drinks is back again this month!
Janet Laffey from LAWPRO will be talking this month!
Bígí Linn!
Galway People!
Green Drinks is back again this month!
Janet Laffey from LAWPRO will be talking this month!
Bígí Linn!
September 1, 2025 at 10:49 AM
www.eventbrite.com/e/galway-gre...
Galway People!
Green Drinks is back again this month!
Janet Laffey from LAWPRO will be talking this month!
Bígí Linn!
Galway People!
Green Drinks is back again this month!
Janet Laffey from LAWPRO will be talking this month!
Bígí Linn!
Hard working flower
August 28, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Hard working flower