Wonderful day trip to Scilly yesterday with point blank views of Sora and Wilson's Snipe! Was not expecting a guest appearance from a Spotted Crake as well. This may have been my last crossing on the Scillonian III, if so, what an incredible trip to end with! #UKBirding #FarewellScillonianIII

Why care about weird animal behaviors? Just out as an advanced publication, my contribution to the next Frans de Waal special issue in Behaviour @degruyterbrill.bsky.social. Unusual behaviors are a recurring theme in my career, and I much enjoyed writing this perspective! doi.org/10.1163/1568...

The science of the unusual: how rare observations reveal the diversity of animal behaviour

Abstract Behavioural biology often focuses on identifying general patterns, yet unusual or rare behaviours at both the population and individual level can provide insight into animal behaviour. Here, ...

doi.org

Bearded vultures fighting, on our undergrad Pyrenees field course @uniexecec.bsky.social

Had a brilliant time at @ecbb2026.bsky.social! Really nice to chat to people about my work, and to hear so many inspiring and relevant talks.

Surprised to find this very unseasonable Slavonian Grebe at Stithians Reservoir in Cornwall yesterday afternoon alongside 3 Wood Sandpipers. The photo was taken on my phone through my bins. @cbwps.org.uk #ukbirding

Today is the final day to get out for the #BigButterflyCount! Take 15 minutes out of your day to enjoy nature and help protect vulnerable butterflies and moths. 💚 Use the ID guide on the free Big Butterfly Count app or go to 👉 https://butrfli.es/3SVFepj 📷: Painted Lady - Bob Eade

Thank you to everyone who came to my talk at #ISBE2026! Had a great time meeting people in Turin and visiting the city; and afterwards exploring around Lake Lugano.

How do facultative cleaning relationships remain stable? If you're at #ISBE2026, come to Room 500 on Monday at 11am to learn more! 🐗

Heatwave and fires delaying trains leaving Paris by up to 6 hours, on my way to visit family before #ISBE2026. At least I'm seeing more wooden fans than the plastic ones in London.

Anyone know what this tiny crab might be? Three of them on a compass jellyfish on the Pembrokeshire coast a few weeks ago.

How do animals cooperate when they aren't even the same species? Our recent review paper dug deep into the literature... 1/ Read the full paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

A few more days until the start of #ExE2026, the new evolutionary ecology 🧬✖️🌳 conference hosted @uniexecec.bsky.social in #Cornwall: 230 participants, 25 countries, 3 plenaries, 10 keynotes, 70 talks and over 100 posters. Also excursions, workshops, dinner, great swag and sea shanties 🎶 🤩 evoxeco.uk

Erik Postma@erikpostma.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Interested in the interface of evolution 🧬 and ecology 🌳? Then you cannot miss #ExE2026! Hosted by @uniexecec.bsky.social in beautiful #Cornwall, this #conference has a stellar line-up of speakers and lots of pre-and post-conference workshops. Space is limited, so register now at evoxeco.uk!

Shocked to see this monster while swimming at Manorbier Beach in Pembs today. A huge Barrel Jellyfish that proved popular with the other beach-goers! #UKWildlife

My first publication! Grateful to have had the opportunity to work on this with such an amazing and global team – and good fun to work the on the press and social media releases.

FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology@africanornithology.bsky.social · 4mo ago

🐜🐟🐦‍🐬👩‍🔬 What does it take for completely different species to work together? A global team of researchers explores the communication behind remarkable cross-species partnerships in a new review in Animal Behaviour. 📄 doi.org/10.1016/j.an... #AfricanOrnithology

Dwarf mongooses change their pre-emptive behaviour relative to the size of their neighbouring rivals🐻🥊 We leveraged 10 years of behaviour and GPS data to investigate the pre-emptive behavioural changes mongooses make to navigate a landscape of intergroup conflict: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

A childhood dream fulfilled for me last night with a short feature on Springwatch! Thanks to Jo and Josh for making it such a cracking segment! And everyone who came along on the night @finleyhutchins2.bsky.social @sibthorpia.bsky.social @jamesdrage.bsky.social @leelachanner.bsky.social #teammoth

Finally found my first nudibranch yesterday after 7 years of abject failure in the rock pools of Falmouth. This Orange-clubbed Sea Slug (Limacia clavigera) was hiding beneath some kelp. With @leelachanner.bsky.social

Polycera quadrilineata in Falmouth yesterday, with @humphrey-keeper.bsky.social. Spotted floating on the surface at the edge of the rocks, and seemed to be using the tide to move between different areas of seaweed. Time for some research...

So many moths last night! Over 20 Bordered Straw at Pendennis and on the walk up, Ni Moth, Portland Ribbon Wave, and of course Small Mottled Willow and Diamondback in the dozens

Humphrey Keeper@humphrey-keeper.bsky.social · 5mo ago

An incredible night's mothing at Pendennis Castle yesterday resulted in migrants galore! 13(!) Eastern Bordered Straw were the highlight, with good numbers of lots of other migrants too. With @finleyhutchins2.bsky.social @leelachanner.bsky.social #teammoth

A fantastic puffin and seabird cruise with @harbourbirds.bsky.social! Plenty of auks, including the sought-after puffins; common and sandwich terns hunting; a couple of gannets; and a beautiful sunset by the Old Harry Rocks. Thanks for the suggestion @humphrey-keeper.bsky.social

Manx shearwater playback, rat eradication talk, and thrush FID trials some highlights of the @uniexecec.bsky.social Isles of Scilly field course. Great to see the students so engaged with pollinator counts, especially after a rainy start! Plenty of mothing and a turtle dove as well.

An ant that behaves like a cleaner fish? With awesome photos. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

‪Very exciting to have been able to at last witness mongoose-warthog cleaning in a new population! Much less frequent than in Mweya and an interesting new context.

Emerging parasitoid larva from what I believe is an Eastern Dotted Border caterpillar (Mylothris agathina) – Botswana

So pleased to find a prehistoric-looking shoebill in Mabamba Swamp on our second attempt! Couldn't leave the country without finding one. With @humphrey-keeper.bsky.social

Was incredible to see this movement of spotless policemen skipper butterflies on the Mweya Peninsula in Uganda yesterday evening! Fortunately @leelachanner.bsky.social had seen it before, and shared this paper about the phenomenon doi.org/10.4314/met....

Great to get in another field visit to Mweya, likely the last of my PhD – a lot of desk-based work, but where better to do it! Excited to be heading onwards to Botswana in a couple of weeks to investigate mongoose-warthog interactions in another population.

See below for an excellent birding blog (unbiased perspective from a potentially biased individual)

Humphrey Keeper@humphrey-keeper.bsky.social · 10mo ago

I've started a blog to start the new year, and the first post is up about my trip to France for the new year. I haven't quite got the hang of brevity yet, but don't let that stop you from getting to the treat at the end: single-handed-naturalist.blogspot.com/2026/01/new-...

A trip to the Grotte de l'Hortus in Hérault this morning provided a long awaited lifer in the form of a wallcreeper. It was joined on the crags by a supporting cast of three blue rock thrush, peregrine, and crag martins. With @leelachanner.bsky.social

Been working on a little video looking at IDing Aythya ducks over the past month. Feel free to give it a watch here as a little early Christmas present (if you're a fan of niche ducks): youtu.be/f4aF7_zONIM?...

A Deep Dive into Aythyism

YouTube video by Humphrey Keeper

youtu.be