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Dr Richard S. Turner

@rsturner.bsky.social

67 Posts1578 Follower327 Folgt
Phenoweb project@phenoweb.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Spring is gaining momentum across Scotland. 🌱 Cumulative budburst across the transect has now passed 40%, driven by a surge of activity at our northern sites in recent days. While the North is waking up, the South continues to lead the way in terms of first leaf emergence. #Phenology #Spring2026

Plot showing the cumulative percentage of trees in first budburst and first leaf across the Phenoweb Transect since 1 April 2026. Orange line shows southern sites, while the blue line shows northern sites. The black line represents the transect-wide trend.Oak budburst.Sycamore budburst.Beech budburst.
Phenoweb project@phenoweb.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The first week of the 2026 field season is underway, and Storm Dave has provided a chilly – but atmospheric – start. ❄️🏔 63 blue tit nests initiated, so far, with 4 lined. Looking like a later start for us compared to elsewhere in the UK/Western Europe. #phenology

A snowy mountain scene taken in the northern Cairngorms on 5 April 2026.Woodcrete nest box hanging from a snow-covered tree.Woodcrete nest box hanging from a tree, with a snowy landscape in the background.
Dr Richard S. Turner@rsturner.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Most detected bird species thus far: Eurasian wren and – perhaps unsurprisingly – blue tit! Really excited to see what we can learn from these data long-term.

Phenoweb project@phenoweb.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Ahead of this year’s field season, we’ve been busy installing SOPRANO devices at several of our sites. These devices automatically monitor biodiversity and climate, continuously recording birds and bats and sending real-time species identifications back to Edinburgh!🔈🐦‍⬛🦇

Fieldworker kneeling on the ground helping to install the Soprano device as it snows.
Edward Grey Institute@egioxford.bsky.social · 7mo ago

🚨🚨 Breaking news from Wytham Woods: The 80th year of data collection of the long-term tit study officially started today with this nest with 3 Blue Tit eggs (pic: @mcmahok.bsky.social). First egg inferred 23 March which is our earliest EVER nest - beating the previous record of 26 March by 3 days!🚨🚨

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Dr Richard S. Turner@rsturner.bsky.social · last yr.

We (Pat White, @jayofthetriffids.bsky.social & I) were commissioned by Forestry Commission to produce a series of case studies on #treeprotection challenges and solutions. The first, on Burrator Forest in Devon, is out now and covers #livestock #grazing, #virtualfencing & benefits of #beavers 🐮🌳 👇

From fleece to fencing: how implementing an integrated management approach is protecting Burrator Forest

Read how South West Lakes Trust is collaborating with others to protect Burrator Forest from livestock and wildlife damage.

gov.uk

Dr Richard S. Turner@rsturner.bsky.social · last yr.

📣 Hot off the press! 🔥🧪 'Population density drives increased parasitism via greater exposure and reduced resource availability in wild red deer @rumdeerresearch.bsky.social'. Proud to have played a small role on this one with an amazing team led by @hasikadam.bsky.social! 🦌🌱🪱 Read about it here 👇

Population density drives increased parasitism via greater exposure and reduced resource availability in wild red deer | Parasitology | Cambridge Core

Population density drives increased parasitism via greater exposure and reduced resource availability in wild red deer

doi.org

Dr Richard S. Turner@rsturner.bsky.social · last yr.

Absolutely worth the 03:00 am start. Last week, I helped to ring and process 46 Sand Martins 🪶 — under licence from the BTO — including 6 retraps that had safely returned to East Lothian from their overwintering grounds in W. Africa. All wrapped up with a beautiful sunrise over the Forth. 🌅

Phenoweb project@phenoweb.bsky.social · 2y ago

Looks like being a very early spring for us. We already have over 60 blue tit nests and didn’t reach similar numbers ‘til around April 10th last year. This sycamore is already in leaf, and last year it didn’t reach a similar stage for another three weeks. When will we get our first eggs?

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Keith McMahon@mcmahok.bsky.social · 2y ago

We're hiring a fieldworker to help with some of our projects in Wytham Woods this spring. Wonderful place to work (and live), especially in the spring. Get in touch if you'd like to know more.

We are seeking to appoint a fulltime field assistant to work on the Wytham Tit Project for 4-8 weeks in spring 2025. Duties will include (i) collecting standardised data from nest-box breeding populations of tits, (ii) setting up equipment to monitor foraging behaviour of great tits (e.g. cameras, proximity loggers), (iii) fitting proximity tags and accelerometers to adult great tits (iv) inputting data collected in the field. The start date and duration of this position is flexible, depending on availability of the successful candidate. The post could last up to 8 weeks, starting in mid-April, or c. 4 weeks, starting in early May. All fieldwork will take place in Wytham Woods, near Oxford. The work is variable in intensity and will at times require long days in the field, and working some weekend days, but this will be balanced out by a quieter period at the start and end of the season. Successful candidates must have (or be qualified to obtain) a BTO permit to ring adult great tits, be able to demonstrate skill and enthusiasm for biological research as well as experience of fieldwork under arduous conditions, and both lone work and working as part of a team. Due to the short-term nature of these posts, successful applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Salary & Accommodation: Field assistants will be paid at grade 5.2 (£17.02/hour) and responsible for finding their own accommodation. It will be possible to hire accommodated at the Wytham Chalet, a research station within Wytham Woods. Alternatively, field assistants can find private accommodation locally and use their own transport to commute to the woods (approx. 30 min by car or bike, depending on location). Please submit an application, consisting of (1) a covering letter explaining relevant experience and motivation, (2) a CV (max 2 pages), and the names of two people who can be contacted as referees, by Tuesday 11th March 2025 to eleanor.cole@biology.ox.ac.uk. Inquiries to same email.
Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar@asanchez-tojar.bsky.social · 2y ago

Check out our new contribution, a massive collaboration brilliantly led by @danielwanoble.bsky.social. Full of interesting insights such as "What's the average time between the first manuscript submission to its acceptance in a scientific journal?" Go figure that and more at doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

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Dom Roche@domroche.bsky.social · 2y ago

If you've never published a preprint or don't know about @sortee.bsky.social's preprint server for ecology, evolution and related disciplines, learn all about it here: doi.org/10.1098/rspb... Great work led by Dan Noble

Caroline Lucas@carolinelucas.bsky.social · 2y ago

#HeathrowExpansion won’t deliver growth. Business demand is falling & more tourists leave than arrive. But it *will* trash climate commitments, drive more extreme weather, noise & air pollution & only benefit frequent flying super-emitters - the 15% who take 75% of flights. Labour should be better

Dr Richard S. Turner@rsturner.bsky.social · 2y ago

Wow, I am so happy to see that cOnr is still going well! He was born in the ANBG back in the 2017/18 breeding season (4 Jan. 2018, so he'll soon be celebrating his 7th birthday!) 🎁 #ornithology #longtermstudy #superbfairywrens

ANU Superb Fairywren Project@fairywrensanu.bsky.social · 2y ago

Holiday season is upon us, and so is this year's breeding season! With the season still in full swing, we're banding a few times a week. Today, we banded this male's chicks and his helper 🐦 Happy holidays from cOnr! 🎄 @sramellini.bsky.social @franhckr.bsky.social #ornithology #birds #superbfairywren