Tómas G. Gunnarsson

A juvenile wader/shorebird does not travel with its parents, so how does it establish its personal annual migration itinerary?
Black-tailed Godwit blog from 12 Sep 2024 🎂
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/09/12/j...
Paper by @tomasgunnarsson.bsky.social et al
#ornithology

Best bits of Iceland for waders.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/08/27/i...
New WaderTales blog - Number 150 🥳
Paper by Verónica Méndez et al
#ConservationScience🌍

New distribution models for Icelandic waders show how temperate to arctic species overlap across climatic and environmental gradients. Led by Dr. Verónica Méndez
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
@wildlifebiology.bsky.social
#ornithology #waders #shorebirds #ConservationScience🌍

WaderTales blogs were read in 80 countries in May.
The most widely downloaded tale highlights some of the latest results from wader/shorebird tracking:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/05/06/m...
#ConservationScience🌍
Map shows tracks of one Whimbrel monitored for several years by Camilo Carneiro et al

Spot the golden plover nest - is a good game.

Phalaropes are wonderfully tame.
#ornithology

Southern Iceland is the most important area in Europe for breeding Whimbrel. New study measures decline of nearly 50% in twelve years.
Blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/02/20/i...
Paper:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#ConservationScience🌍

Dunlin is the biggest loser in Southern Lowlands of Iceland.
Breeding numbers down 60% in eleven years.
Blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/02/20/i...
Paper (Aldís Pálsdóttir et al):
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
THREAD #ornithology

All is not well in the Southern Lowlands of Iceland - one of the most important wader breeding areas in Europe.
WaderTales blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/02/20/i...
Paper by Aldís Pálsdóttir et al in 'Bird Study':
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#ornithology

Spooky news just before spring migration.

"Serenade of a Whimbrel"
Also available as a blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/02/06/t...

New paper on population changes in common waders and passerines in Iceland's largest breeding area. Most populations are declining fast.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Following Black-tailed Godwits with rings, colour-rings and tracking.
New paper in @jappliedecology.bsky.social by @amigodeaves.bsky.social et al, summarised in WaderTales blog.
wadertales.wordpress.com/2025/01/09/h...
#ConservationScience🌏
Paper:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

New paper! @jappliedecology.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/3C5gYJp
We mapped out the migrations of over 10K ind ⚫-tailed godwits (!) to characterize connectivity between sites in Europe and Africa.
We compiled tracking data, ring recoveries and resightings: >400K records in total! (1/5)

Latest WaderTales blog focuses on the newly red-listed Broad-billed Sandpiper.
It lists all 16 waders/shorebirds that had their conservation status revised in the wrong direction:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/08/b...
#ornithology

Did you see paper in @ibisjournal.bsky.social about using Audiomoth sound recorders to survey breeding waders?
Summary just published as WaderTales blog:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/04/c...
#ornithology

Concepts in ecology and conservation - YouTube Fundamental concepts that help understand the natural world and how to conserve it.

Here’s the playlist for the 42 ecological and conservation concept videos. Perfect for falling asleep at night. Enjoy!
youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Does head-starting deliver for Black-tailed Godwits and can it deliver for Curlew?
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/09/26/h...
Paper by @lyndadonaldson.bsky.social et al
#UKbirding

More green energy ✅
But collecting the energy requires new transmission lines and they can be bad news for breeding waders/shorebirds.
Research from Iceland:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/p...
#conservationscience🌍

How volcanic eruptions help waders Areas of Iceland that have experienced high volcanic ash deposition can accommodate up to three times as many breeding waders. When Tómas Gunarsson began his PhD at the University of East Anglia on…

We were recently asked how volcanic eruptions affect Iceland's birds.
Long-term gain. Short-term pain.
#ornithology
Positive effect on waders:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/t...
Negative effect on waders:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/b...