Stephanie Holt

The Rodrigues parakeet’s last day: what one extinct bird tells us about the role of museums Two specimens at a museum in Cambridge are the only physical evidence this bird ever existed.

150 years ago today, the last known Rodrigues parakeet died.
It - and one other specimen - is now in @zoologymuseum.bsky.social: the only physical evidence the species ever existed.
I wrote about them & the importance of #museums in our knowledge of #extinction:
theconversation.com/the-rodrigue...

Excellent day speaking in The New Dark Aesthetic: The Bats Project at Orleans House Gallery. Nestor Pestana has drawn together such an inspiring project combining art & science for bat conservation, it’s a joy to be a part of it!🦇🦇🦇
#ArtAndScience #ArtOfNature #ArtInConservation

The Bats Project: Conversation on Darkness, Bats, and Poetry – Orleans House Gallery

Myself, the amazing Nestor Pestana, and others are doing this event on Saturday at Orleans House Gallery combining the art, science, and mythology of bats! Come along and join in the conversation! #Bats #ArtAndScience
www.orleanshousegallery.org/events/19055...

#CuriousTravellers #ThomasPennant #GilbertWhite #HistoryOfNaturalHistory #HistoryOfScience #HistoricalResearcher

And thank you also to National Library Wales, Linda Hall Library, Arader Galleries and Royal Museums Greenwich for the use of images throughout the exhibition and exhibition book!

Massive thanks also to @gilbertwhites.bsky.social for hosting us, to @andy4040.bsky.social for loaning us some wonderful specimens from his collection, and to @edwinrose.bsky.social and Mary-Ann Constantine (and me 😂) for loaning books and documents.

HUGE thanks to the CTP team from University of Wales, University of Glasgow and @nhm-london.bsky.social/ @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social for the effort that everyone put in to making it a success!

And just like that our exhibition Curious Minds: Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White is over 🥲.
I’ve loved the whole process of exhibition design, installation, and events, and I’m so proud of what we created for @curioustravellers.bsky.social

A woman with long hair in a white shirt speaks at a wooden lectern

Panel 2 begins! Here is @stephholtnh.bsky.social, explaining the differences and similarities between the real letters between Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White, and the edited and polished versions that make up so much of White's classic 'Natural History of Selborne'

I’ve not pulled out the data on it yet, but the data with these specimens is often pretty poor unfortunately. I’m hoping to dig out more information on it soon.

A row of three connected wooden cabinets, with glass panels, the lids open in a wood floored library

"fossil fish, a collection of graptolites, trilobites, a bear jaw..."

In our new research blog, @stephholtnh.bsky.social gives us a rare hands-on look at Thomas Pennant's specimens in the British Museum

curioustravellers.ac.uk/enlightening...

It’s been a beautiful day here in Selborne, and we’re set up and ready to go for the Gilbert White and His Contexts conference!
gilbertwhite.org.uk
#GilbertWhiteConference #GilbertWhite #HistoryOfNaturalHistory #HistoricalResearch

On Thursday I got to view parts of the Du Bois herbarium at @ox.ac.uk. An incredible collection, and, although disbound and reordered in the 19th, fascinating examples of 17thC. herbaria and pre-Linnean nomenclature! #Herbarium #17thCentury #HistoryOfNaturalHistory #HistoricalResearch

@linneansociety.bsky.social @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social

Places are booking up for our conference Gilbert White and His Contexts (3-5th June)!

gilbertwhite.org.uk
@bshsnews.bsky.social @sochistnathist.bsky.social @bsecs.bsky.social @gilbertwhites.bsky.social @gilbertwhite.bsky.social @curioustravellers.bsky.social

Thanks, it worked too!

Thank you Bernard, I’ll have to take a look for your article!

It’s my Transfer of Status interview today (essential part of my DPhil progression). Re-reading my emotional support copy of the Natural History of Selborne over a cuppa, wish me luck!

Day 2 of #NatSCA2025 @natsca.bsky.social is up and running! I’m speaking later on behalf of @curioustravellers.bsky.social and the @nhm-london.bsky.social Thomas Pennant Collections #HistoryOfNaturalHistory #NaturalHistoryMuseums

Darwin’s letters and books recognised as a UNESCO documentary heritage | Natural History Museum The documents will join other important archives such as the illuminated manuscripts of Charlemagne’s court.

Charles Darwin is best known for his work on evolution.

But he was a prolific scientist who studied much more. Now, over 20,000 of Darwin's letters, books and publications have been recognised as a UNESCO heritage.

Find out what this means 👇
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

🦇 Whether you've just discovered you have a bat roost, have had a known bat roost for a while or are just curious about what having bats means this page is for you: buff.ly/hB0v79Y . It's designed to help answer your questions and offer advice and support.

Vote for the best of the internet I just voted in The Webby People's Voice Awards and checked my voter registration.

Vote for us! Our amazing Naturally Curious course is up for a Webby Award, but is currently in second place! #WebbyAward #NaturallyCurious vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting...

Our exhibition catalogue is for Curious Minds: Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White is beautiful! Pop over to my Instagram for a quick flick through!
Copies are available to buy when you visit the exhibition 😁
@curioustravellers.bsky.social
@gilbertwhites.bsky.social

www.instagram.com/reel/DIQ7Wxb...

How yesterday started vs how it finished! Yesterday we installed the Curious Minds: Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White exhibition from the @curioustravellers.bsky.social project at @gilbertwhites.bsky.social. It looks amazing and is on until 22nd June, do come and visit!
#HistoryOfNaturalHistory

Yes, Pennant fossils are in there too! Would love to have a conversation with you about that project at some point if you were willing?

Don’t forget to follow our project account @curioustravellers.bsky.social for more information on our project, partners, and team!

The project team are grateful for loans and donations of specimens and images from @nhm-london.bsky.social @andy4040.bsky.social Arader Galleries (NYC), National Library Wales, Houghton Library (Harvard), The Linda Hall Library, & Smithsonian Libraries & Archives.

Images in the above post are of just a few of the specimens in @nhm-london.bsky.social Pennant collections (images (c) the Trustees of the Natural History Museum)

Our exhibition Curious Minds: Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White launches on the 8th April at @gilbertwhites.bsky.social! We’re delighted that the exhibition will feature objects and images loaned by many organisations (see comments!)
Book your place at the launch at info@gilbertwhites.org.uk

Reminder that our exhibition Curious Minds: Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White is launching soon! Do come and join us! @bsecs.bsky.social @bshsnews.bsky.social @sochistnathist.bsky.social @gilbertwhite.bsky.social @brycchancarey.bsky.social