Dr Alex Bond

Budget cuts at Environment and Climate Change Canada threaten Arctic science For decades, ECCC research scientists have been integral to the work of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme.

Another blow to climate science: budget cuts at Environment and Climate Change Canada threaten long-running Arctic monitoring programs, some with >50-year datasets.

The Arctic is warming ~4× faster than the global average. Cutting the science that tracks is…

theconversation.com/budget-cuts-...

Plagiarism!!!!!!

Blarg. The elastic on my delightful 2003 era MEC longjohns has perished, so unfortunately a patch job won't cut it!

Canadian (especially east coast) friends - with the enshitification of MEC, where are you getting decent quality outdoor gear?

Screenshot of the EGI seminars You-tube Channel

We've uploaded recordings of many of our seminars over the last few months to our You-tube channel, including from @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social, Kristen Ruegg, Daniel Field, @jon-slate.bsky.social, Paul Acker, @thelabandfield.bsky.social & @kokkonut.bsky.social - Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/@EGIOxford

A recent enquiry made us fall in love/awe with Elizabeth Gray (1831-1924) all over again These photographs of Mrs Gray, an intrepid Scottish fossil collector, were taken around her 90th birthday in 1922-23. Happy International Women’s Day!

Gosh I wish BSky had a close friends green circle group because I have Thoughts

Must not get snarky about a paper I've just seen.

Telement un anana!!

Tu es un anana!

Not seen: A farmer with a boat and a bag of grain scrumpling up his plans and throwing them away in a tearful fit of defeated pique

Nice paper from Alex and Paige.
A Slender-billed Curlew was shot in Canada in 1925 👇.
The bird was lost.
The species is now extinct.
How did we allow this to happen?
wadertales.wordpress.com/2024/12/12/l...
#ornithology

Squeeeee! [Redacted]

Distribution of the Slender-billed Curlew Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris Lynx Edicions/BirdLife International

But what a record! They formerly bred in the Kazakh steppe, migrated through Carpathia and Italy, and wintered in Morocco & the Middle East. So one wandering around the shores of Lake Erie is a real vagrant. But nevertheless, the ID and the provenance check out! bioone.org/journals/bul...

The underside of the left primaries showing the extensive dark colour characteristic of Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris (Corso et al. 2014) (Paige R. Langle & A. L. Hines, Buffalo Museum of Science, BSNS O2092, reproduced with permission)

The specimen has the diagnostic dark undersides of the outermost primary feathers, so there's no doubt it's a Slender-billed (3/4)

The mounted Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris in the Buffalo Museum of Science (Paige R. Langle, Buffalo Museum of Science, BSNS O2092, reproduced with permission)

The specimen was shot in the Niagara Region of Ontario, likely in 1925 by Dr Irvin Terry Sr, a dentist from Buffalo. He assembled an otherwise small and unremarkable bird collection, but removed all data as he feared potential prosecution (2/4)

The only North American record of the extinct Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris Alexander L. Bond, Paige R. Langle Abstract An historical record of the extinct Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris from Ontario, Canada, is quite exceptional, being the only North American record. Its inclusion in North American, Canadian, or Ontarian avifaunal lists is patchy, and the specimen has not been assessed against current identification criteria. We show that the specimen is extant, in the collection of the Buffalo Museum of Science, and is indeed a Slender-billed Curlew. Here, we compile the history of the specimen and its collector in the wider context of the ornithology of the Niagara Region.

New paper in @britornitholclub.bsky.social - Paige Langle and I highlight (and confirm the identity!) of the only North American record of the now-extinct Slender-billed Curlew (1/4) bioone.org/journals/bul... #ornithology

Check out our correspondence in Nature Reviews Biodiversity about the need for Indigenous voices when using genome engineering for conservation & frankly 'de-extinction' www.nature.com/articles/s44... - @universityofotago.bsky.social Phil Wilcox, @clare-edna.bsky.social, & Riley Taitingfong 1/12 🧵

There is No Consensus on Biological Sex At this critical moment when misinformation about sex is being applied to policy globally, scientific clarification on the definition of biological sex is valuable. Here, we evaluate the primary appr...

New paper out in ecology letters! with @andylee.bsky.social @allydefduf.bsky.social

We synthesized the active debate on how scientists define sex, including limitations and assumptions. We believe this discussion will lead to more accurate science.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A screenshot of the BlueSky posts of @iss-piss-tracker.bsky.social showing the piss tank slowly emptying over the last 20 minutes

How do we alert the international space station that their piss tank has a slow leak? 😳🛰️💛

I love these papers on strange specimens in museums. No one will ever cite them, but they bring me joy. There's something pleasing about setting the record straight and solving a mystery.
(and at this stage in my career, citations are much less important)

Distribution of the Slender-billed Curlew Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris Lynx Edicions/BirdLife International

But what a record! They formerly bred in the Kazakh steppe, migrated through Carpathia and Italy, and wintered in Morocco & the Middle East. So one wandering around the shores of Lake Erie is a real vagrant. But nevertheless, the ID and the provenance check out! bioone.org/journals/bul...

The underside of the left primaries showing the extensive dark colour characteristic of Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris (Corso et al. 2014) (Paige R. Langle & A. L. Hines, Buffalo Museum of Science, BSNS O2092, reproduced with permission)

The specimen has the diagnostic dark undersides of the outermost primary feathers, so there's no doubt it's a Slender-billed (3/4)

The mounted Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris in the Buffalo Museum of Science (Paige R. Langle, Buffalo Museum of Science, BSNS O2092, reproduced with permission)

The specimen was shot in the Niagara Region of Ontario, likely in 1925 by Dr Irvin Terry Sr, a dentist from Buffalo. He assembled an otherwise small and unremarkable bird collection, but removed all data as he feared potential prosecution (2/4)

The only North American record of the extinct Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris Alexander L. Bond, Paige R. Langle Abstract An historical record of the extinct Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris from Ontario, Canada, is quite exceptional, being the only North American record. Its inclusion in North American, Canadian, or Ontarian avifaunal lists is patchy, and the specimen has not been assessed against current identification criteria. We show that the specimen is extant, in the collection of the Buffalo Museum of Science, and is indeed a Slender-billed Curlew. Here, we compile the history of the specimen and its collector in the wider context of the ornithology of the Niagara Region.

New paper in @britornitholclub.bsky.social - Paige Langle and I highlight (and confirm the identity!) of the only North American record of the now-extinct Slender-billed Curlew (1/4) bioone.org/journals/bul... #ornithology

I.... May have also done this

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) will soon have six vacancies among its ordinary members and is seeking nominations for new Commissioners to be elected in May 2027. Five vacancies stem from retiring Commissioners A. Ballerio (Italy; Coleoptera), P. Bouchard (Canada; Coleoptera), M. Harvey (Australia; Arachnida), D. Yanega (USA; Insecta), and H.-Z. Zhou (China; Coleoptera); a sixth vacancy needs to be filled to reach the Commission’s target of 28 members. The Commission hereby invites nominations, from any person, organisation or institution, of potential candidates for election. The nationalities and areas of expertise of the present members of the Commission may be found on the ICZN website (http:// iczn.org/commissioners). Article 2.2 of the ICZN Constitution prescribes that “The members of the Commission shall be eminent scientists, irrespective of nationality, with a distinguished record in any branch of zoology and an interest in zoological nomenclature”. Furthermore, according to Article 2.3 of the Constitution, the composition of the Commission shall be such as to secure representation of diverse interests and different parts of the world. Current activities within the Commission include monthly virtual meetings, voting on Cases every two or three months and participating in various activities as needed (e.g., reviewing or proofing Cases and Opinions, co-writing Declarations, participating in ad-hoc committees, preparing the next edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, updating the ICZN Constitution and Bylaws). Based on Article 3.1.1 of the Constitution, the maximum term of service of a member of the Commission is 18 years. Nominations, including the age, affiliation, nationality and qualifications of each nominee should be sent before 1 January 2027 to the ICZN Secretary (ic...@nus.edu. sg) together with a statement that the potential nominee will accept the nomination. Self-nominations are accepted.

The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is calling for nominations for new members doi.org/10.21805/bzn... The call is behind a paywall 🤦‍♂️ but text is below. Current commissioners are listed here www.iczn.org/about-the-ic... #taxonomy #iczn

LinnéSys: Systematics Research Fund Grants for small-scale research and education projects on taxonomy and systematics

Calling all systematics and taxonomy researchers! Applications are now open for our Linnesys grants.

Run with the Systematics Association, the scheme supports small-scale research and education projects with grants of up to £1,500.

Find out more and apply by Friday 27 March
buff.ly/WrVmOnY

What did you just call me?