Dr Jacinta Humphrey

Mallee emu-wren illustration by @terngirl

’Tis conference season! This is my third, and I’m sort of all drawn out… pun intended. Here is the second logo reimagining for #ESA2025 which is from 23–28 November in Tarndanya (Adelaide)⁠ — Kaurna Country esa2025.org.au

Panel speakers sitting on the stage at ESA, speaking about how to get your science into the media.

Some fantastic tips on engaging with the media coming from hugely experienced @biodivcouncil.bsky.social Jaana Dielenberg and Claire Peddie @ecolsocaus.bsky.social #ESA2025

- short, clear and fun pitches
- prep photos/videos ahead of time
- say yes to radio & tv to expand your audience

Slide with details about the advertised session. Come to Riverbank Room 2 on Weds. 10:30am to hear some ESA Hot Topics, 11:45am to join the conversation!. Background image is a pink everlasting daisy, lit from above.

If you're at @ecolsocaus.bsky.social #ESA2025 and feeling interactive, I'm chairing the Hot Topics Symposium on Weds morning!
Come along to hear some of the "hottest" topics in Ecology, stay for a faciliatated discussion on the what you think are the next "need-to-knows" for government and industry.

Excited for the week ahead in Adelaide at #ESA2025! Started off slightly earlier than most as the Board got together to strategise at our annual Planning Day yesterday. Love working with such amazing and passionate people 💚

Katrina Power on stage at ESA 2025 in Adelaide, Kaurna Country. Katrina is wearing a possum skin cloak and emu feather headdress, standing at a podium and touching her temple.

Phenomenal Welcome to Kaurna Country @ecolsocaus.bsky.social #ESA2025 from Katrina Karlapina Power.

Incredible Indigenous and feminist energy, both a wake up call and call to action, to connect with the land our Mother.

"Curiosity and Courage!"

A talk title slide that reads: "Designing for nature doesn't cost the Earth". The talk is to be given by Dr Jacinta Humphrey from ICON Science at RMIT University. The image on the title slide shows a stylised render of a small urban park - the sun is shining down on a diversity of native grasses and understorey plants. In the background, you can see a person walking along a walking path, as well as suburban rooftops and large canopy trees (likely eucalypts). The image is a beautiful mix of oranges and greens. The ESA 2025 logo sits in the top right-hand corner.

I’m thrilled to be here on #KaurnaCountry in #Adelaide to attend #ESA2025! I’m presenting in the #NaturePositive Cities session at 11.30am on Wed. Come along to hear about how much it’s going to cost to implement #BSUD actions in our rapidly growing suburbs 🏘️ @ecolsocaus.bsky.social

Differential loss of forest birds drives the landscape-scale homogenization of a native urban avifauna - Landscape Ecology Context Land-use change associated with urbanization is a global conservation issue. Urbanization alters the composition of biotic assemblages through the loss, gain and replacement of species; and ha...

We need to protect existing habitat, limit urban sprawl, replant native shrubs in our parks (like those pictured!), and educate and encourage urban residents to create diverse habitats in their own backyards. 5/5

To read more, please visit: doi.org/10.1007/s109...

If we want to protect native species and foster thriving, biodiverse neighbourhoods that benefit people and nature, we need to change the way we design our residential suburbs. 4/5

But there are a huge range of other species that go unnoticed in our cities. Insectivores and forest-dependent birds are currently struggling in suburban Melbourne due to habitat loss, and the creation of simplistic parks that are lacking in shrubs and overrun with aggressive noisy miners. 3/5

Importantly, this simplified bird community is typically made up of the same, repeated set of species including the Australian magpie, rainbow lorikeet, noisy miner and little raven – birds that often make the top 10 in BirdLife Australia's #AussieBirdCount. 2/5

A photo of a dense garden bed with mulch, groundcover plants, native grasses, shrubs of different heights, and a couple of young eucalyptus trees. In the background, you can see a couple of two storey houses and a bright blue sky.

Melbourne’s native bird community is becoming progressively simplified, or homogenised, with greater urban development. In my recent paper, I demonstrate that more developed suburbs are home to fewer individual birds and a reduced diversity of bird species. 1/5

doi.org/10.1007/s109...

All the data collected this week will help provide a snapshot of how our birds are faring. Even if you don't have many birds in your local area, every bird count helps! Happy birding ☺️ 4/4

#AussieBirdCount #BirdWatching #UrbanBirds #BirdsInBackyards

🦜If you need help identifying a bird, the app has a 'Find a Bird' feature with photos, distribution maps and descriptions
🦜Submit your count at the end of 20 mins... 3/4

#AussieBirdCount #BirdWatching #UrbanBirds #BirdsInBackyards

🦜Download the 'Bird Count' app
🦜Pick a nice spot outside
🦜Make sure your location is turned on
🦜Start the timer and note down any birds you see or can accurately identify from their call... 2/4

#AussieBirdCount #BirdWatching #UrbanBirds #BirdsInBackyards

A photo of a group of people bird watching. The group is standing outdoors in an urban park with tall eucalyptus trees in the background. They are facing away from the camera and looking through binoculars and camera lens at a bird out of frame. It is early morning, and the sun is shining against their backs.

The @birdlifeoz.bsky.social #AussieBirdCount is here! It's time to get outdoors and count some birds! 🦜 🐦‍⬛ 🦆 🦉 🐦 🦢

All you need is 20 mins and your smartphone.
Here's how to contribute to Australia's largest #CitizenScience event... 1/4

📷 by Darebin Creek Management Committee

An advertisement for the upcoming ESA webinar entitled "A picture tells a thousand words".

Are you presenting your first talk or poster at the @ecolsocaus.bsky.social Conference 2025? Don't miss this upcoming webinar on designing clear, engaging and informative graphics! ✍

Register via the QR code or visit: lnkd.in/gPu77TrY

#ESA2025 #EarlyCareer #SciComm #Graphics #Webinar

A panel discussion with four speakers and one facilitator sitting on a stage in a row of black chairs. Dr Jacinta Humphrey is sitting on the far right (stage left) in front of a screen and is speaking with a microphone.

A panel discussion with four speakers and one facilitator sitting on a stage in a row of black chairs. Dr Jacinta Humphrey is sitting on the far right (stage left) in front of a screen and is speaking with a microphone.

A panel discussion with four speakers and one facilitator sitting on a stage in a row of black chairs. Dr Jacinta Humphrey is sitting on the far right (stage left). The man to her left (Andy Bossie) is speaking with a microphone.

A panel discussion with four speakers and one facilitator sitting on a stage in a row of black chairs. Dr Jacinta Humphrey is sitting on the far right (stage left). The women in the middle of the row (Prof. Kirsten Parris) is speaking with a microphone.

Congratulations again to the Young Ocean Innovators on a fantastic event at Melbourne Zoo! It was great to share a bit about my career in urban ecology, and (hopefully) inspire the next generation work in this space 😊

📷 by Daniella Conser

#YoungOceanInnovators #YouthSummit #UrbanBiodiversity

Helping our feathered neighbours thrive - ICON Science Spring is in the air, Guardian Australia’s ‘Bird of the Year’ poll is now open, and the Aussie Bird Count is just around the corner – what better time to stop and think about how you can support nativ...

Looking for tips on how to care for wildlife at home?! The ICON team has you covered 😜

Check out the latest blogs on the ICON website here:
icon-science.org/how-to-turn-...
icon-science.org/helping-our-...

Birds and cities don’t always mix well. But small changes in our behaviour can make a difference Spring is a great time of year for noticing neighbourhood birds. Here are some simple ideas for helping the birds in Australian back yards, cities and towns

Are you looking to attract native birds to your garden this spring? 🦜 🏡 Here's some top tips from @drkyliesoanes.bsky.social and yours truly!

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

#BirdsInBackyards #UrbanNature #WildlifeGardening #CitizenScience

An illustration of an urban space with lots of greenery. Text overlay says: How can we invite wildlife back into our cities? Explore solutions in the new artwork When Wildlife Moves In.

What if we changed urban spaces to invite wildlife back into our cities rather than forcing them out? When Wildlife Moves In, a new work at the National Gallery of Victoria, explores ways our homes can be designed to help wildlife live among us, benefiting human health 🧪

whenwildlifemovesin.com

From frog saunas to butterfly puddles: 8 ways to turn your homes into a wildlife refuge Urban sprawl has forced native animals and humans to live close together. Here are eight ways to make your home a refuge for wildlife.

From frog saunas to butterfly puddles: 8 ways to turn your homes into a wildlife refuge:
theconversation.com/from-frog-sa...

A fantastic summary article from my colleagues at @icon-science.bsky.social - Bethany Kiss, Mark Jacques and Sarah Bekessy. Well done team! 🦋🌱🪺🐈🐸

NGV Exhibition: When wildlife moves in - ICON Science Native animals can make for excellent neighbours – blue-banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens; microbats eat up to 1200 mosquitoes per night; powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go o...

New ICON blog post: icon-science.org/ngv-exhibiti...

These garden beds with indigenous groundcovers and understorey plantings are looking fantastic! I'd love to see more of these at libraries, community halls, recreation centres, shopping precincts and train stations across the municipality 🌱 🌼 🐝 🪻 🦋

#UrbanGreening #IndigenousPlants #UrbanHabitat

A photo of a large garden bed in front of a public swimming pool in Carnegie, Melbourne, Australia. The garden bed is sloped away from the building and is planted with small indigenous groundcovers and understorey plants. Some of the plants have small round yellow flowers. The plants are surrounded by mulch and set against a bright blue sky.

This week, I finally visited the recently renovated Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool and I have to say - I like what you've done with the place, Glen Eira City Council 😍

#UrbanGreening #IndigenousPlants #UrbanHabitat

Massive flock of critically endangered swift parrots seen in one spot A gathering of close to the total estimated population of swift parrots excites ecologists, but they warn it is no party for the critically endangered species.

"We don't have to go obliterating habitat every time we want to… establish a new residential estate for people".

With 600-700 critically endangered Swift Parrots turning up on the outskirts of Bendigo, it's time to rethink urban development. 🦜

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

So next time you spot someone wearing high-vis in your street, don’t assume there’s roadworks… they might just be an ecologist! 🌳🔍🦜

Shout out to Lydia Daniel for remembering where we saw the Google Street View car and for sharing this photo. 😄

#UrbanEcology #Fieldwork

A photo of Dr Jacinta Humphrey standing on a nature strip under a Melaleuca tree on a suburban street. Jacinta is wearing light blue jeans, sneakers, a dark grey jumper and a high-vis orange vest. She is holding a clipboard and looking up at a tree out of frame, while shielding her eyes against the sun. A teal-coloured backpack rests on the ground behind her. It's a sunny day with blue skies. Jacinta's face been blurred by Google Street View.

Ever wondered what #UrbanEcology #Fieldwork looks like? Here's a perfect example!

This photo from Google Street View was taken during Lydia Daniel’s Honours fieldwork – we were surveying large street trees for birds, which involved a lot of time standing on nature strips and staring up at trees.

A massive congratulations to ICON Science Lab Head, Prof. @sbekessy.bsky.social, who has been successful in securing an ARC Industry Laureate Fellowship for 2025!! Congratulations Sarah!! 👏🏼🎉🥂

Read more about Sarah's project here: www.arc.gov.au/2025-industr...

A photo of a large high-rise building with a ladder of green up one side.

A photo of a green building facade in Brisbane. One section hosts a solid wall of plants, while the adjacent sections have plants spilling out over balconies.

A selfie of Dr Jacinta Humphrey in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. She is smiling at the camera and is surrounded by lush, green palms.

Not all of it is indigenous, but research shows these plants likely make a big impact by cooling the city, boosting wellbeing, and supporting urban wildlife. I would love to see more of this around Australia! 🌆

High-rise photo by: @drdunnart.bsky.social

#ICCB2025 #UrbanGreening #Brisbane

A photo of Fish Lane - a famous laneway in Brisbane's cultural and arts district which is lined with potted palms and small patches of green.

A lush, green laneway in Brisbane, lined with palms and ferns.

A photo of the famous Grand Arbour at South Bank, Brisbane - a kilometre long walkway covered in purple bougainvillea.

Everywhere you looked there were lush laneways, green building facades, and of course the iconic Grand Arbour at South Bank. 🪴

#ICCB2025 #UrbanGreening #Brisbane