Centre for Animals on the Move at Western

#NewPaperAlert from CAM-member @birdfiddler.bsky.social's lab!

Today's #MovementMonday speaker is going to be a treat! We will be learning about Shakespeare's Red List Birds from Dr. Randall Martin! If you are on @westernu.ca campus, join us at 3:30 in 112 Collip!

We all need some good news about now, right? Some of the weirdest parrots in the world are finally doing a bit better!

Good morning, sky-mates! I'm excited to share that today's #MovementMonday talk will be from CAM's own Alex Muth who will be telling us about how and why Mountain and Chestnut-backed Chickadees differ in their vocal communication. If you are on @westernu.ca campus, come by Collip at 3:30 today!

two very happy biologists, hugging in seminar room with bird art just visible in background

Happy reading week Canadian peeps! No #MovementMonday speaker today due to break, but because I forgot last week, here is a shout-out to last week's speaker Maggie McPherson (@b1rdzlady.bsky.social) who we welcome back to Canada! She and CAM-member @birdfiddler.bsky.social go way back!

attention junior #ornithologists! (particularly from tropical America). Here is an international internship program on Pelee Island... Canada's southmost point in Lake Erie and a super cool place for #bird #migration. Learn more here:
pibo.ca/en/get-invol...

Two happy biologists on beach in Chile, one holding large shorebird, another holding a cloth bag (with bird inside). Those tagged birds are hard to recapture! Congrats, guys.

Winter is a time when many of us are huddled near fires and computers, but some are luckier... Recently, CAM leader Chris Guglielmo spent time in Chile with Juan Navedo (U Austral Chile) recapturing multi-sensor loggers from Whimbrels. Can't spill the science story yet, but it is *very* cool!

The CAM wouldn't exist without the vision and leadership of Chris Guglielmo. Since it's inception, Chris has been the director, creating strong scientific community @westernu.ca. We are SO delighted that he has been re-appointed for another 3-yr term as director. Congrats, Chris!

Inclement weather interacts with agricultural intensity at landscape scales to reduce reproductive success in an at-risk aerial insectivore Abstract. Emerging evidence indicates that associations between landscape contexts and population change may vary with prevailing weather conditions. Agric

New paper alert! Daniel Garrett with collabs (CAM member) Greg Mitchell & the late Keith Hobson; reproductive success in Barn Swallows is affected by temp & precip, and relationships depend on landuse. Interactive responses with implications under future climate
doi.org/10.1093/orni...

Shameful

We are lucky this #MovementMonday to host Vojtӗch Brlík, post-doc from down the road in Guelph. If you're on @westernu.ca campus, come by Collip to hear about "Towards an understanding of the full annual cycle in small migratory birds" or check out his work here! scholar.google.com/citations?hl...

Warming‐Mediated Decreases in Nectar Quality Translate Into Lower Energy Reserves of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Warming caused a significant decrease in monarch fat mass, likely due to an observed reduction in sucrose concentration caused by warming of the nectar. Since sucrose fuels fall migration and overwin....

new paper alert! CAM researchers Chris Guglielmo & Greg Mitchell (also ECCC) co-authors on study led by Katherine Peel (UOttawa): experimental warming reduced monarch butterfly fat mass via reductions in nectar. Another way glob chg is hurting migrant animals

doi.org/10.1002/gcb4...

Title slide from defense: “Mercury exposure in double-crested cormorant chicks from Lake Erie” with photo of cormorant colony near lighthouse and distant hills

Eva with a brood of baby cormorants on a rocky beach

Winter weather meant we had to cancel #MovementMonday this week, but CAM students are not deterred! We are very happy to congratulate our newest Master of Science—Eva Visscher! Her work continues Keith Hobson’s legacy, addressing a pressing environmental concern in the Great Lakes

📣 We are hiring! Please share far and wide... I am seeking an Engagement Officer to support the emergence of a Canadian Biodiversity Observation Network (CAN BON). This position is a unique… | Andrew ... 📣 We are hiring! Please share far and wide... I am seeking an Engagement Officer to support the emergence of a Canadian Biodiversity Observation Network (CAN BON). This position is a unique opportunit...

📣 Join us - we’re hiring an engagement officer for the CAN BON 🍁 initiative!

An effort to transform Canada’s capacity to mobilize its knowledge about the changing state of nature.

See the job posting here👇
www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew...

a hummingbird is flying over a snowy yard with the words viralhog on the bottom right ALT: a hummingbird is flying over a snowy yard with the words viralhog on the bottom right

We are excited to host Ben Winger at @westernu.ca today! Coming from @umich.edu, his seminar (12:30, BGS 0165) will explain how migration timing and biogeography is a crucial aspect of bird life history evolution. Remember, spring WILL come, and migrants WILL eventually return!

Our #MovementMonday speaker today was @silvereyedom.bsky.social ! Special not only because we learned about how she combines social evolution of song with genetic change to understand island birds, but also, @westernu.ca alum from both Mac-Shack labs!

So fun to hear about the new work these two 1st yr MS students in the CAM are working on! Apparently, it was the day for cool research done by Sara(h)s!

Amidst all the other horrifying news…

Oh! and while you're at it, follow @allegralove.bsky.social's socials as well!

We are thrilled to host Allegra Love, PhD student in the @qwebber.bsky.social lab, for today's Movement Monday seminar! If you are in London, join us at 3:30 pm in Collip. If not, read about some of her research here:

Attractive old university building with tall post arising from centre

Zoomed in view of post with red-tailed hawk perched, watching us all go about our business

Good morning from the @westernu.ca campus where you are always being watched…
Also, REALLY grateful for the sun for 1st time in weeks!

As snow settles in for the long-haul, migration seems totally logical. But then, you realize individ Monarch butterflies weighing as little as a paperclip, fly from Canada to the mtns of central MEXICO! check out these amazing tracks and backstory. tinyurl.com/yc84kjzx
- work by CAM Greg Mitchell

How reindeer are helping the Arctic - BBC World Service YouTube video by BBC World Service

The *remarkable* movement abilities of certain reindeer are one of the most enduring mysteries of contemporary Christmas IMO. Here are some of the things we DO know about Reindeer in traditional Sami culture!

youtu.be/Gshruf6W4Qc?...

Huge congratulations to Dr. Natasha Mhatre on winning the Robert G. Boutilier New Investigator Award from the Canadian Society of Zoologists! Learn more about her lab’s outstanding work on mechanosensory systems in spiders: www.natashamhatre.net/people.html

Congratulations to CAM PhD student Gabby Orfanides for successfully passing her proposal assessment! How does smoke from fires and malaria affect the ability of birds to make their migratory journeys?

Thankyou Soc. Canadian Ornithologists for naming an early career researcher award in honour of the late, great Keith Hobson. Keith was a member of CAM and global leader in developing isotopic methods to study animal movements. Please consider donating or applying.
www.sco-soc.ca/early-career...

Okay, but is bird monogamy just PR? YouTube video by Okay, But... Birds Podcast

Do birds mate for life? Maybe some do, but actually, there is a huge range of mating patterns in birds. Want to know about why? Check out this interview with our own Dr. Carrie Branch on Scott Taylor's new podcast "Okay, but birds".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq3V...

#WesternU welcomes The Canada Impact + Chairs program launched by Minister Joly yesterday.

This program will help attract the best and brightest to support innovation, knowledge translation and new discoveries that drive social and economic growth. www.canada.ca/en/impact-pl...

This looks like an amazing opportunity for anyone on the hunt for field tech jobs!

Wow! Welcome new followers! Great to connect with you all here. Today, I'd love to share this excellent collection of articles on social movements of ungulates. Learn about causes of these movements in caribou to bison to wildebeest to pigs! Available from CJZ: cdnsciencepub.com/topic/cjz-so...