EcosystemsInTheSky

A research project investigating migratory insect-bird interactions, bioflow and dragonfly migration. Lund Univ. & Univ. of Exeter

[EcosystemsInTheSky @EcosystemsInSky]

The website of Ecosystems In the Sky is launched!

https://t.co/DxvehSBjry

[EcosystemsInTheSky @EcosystemsInSky]

A surprising bird-bird co-migratory interaction

[Johanna.SU.Hedlund @JSUHedlund]

Apparently, when on migration, Chuck-will's-widow (a nightjar), switches from insects to a diet of co-migrant songbirds. And swallows them whole!

- as described in this account fr 1899 from a steamer outside S Carolina, or by Owre 1966, as he disected one found dead in Florida

[EcosystemsInTheSky @EcosystemsInSky]

NEW POEM POST

Some wise words from the past

About migration
Or just, the journey in general

https://t.co/E9WOTlj384

[EcosystemsInTheSky @EcosystemsInSky]

Some of the more flamboyant possible Indian Ocean Flyway migrants

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

A Pair of Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) butterflies from the Maldives. These mimics of Danaus butterflies could be migratory, perhaps crossing the Indian Ocean!
Our (@JSUHedlund @zanderhayward @EcosystemsInSky) research could reveal more soon! So exciting!

#insectmigration

[Global Flyway Network @GlobalFlyway]

Scattered across the coastal desert at Banc d'Arguin in Mauritania we find dried bodies of the migrants that perished as they tried to cross the Sahara from north to south this past autumn, in this case a beautiful male Common Redstart.

[WWT @WWTworldwide]

It's 60 years since Sir Peter Scott began one of the longest single-species studies in the world.

Since then, 10,000 individual swans - and family dynasties - have been recorded at Slimbridge.

A thread on the iconic Bewick's swan bill pattern study 🧵

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

Absolutely fascinating new paper from Richard Massy and @KoralWotton on research into how flies orientate and complete their huge migratory journeys!
#insectmigration

@flygirlNHM @Buzz_dont_tweet @DipteristsForum

[Johanna.SU.Hedlund @JSUHedlund]

Some of the potential butterfly migrants of the Indian Ocean?
#InsectMigration #Maldives
@EcosystemsInSky @WillLeoHawkes @zanderhayward

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

After charging into one of the very few freshwater lakes on the Maldives, we found what we were looking for! A globe skimmer dragonfly, Pantala flavescens! Look at her huge wide back wings, perfect for soaring from India to Africa like a small Albatross.

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

Gorgeous Maldivian sunsets at our moth trapping site for migrating insects!

@JSUHedlund @zanderhayward @UniExeCornwall

[Johanna.SU.Hedlund @JSUHedlund]

The most beautiful bee I have ever seen in real life!

[Johanna.SU.Hedlund @JSUHedlund]

We have seen just a few globe skimmers, so no massive migratory influx yet... BUT they have been seen north of us 2 days ago, so they should be here soon! 🤞🤞🤞
#insectmigration #Pantala
@WillLeoHawkes @zanderhayward

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

This little lion carpenter bee from the Maldives is a Xylocopa pubescens ( I think). He has amazing green eyes!

These bees have special pheromones to mark which flowers they have just visited - ensuring their foraging is as efficient as possible.

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

This is a gorgeous female Xylocopa pubescens (I believe) from the Maldives. Look at that beautiful yellow thorax!
These are social creatures with 1 reproductively active female per nest.
The other females are all either foragers or guard bees! This one is a forager.

[Johanna.SU.Hedlund @JSUHedlund]

A giant has fallen. Sea levels has risen about 30 m in the last 20 years in the Maldives, a country where most land is just barely above water. When land is lost here, the palm trees that tower the beaches, fall. It makes climate change very apparent
#Maldives

[Gerard Talavera @GerardTalavera]

Fishing the sky! Back from a thrilling 3-week journey aboard #NationalGeographicExplorer in #SouthAmerica studying insects dispersing over the sea and the #AmazonRiver

@LindbladExp @NatGeo @InsideNatGeo @IBB_botanic @CSIC #InsectMigration #Biodiversity #Research

[Dr Will Leo Hawkes @WillLeoHawkes]

This is Xylocopa tenuiscapa, narrow-scaped carpenter bee. He has big blue eyes and sits atop a perch surveying his territory, which can be handed down through generations of bees!

His big front legs are for covering the female's eyes while mating so she doesn't get distracted!

[Jason Chapman @j_chapman2]

If you are interested in migration, read this fascinating thread linking birds, insects & weather!

[Peter Marra @PeterPMarra]

Led by new PhD Matt DeSaix, our latest paper uses advanced low-coverage whole genome sequencing (lcWGS) to uncover the intricate migratory connectivity patterns of American Redstarts 📷 This helps us craft conservation strategies to preserve both numbers and genetic #Diversity

[Johanna.SU.Hedlund @JSUHedlund]

Black-tailed skimmer / Större sjötrollslända / Orthetrum cancellatum

Loe bar, Cornwall
#dragonfly #trollslända

[David Lohman @dj_lohman]

After ~7 yr of work, it's finally out! We present a molecular phylogeny of butterflies sampling >90% of genera & >2000 spp. Butterflies emerged ~100 million yr ago in North America and first fed on legumes. Thanks to all 87 co-authors from 28 countries! https://t.co/fY5igGzuji