#BOU2025

Andrew Iwaniuk

@evoneuro.bsky.social

3 months ago

The top of slide asks: what needs to be done to better support the use of museum specimens for neuroanatomy? Below on the left is a drawer full of bright green parrots with yellow-orange heads: Carolina parakeets. "More skeletons!" is written below the image. Below middle is a plastic container with a preserved hawk head inside with the skin and eyes removed with the caption "better tissue fixation". Below on the right is written "ethanol for fluid specimens" that is then crossed out with a bold red X.

So how can we best use museum collections for neuroanatomy research?
1. more skeletons in good quality
2. proper fixation of specimens
3. avoid long-term ethanol storage if possible.

And for more information on bird brains, check out our new book:
direct.mit.edu/books...

#BOU2025

6/6

Andrew Iwaniuk

@evoneuro.bsky.social

3 months ago

Four histological sections are shown through approximately the same brain regions of four different species. The first is a ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), which was perfused. The second is a Cooper's hawk (Astur cooperii) that was immersed in formaldehyde in the lab. The third is a Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) that was immersed in formaldehyde in the field. The last is a ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) that was a museum specimen. The grouse and hawk are brightly stained purplish against a white background. The woodcock is stained purplish, but not as dark as the first two. The duck brain is weakly stained purplish and appears washed out compared with the other sections. Below these images is the bullet point: extract brains from fluid specimens and use conventional histology.

Fluid specimens can be potentially be used for histology, but again long-term ethanol storage is problematic as it both dehydrates the tissue and the staining quality of tissue is poor.

#BOU2025
5/6

Andrew Iwaniuk

@evoneuro.bsky.social

3 months ago

The bullet point states: MRI of frozen and fixed specimens. Below on the left is a partial figure from Corfield et al. (2008) Nature Protocols 3: 597-605. The image has 6 greyscale panels of lateral and coronal views of a kiwi brain with matching histological sections with the brain tissue stained purple against a white background. Below on the right are 4 brain images and a profile view of a sulphur-crested cockatoo against a blue, cloudless sky. The top two images are greyscale images of a cockatoo brain in coronal plane. The bottom two are rainbow coloured images of coronal sections through a cockatoo brain. The different colours reflect white matter connections among brain regions.

There is the potential to use MRI on museum specimens, provided that the specimens are fresh frozen or fixed and not stored in ethanol. Long-term ethanol storage leads to too much dehydration, which makes MRI nearly impossible.

#BOU2025
4/6

Andrew Iwaniuk

@evoneuro.bsky.social

3 months ago

At the top is a bullet point that states: CT scanning of specimens. At the bottom right is a digital reconstruction of an entire ibis skull, below which is a sagittal section taken through the entire skull showing the brain case. Below that, the brain case is filled with a reconstruction of the brain in blue. Finally there is a just a blue brain (endocast) of the ibis shown. On the right are 6 dark blue ibis endocasts with the optic lobe highlighted in green.

CT scanning of skulls can provide some information on sensory brain regions, as well as the dimensions of the cranial nerves, for many species. However, we urge caution in the use of contrast enhanced CT scanning as it can damage specimens.

#BOU2025
3/6

Andrew Iwaniuk

@evoneuro.bsky.social

3 months ago

The top image is a photo of a mostly green hummingbird hovering in front of a plant that has many small pinkish flowers. The bottom image is a black and white photo of the lateral aspect of a hummingbird brain. Several brain regions are pointed to with solid lines: telencephalon, olfactory bulb, cerebellum, optic tectum, spinal cord, and optic nerve. One brain region is highlighted in light grey with the label: lentiform mesencephalic nucleus (LM).

We have discovered numerous cases of changes in brain region sizes associated with differences in sensory abilities in birds, such as the expansion of LM to support self motion detection (i.e. optic flow) in hummingbirds.

But can museum specimens also be used for these studies?

#BOU2025
2/6

Sarah Dalrymple

@sarahdalgulls.bsky.social

7 months ago

I think @bou.org.uk had dual in-person and Bsky conference earlier this year? #BOU2025

Cat Taras

@vulturecat.bsky.social

10 months ago

We are launching our merch store! Shop for vulture-themed posters, hoodies, mugs, and more A graphic showing a canvas bag, a hoodie, and a mug, all featuring art with the 5 species of vultures found in Central Asia. Support vulture conservation - Wear your impact! Shop at central-asian-vultures.teemill.com

If you saw me at #BOU2025, you may have noticed me wearing some awesome vultures... these are now available for everyone! Go to central-asian-vultures.teemill.com
#ornithology #endangeredspeciesday 🦤 🪶 #birdart 🦅 #raptors

Natalia (Nat) Zielonka

@natbzielonka.bsky.social

11 months ago

I promise this is the last post about this!

If you followed any #BOU2025 on Bluesky, or if you added in person, please please 🙏 fill out this survey today!

💭 We really want to know what everyone liked and disliked about our first Bluesky #conference

It only takes 5 minutes ⏰ 👇

#ornithology 🪶

BOU

@bou.org.uk

11 months ago

⏰ LAST DAY TO TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS ⏰

Did you follow #BOU2025 on Bluesky?

💬 If so, how did you find it? If not, why not? It only takes 5 minutes ⌚

Your views will inform the future of our Bluesky conferences!

🔗 forms.gle/i8CdLFPru4...

#ornithology 🪶🧪 #AcademicSky

Natalia (Nat) Zielonka

@natbzielonka.bsky.social

11 months ago

📢Just two days left to fill out our Bluesky conferences survey following #BOU2025

💭 Did you follow the #conference on Bluesky? If so, did you enjoy it? If not, why not?

👇 see link below!

#ornithology

Tom Finch

@tfinch.bsky.social

11 months ago

Help us (the British Ornithologists' Union) understand how our community uses Bluesky during conferences - whether you attended in person, followed #BOU2025 online, or none of the above, please fill out this short survey: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

BOU

@bou.org.uk

11 months ago

Did you follow #BOU2025 on Bluesky?

👉 bsky.app/profile/bou...

Please let us know about your experience and inform the future of Bluesky conferences

🔗 forms.gle/i8CdLFPru4...

It only takes 5 minutes ⏰

📆 Deadline 11 April

#ornithology 🪶🧪 #AcademicSky #birds

Danni Thompson

@scottishseabird.bsky.social

11 months ago

What a great few days at #BOU2025. Loads of interesting & inclusive science, & a really supportive & friendly bunch of people. A great place to give the first talk of my PhD on #FalklandsShags & delighted to have been highly commended for my Bluesky thread 👇🏼

📸: @vulturecat.bsky.social

Bhawani Sabat

@bhawanisabat.bsky.social

11 months ago

Congratulations on your award @cateden91.bsky.social 😍Fly high🫶
Couldn’t have asked for a better experience at #BOU2025!
Met brilliant researchers & fellow PhD scholars — exchanged ideas, laughs, and lots of bird talk. 🕊️🧬

Thanks again to everyone who made it memorable. 🪶✨
#Ornithology

Bhawani Sabat

@bhawanisabat.bsky.social

11 months ago

#BOU2025 #Forensics #mtDNA #Galliformes
Post 2/🧵
Why it matters: Galliformes are heavily targeted in illegal wildlife trade and hunted for traditional and commercial uses in India as well as over the globe. Our forensic approach can assist law enforcement and help protect these bird species.

Andrew Doyle

@ajhdoyle.bsky.social

11 months ago

What better way to follow up #BOU2025 than a day in the field? Today was the first of many SD card collections. Not expecting the Pied Flys yet, but we’re ready to detect their arrival!

We'll use Kaleidoscope Pro to process the data. Thanks to @wildlifeacoustics.bsky.social for the software grant!

Alex Brighten

@alexbrighten1.bsky.social

11 months ago

Still totally buzzing from #BOU2025. Awesome few days. Meeting brilliant people, chatting cool science, surviving my first ever presentation as speaker (just!). Thanks @bou.org.uk for organising such a welcoming, inclusive, & real (so much honesty re: talk nerves) conference. Bring on the next one!

Amy Leedale

@amyleedale.bsky.social

11 months ago

@vixfranks.bsky.social I really love this photo - we all look so happy! It perfectly captures the vibe of the conference: lots of cheerful and smily researchers joined together by their shared enthusiasm for birds! #BOU2025 @bou.org.uk

Sam Barrett

@sambarrett97.bsky.social

11 months ago

An absolute pleasure to attend #BOU2025 and meet so many inspiring researchers! It was great to have such a strong presence from #SalfordUni.
#Ornithology
@bou.org.uk @salforduni.bsky.social

Natalia (Nat) Zielonka

@natbzielonka.bsky.social

11 months ago

Please please please fill this out 🙏 we are trying to understand people’s perspectives of hosting scientific conferences on Bluesky 🦋 and everyone’s viewpoint is super helpful

#BOU2025 #ornithology 🪶

Please share with your networks / feeds

Amy Leedale

@amyleedale.bsky.social

11 months ago

Thank you #BOU2025! What an inspiring collection of avian research from a warm, vibrant community! It was wonderful to be joined by other members of the #OrnithologyResearchGroup @ #SalfordUni! @alice-risely.bsky.social @vixfranks.bsky.social @helenwhitehead1.bsky.social @sambarrett97.bsky.social 🦜

Steve Dudley

@stevedudley.bsky.social

11 months ago

#BOU2025 - all that is good about the BOU. Bringing science and people together and using Bsky to make the science more accessible. So pleased they’ve migrated these events over to here from TWiX. Congratulations everyone involved.

Steve Dudley

@stevedudley.bsky.social

11 months ago

I’ve just caught up with #BOU2025 here on Bsky. Excellent series of presentations on some fascinating #ornithology topics.

If you haven’t already then I encourage you to work back through the tag. And when you’ve done that help the BOU with their survey. The more respondents the better the data!

Julián Cano-Povedano

@juliancap.bsky.social

11 months ago

First time in the UK and I’m really happy to have met so many people working on fascinating things #BOU2025

Robin S Mehlhausen-Franks

@rsmehlhausenfranks.bsky.social

11 months ago

Had an amazing time at #BOU2025! One of the best conferences I've been to, and not just because I got to see goslings every time I walked to the building...

Cat Eden

@cateden91.bsky.social

11 months ago

Had a wonderful time at #BOU2025, so much cool research and awesome catching up with old and making new pals! Very nice to have received an award for highly commended ECR talk as well, a lovely confidence boost 🥰 #ornithology

Noe

@noealvarez88.bsky.social

11 months ago

So proud of @cateden91.bsky.social for being awarded the highly commended ECR talk! You smashed it ❤️

#BOU2025

BOU

@bou.org.uk

11 months ago

Did you follow #BOU2025 on Bluesky?

💬 If so, how did you find it? If not, why not?

Please take 5 minutes 🕰️ to complete our survey: forms.gle/dVNDYs8wg5...

Your views will inform the future of our Bluesky conferences!

#ornithology 🪶🧪 #conservationscience 🌎

Please repost!

BOU

@bou.org.uk

11 months ago

🧵4/6 Last, but by no means least, a big thank you to the Scientific Programme Committee and the #BOU2025 support team

Christine Howard, Ailidh Barnes, @buchanding.bsky.social, Oliver Leedham, Marius Somveille, Ondrej Belfin, Angela Langford, Leila Walker, @natbzielonka.bsky.social

BOU

@bou.org.uk

11 months ago

🧵3/6 And a similarly heartfelt thank you to all those who presented in-person and here on Bluesky

You can catch up on all their presentations via the #BOU2025 conference feed