Dr Steve Portugal, The University of Oxford

Thrilled to get a grant to undertake more research into the Bathyergidae group (inc. naked mole rats). Head to South Africa in October, working with Chris Faulkes (QMUL), Monica Daley (RVC) and Nigel Bennett (Pretoria).

Our episodes of David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities will be shown on Sunday June 25th, 7pm, W channel. Featuring our eggshell work, and mostly, our Siamese Fighting Fish (thankfully just the animals on TV though, not me).

PhD student Lucy Taylor has had her first pigeon-related PhD paper accepted, entitled “Homing pigeons modulate wingbeat characteristics as a function of route familiarity”. The paper will be out in The Journal of Experimental Biology – more details to follow when published.

Good day with Gary and Campbell from the Hawk Conservancy, and PhD students Dan, Sam and Lucy.

Great work today at The Hawk Conservancy, working again with their trained birds. Flight data now gathered from 27 different species of birds of prey in total, involving over 40 individuals. Also got a chance to play with the camera.

Our vulture vision work has been featured in Reuters News, you can watch the video here!

Our Review paper on the amazing air-breathing Anabantoid fishes has been accepted in the Journal of Fish Biology (first author Matt Tate, co-authors Craig White and MSc student Rebecca Mcgoran).

We have a new paper accepted in the Royal Societies Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. All about  the link between laboratory based personality traits, exploration and homing in pigeons, with co-authors Dora Biro (Oxford), Jackie Chappell (Birmingham), Emily Shepard (Swansea), Craig White (Monash) and Undergraduate student at RHUL, Rhianna Ricketts. Thanks to Frank Seebacher for inviting us to contribute to the special issue. Exciting times for pigeon research!

Having a great week visiting Harvard University, giving a Seminar and getting to see all the amazing museum collections.