Ryan Bourbour
@talondna.bsky.social
Wildlife ecologist - Raptor researcher - Opportunistic photos from the field
*birds in hand = permits
*birds in hand = permits
A young Cooper’s Hawk fence-post-hunting, hoping for a meal at sunset…
August 20, 2026 at 8:24 PM
A young Cooper’s Hawk fence-post-hunting, hoping for a meal at sunset…
Reposted by Ryan Bourbour
PhD Candidate, Mary Badger, shared her research on American Kestrels in working agricultural landscapes at the American Ornithological Society (AOS) Annual Meeting in Massachusetts last week! Great job, Mary!
August 17, 2026 at 5:57 PM
PhD Candidate, Mary Badger, shared her research on American Kestrels in working agricultural landscapes at the American Ornithological Society (AOS) Annual Meeting in Massachusetts last week! Great job, Mary!
The kestrel breeding season continues…
Two of five healthy #AmericanKestrel nestlings getting ready to fledge from a second clutch nest in Davis.
#RaptorResearch #WildAg
*handled with state/federal/IACUC permits
Two of five healthy #AmericanKestrel nestlings getting ready to fledge from a second clutch nest in Davis.
#RaptorResearch #WildAg
*handled with state/federal/IACUC permits
July 19, 2026 at 8:13 PM
The kestrel breeding season continues…
Two of five healthy #AmericanKestrel nestlings getting ready to fledge from a second clutch nest in Davis.
#RaptorResearch #WildAg
*handled with state/federal/IACUC permits
Two of five healthy #AmericanKestrel nestlings getting ready to fledge from a second clutch nest in Davis.
#RaptorResearch #WildAg
*handled with state/federal/IACUC permits
~2 weeks after fledging from a nest box, this American Kestrel dispersed and began a journey into the Sacramento Valley - a movement picked up by the growing Motus network of stationary radio telemetry receivers.
#AmericanKestrel #WildAg #RaptorResearch
#AmericanKestrel #WildAg #RaptorResearch
June 25, 2026 at 3:31 AM
~2 weeks after fledging from a nest box, this American Kestrel dispersed and began a journey into the Sacramento Valley - a movement picked up by the growing Motus network of stationary radio telemetry receivers.
#AmericanKestrel #WildAg #RaptorResearch
#AmericanKestrel #WildAg #RaptorResearch
One of the many Barn Owl nestlings growing up in & fledging from the City of Davis’s urban nest box network…
May 31, 2026 at 3:08 AM
One of the many Barn Owl nestlings growing up in & fledging from the City of Davis’s urban nest box network…
May 29, 2026 at 1:59 AM
~ Mama Kestrel Coming in Hot with a Cold-blooded Meal 🦎 ~
Along with rodents, insects, and small birds, reptiles are on the menu for American Kestrels raising young in Napa 🍇 Valley
#WildAg #AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch
*nest monitored with permits
Along with rodents, insects, and small birds, reptiles are on the menu for American Kestrels raising young in Napa 🍇 Valley
#WildAg #AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch
*nest monitored with permits
May 28, 2026 at 6:21 AM
~ Mama Kestrel Coming in Hot with a Cold-blooded Meal 🦎 ~
Along with rodents, insects, and small birds, reptiles are on the menu for American Kestrels raising young in Napa 🍇 Valley
#WildAg #AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch
*nest monitored with permits
Along with rodents, insects, and small birds, reptiles are on the menu for American Kestrels raising young in Napa 🍇 Valley
#WildAg #AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch
*nest monitored with permits
Western Screech-Owls amidst Napa Valley grape 🍇 vines…
#WildAg #WESO #WesternScreechOwl #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits
#WildAg #WESO #WesternScreechOwl #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits
May 25, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Western Screech-Owls amidst Napa Valley grape 🍇 vines…
#WildAg #WESO #WesternScreechOwl #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits
#WildAg #WESO #WesternScreechOwl #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits
December 13, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Hermit Thrushes return to downtown Davis…
November 26, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Hermit Thrushes return to downtown Davis…
Reposted by Ryan Bourbour
Hi Bluesky! We are the Genomic Variation Laboratory based at UC Davis. Our current projects include:
🧬 CRISPR-based SHERLOCK assays for eDNA detection
🧬 Metabarcoding to detect animal and plant diversity in predator diets and ecosystems
🧬 Population genetics of fishes
and more!
🧬 CRISPR-based SHERLOCK assays for eDNA detection
🧬 Metabarcoding to detect animal and plant diversity in predator diets and ecosystems
🧬 Population genetics of fishes
and more!
November 24, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Hi Bluesky! We are the Genomic Variation Laboratory based at UC Davis. Our current projects include:
🧬 CRISPR-based SHERLOCK assays for eDNA detection
🧬 Metabarcoding to detect animal and plant diversity in predator diets and ecosystems
🧬 Population genetics of fishes
and more!
🧬 CRISPR-based SHERLOCK assays for eDNA detection
🧬 Metabarcoding to detect animal and plant diversity in predator diets and ecosystems
🧬 Population genetics of fishes
and more!
November 15, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Reposted by Ryan Bourbour
I made an art for a good cause 😊
Belize Hawk Watch 2025 team t-shirts featuring the enigmatic Hook-billed Kite available now for a limited time!! Funds go directly towards supporting the #BelizeHawkWatch program: www.bonfire.com/belize-hawk-...
Belize Hawk Watch 2025 | Bonfire
Fundraiser to support the raptor migration research efforts in Belize. Belize Hawk Watch 2025 - Belize Bird Conservancy The Belize Bird Conservancy has been monitoring...
www.bonfire.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:06 AM
I made an art for a good cause 😊
NEW #SharpshinnedHawk paper out in Journal of Raptor Research - Rings and Pings: Band Encounters and Motus Elucidate the Overwintering Locations and Movements of Sharp-shinned Hawks in Western North America #raptorResearch #Motus rapt.kglmeridian.com/view/journal...
rapt.kglmeridian.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:42 AM
NEW #SharpshinnedHawk paper out in Journal of Raptor Research - Rings and Pings: Band Encounters and Motus Elucidate the Overwintering Locations and Movements of Sharp-shinned Hawks in Western North America #raptorResearch #Motus rapt.kglmeridian.com/view/journal...
Belize Hawk Watch 2025 team t-shirts featuring the enigmatic Hook-billed Kite available now for a limited time!! Funds go directly towards supporting the #BelizeHawkWatch program: www.bonfire.com/belize-hawk-...
Belize Hawk Watch 2025 | Bonfire
Fundraiser to support the raptor migration research efforts in Belize. Belize Hawk Watch 2025 - Belize Bird Conservancy The Belize Bird Conservancy has been monitoring...
www.bonfire.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Belize Hawk Watch 2025 team t-shirts featuring the enigmatic Hook-billed Kite available now for a limited time!! Funds go directly towards supporting the #BelizeHawkWatch program: www.bonfire.com/belize-hawk-...
One of the local Barn Owls roosting above a busy parking lot in downtown Davis…
#urbanRaptor #AmericanBarnOwl
#urbanRaptor #AmericanBarnOwl
October 22, 2025 at 9:36 PM
One of the local Barn Owls roosting above a busy parking lot in downtown Davis…
#urbanRaptor #AmericanBarnOwl
#urbanRaptor #AmericanBarnOwl
Dark morph Red-tailed Hawk on her first fall migration journey along the California coast…
#Redtailedhawk #raptorMigration
*handled with permits
#Redtailedhawk #raptorMigration
*handled with permits
September 7, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Dark morph Red-tailed Hawk on her first fall migration journey along the California coast…
#Redtailedhawk #raptorMigration
*handled with permits
#Redtailedhawk #raptorMigration
*handled with permits
Some recent photos from the field… One of the data points we collect from raptors is eDNA diet swabs, which is done by scrubbin’ microscopic prey 🧬 remains from their beaks. This can help us describe what American Kestrels are eating on California farms.
#AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch #WildAg
#AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch #WildAg
June 11, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Some recent photos from the field… One of the data points we collect from raptors is eDNA diet swabs, which is done by scrubbin’ microscopic prey 🧬 remains from their beaks. This can help us describe what American Kestrels are eating on California farms.
#AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch #WildAg
#AmericanKestrel #RaptorResearch #WildAg
checking occupancy in lots of nest boxes on Northern California farms for a study this year… one surprise this season has been the number of Western Screech-Owl nests, many with impressive stock piles of cached prey!!
#WildAg #raptorResearch
#WildAg #raptorResearch
May 13, 2025 at 3:38 PM
checking occupancy in lots of nest boxes on Northern California farms for a study this year… one surprise this season has been the number of Western Screech-Owl nests, many with impressive stock piles of cached prey!!
#WildAg #raptorResearch
#WildAg #raptorResearch
May 13, 2025 at 5:58 AM
WESOs are getting ready to fledge into the grape 🍇 vines and olive 🫒 orchards of the Sacramento Valley…
📸: A sleepy Western Screech-Owl nestling 💤
#WESOwonderland #WesternScreechOwl #WildAg #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits + research purposes
📸: A sleepy Western Screech-Owl nestling 💤
#WESOwonderland #WesternScreechOwl #WildAg #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits + research purposes
May 3, 2025 at 3:37 AM
WESOs are getting ready to fledge into the grape 🍇 vines and olive 🫒 orchards of the Sacramento Valley…
📸: A sleepy Western Screech-Owl nestling 💤
#WESOwonderland #WesternScreechOwl #WildAg #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits + research purposes
📸: A sleepy Western Screech-Owl nestling 💤
#WESOwonderland #WesternScreechOwl #WildAg #RaptorResearch
*handled with multiple permits + research purposes
new Insights paper on the phenomenon of predatory birds flocking to flood irrigated alfalfa 🌱 fields to feast on rodents:
February 17, 2025 at 11:56 PM
new Insights paper on the phenomenon of predatory birds flocking to flood irrigated alfalfa 🌱 fields to feast on rodents:
Shortie in the pickleweed marsh…
December 14, 2023 at 2:16 AM
Shortie in the pickleweed marsh…
