Auke-Florian Hiemstra joins Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHfC)

I’m a biologist at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, studying animal architecture. My research is focused on artificial nest material: the inclusion of plastic litter in nests. During the covid pandemic, for example, many birds started to use our facemasks as nesting material. I recently published a paper on the history of artificial plants and of the use of plastic fake plants by birds in their nests. During the weekends I’m organizing weekly canal clean-ups at De Grachtwacht (The Canal Watch), fishing up the strangest items like littered dildos and diaries from the Dutch canals. I love listening to vinyls with only whale sounds.