A Summer on Skokholm (2019)

Originally featured on the SEGUL (Seabird Ecology Group University of Liverpool) website (27/11/2019)

It was in 2017 that I worked with the SEGUL group, during my Masters degree in Conservation and Resource Management at the University of Liverpool. As I was doing a taught Masters, I had the choice of a range of research projects and jumped at the chance to work with seabirds. My project focused on factors influencing the breeding ecology of European shags on Puffin Island, North Wales, and through it I got to experience how thrilling seabird research was first hand. In addition to monitoring shag productivity and conducting a full island census of the population, I assisted with a gull survey, helped monitor kittiwakes and assisted the SCAN Ringing Group, getting my first taste of bird ringing whilst grappling with shags and cormorants. I was extremely happy with the way my project turned out; I got a distinction and was awarded the Penny Anderson Associates Prize for the best dissertation that year. Overall, the experiences I had with SEGUL solidified my decision to peruse a career in seabird research.

After my Masters I went travelling for a year to Canada and Asia and wanted to get some more experience with seabirds when I returned. I ended up applying for a position as a long-term volunteer on Skokholm Island in Pembrokeshire. Having applied for roles on neighbouring Skomer before but not succeeding, I believe that my experiences from my Masters project helped me greatly in getting the position, and on the 1st of July I was on a boat to Skokholm for a 3 month stint living and working on the island. Apart from the seabird monitoring and some housekeeping duties (the island hosts up to 20 guests at a time) I had no idea what to expect, and so what I experienced was way beyond what I imagined.

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A Season on Puffin Island: Masters Project (2017)

Originally featured on the Puffin Island Seabird Research website (29/11/17)

My name is Will Bevan, and I have just completed a Master’s degree in Conservation and Resource Management at the University of Liverpool. As part of my degree I had to develop a research project which would contribute to a large chunk of my final grade. Having been fascinated by seabirds for a long time but never being able to get any experience working with them, I jumped at the chance to work on Puffin Island, signing myself up for a project looking at what factors were influencing the ecology of the European shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) population on the island. Although the breeding season is now over, this post is a summary of my fieldwork and other monitoring activities I took part in over the spring and summer this year, as well as the findings of my research project.

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