Dr Ingrid Pollet

Kirsty stands on the cliffs above a large Gannet colony.

Kirsty Franklin – Seabird ecologist

Last summer I led an all-female field team on Mousa, Shetland. We had been up all night waiting for our tagged bird to return, and at the end of a successful night, we were rewarded with a spectacular Aurora Borealis!

Thanks to @liamtaylor.bsky.social for his huge help on this one !
#seabirds

an ostrich is skiing down a snow covered hill Alt: an ostrich is skiing down a snow covered hill

Two manuscripts were sent to co-authors this week.
One manuscript was accepted today ! 🎉
One more meeting and then it's time to close the computer for 8 consecutive days !!!

A trail camera in a tree branch, in front of a bright blue sky. [Image: Furkanvari/ Unsplash].

As well as Training Grants, we've also opened up our latest round of Research Grants 📷👛

❓: To fund #seabird research (eg. camera monitoring, ringing/tracking studies, counts/productivity assessments)
👥: All welcome to apply
💲: Up to £500
📅: Deadline 28 Feb

Details ▶️ www.seabirdgroup.org.uk/grants

It will be a travel and work in peace day. #SwissTrains

A puffin stands on a rock in the rain. Photo: Jacqui Glencross.

Seabird Group Training Grants are open 🐧⛺🌃

We offer up to £250 to help with travel, accommodation or food during #seabird fieldwork or training!

We are encouraging applicants from BAME backgrounds, but all are welcome to apply 📋

For all the info ➡️ www.seabirdgroup.org.uk/grant
Deadline: 28 Feb

Another new year job opportunity! Join the Isle of May @ukceh.bsky.social team in #Edinburgh, studying six species of #seabird 🦅🐣🕊️🐧🐤🐦

ceh.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/CEH_Ca...

Deadline is 16th January. #ecology #seabirds #scotland

Can we communicate our reaserch in more fun and accessible ways? I loved working with Anna @btobirds.bsky.social on her fantastic comic illustrating our recent work using seabird poo to look at their diet!

Find out more at www.bto.org/our-work/new...

#ornithology #seabirds #SciArt

Last years field assistant holding a Manx Shearwater on the isle of Rum (under a towel), retrieving a GPS device after a bird has returned from a foraging trip!

We are looking to hire a Seabird Field Assistant for 2026 for our Manx Shearwater research project.

Please share this to anyone who'd like to get out in the field this summer and learn about biotelemetry, bird handling and research into animal behaviour.

drive.google.com/file/d/1SGZt...

Conservationists celebrate rise in seabird numbers in Alderney Alderney's gannet colony grows by 11% since 2023, suggesting recovery from bird flu, experts say.

“There are signs seabird colonies are beginning to recover in Alderney after their numbers were devastated by avian flu, conservationists have said.

“The Alderney Wildlife Trust (AWT) said the island's Northern Gannet colony had grown by 11% since 2023.”

#Seabirds

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

First two pages of the comic. Page one features a Kittiwake in the sky wondering where all the birds have gone. Page two shows how climate change impacts the diet of seabirds. One fish looks healthy, the other ones looks smaller and poorer quality.

Grab a cuppa and read our Seabird Poo comic! ➡️ http://www.bto.org/S... ☕📖

Discover how seabird scientists collected bird poo and analysed its DNA contents to determine the types of prey consumed by Shags and Kittiwakes! 😮 #Ornithology

✏️ Illustrations by Anna Dupont-Crabtree

a christmas card with a snowman made out of marshmallows in a cup of hot chocolate ALT: a christmas card with a snowman made out of marshmallows in a cup of hot chocolate

Manuscript has been re-submitted (phewww). It's time to close the computer for a few days and enjoy the holiday season!

How does chick-rearing affect fledging success in Yelkouan shearwaters? Proxies for diet varied between colonies, while fledglings grounded on first flight were more likely to have been poorly fed. Published in Marine Biology: doi.org/10.1007/s002... Funding by @dornitholges.bsky.social and EU LIFE

📣Please share: We are looking for a field assistant to join our team in studying #ruffs on coastal meadows at Botnian Bay in Finland. The job will provide fantastic insights into lekking behaviour and provide essential skills in field ornithology. Details here www.bi.mpg.de/2790786/2512...

Two people wearing coloured coats, sitting on a cliff overlooking the sea. They are using binoculars to watch birds in the distance. [Photo: Danni Thompson]

Coming to the end of your studies and thinking about career options? We've got another exciting ECR talk lined up, this time on #Seabird Careers 🦢💼

📆 Fri 12 December
🕥 9.30 - 11 am (UK)
📍 Online

Sign up HERE to attend ⤵️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

And stay tuned for who's on our panel! 👀

Studying for an MSc this year & looking for a #seabird research project?

We're looking for a student to help investigate the factors that influence #StormPetrel response rates during playback surveys. 🔊🐣

🔗Do get in touch if you have any Qs: www.rspb.org.uk/helping-natu... #seabirds #ornithology

Doing research on #Arctic #seabirds? Consider submitting an abstract to the session 'Safeguarding seabird populations in a rapidly changing Arctic' at www.uarcticcongress.fo/programme/ca... in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands 26-29 May 2026

Oh! I just received a review invitation by STOTEN today. Nicely declined.

Every once in a while, I write a paper that is not about #seabirds! Data from 2012, published today!

rdcu.be/eQJkK

Spatial overlap alone downplays the level of interaction between a central place forager and the local fishery While spatial overlap is commonly used to quantify interactions, it may underestimate the true degree of competition between foraging predators and fishing vessels. Our alternative population-level m...

My first PhD paper is now out! We calculate overlap intensity between African penguins and the local purse seine fishery 🐧🐟

Check it out in @jappliedecology.bsky.social
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🐦✨ WSC4 Keynote Nominations Open!

Share your vision for seabird conservation. Early-career & international voices encouraged!
📍WSC4 In-person & Hybrid: 7–11 Sept 2026, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

🔗 bit.ly/3Jv71c9
#WSC4 #SeabirdScience

See you tomorrow!!
#seabirds

Can't make it to Hobart? Participate in the WSC4 Hybrid Day online! 🌍 Connect with global seabird experts and contribute to conservation's future. 🐧

📅 11 Sept 2026 (AEST) | 10 Sept 2026 (UTC)
🔗 bit.ly/4opYfet

#WSC4 #HybridConference #MarineScience

🐦 Got questions about the 4th World Seabird Conference?

Dive into the FAQ page for all the details — from abstracts to travel tips!

worldseabirdunion.org/world-seabir...

#WSC4 #Seabirds #Conservation

Gannet entangled in a fishing line. Photo: Beneharo Rodríguez More info at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.07.003

Are you looking for a #postdoc? with #seabirds or #raptors? at the @mncn-csic.bsky.social & @csic.es? Please send me an email and consider applying for a #JldC fellowship
#ornithology
Requirements: completed PhD within the last 2 years & competitive CV.
www.infosubvenciones.es/bdnstrans/GE...

Don't be shy, you will be working with great people!
#seabirds

Who gets the spotlight? Disparities in seabird research attention at scientific conferences Seabirds are among the most threatened bird groups globally, yet research effort is unevenly distributed among species, with some taxa receiving exten…

Omw to record some grebes I guess? Interesting work on who do we study when we study seabirds, @ingridpollet.bsky.social and colleagues: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I'm blushing now !! ☺️

Schematic diagram of the influence of seabirds on temperate and tropical near-shore marine systems. Temperatre systems: - Nutrient enrichment and predation on herbivorous invertebrates can lead to increased algal production - Phytoplankton communities change, featuring more large-celled species - Intertidal organisms incorporate seabird-enriched material by grazing on detritus and biofilm in tidepools - Macroalgae biodiversity and primary production are boosted Tropical systems: - Mangrove leaf nutritional quality increases - Corals recover faster after bleaching events - Fish biomass increases across different trophic groups - Pelagic and benthic consumers' foraging behaviour shifts - Parrotfish grazing and bioerosion rates increase - Fish grow larger

New in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com: our review of the influence of #seabirds, via their nutrient transfer, on islands & adjacent marine ecosystems 🐦🏝️🪸

We highlight knowledge gaps & future directions ✨

"The circular seabird economy is critical for oceans, islands and people": doi.org/10.1038/s443...