Debs Allbrook

#StormGoretti: time to batten down the hatches in the #SouthWest, with a red weather warning for #Cornwall and the #IslesOfScilly. Our autonomous data buoys are starting to feel the effects of the storm, with our L4 buoy (about 6 miles south of Plymouth) seeing strong, near-gale winds of 33mph.

Galápagos sea lions seem to be regularly suckling from their mothers way above the usual weaning age (up to age 16!) when they are already reproductively active themselves 😲 Some new findings that mess with what we know & pose more questions than they answer
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

An Arctic Skua with rings on its legs on a ground of green grass, purple heather and rocks. Photo: Danni Thompson.

A huge thank you to our panel today on Seabird Careers - @robthomasbirds.bsky.social, Helen Wade, @jaycee161.bsky.social & @seabirdshearer.bsky.social 👏 Many insights, interesting backstories, tips on applying for jobs & more!

The session was recorded & will be available to watch if you missed it 🍿

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! 👀

A small, black, fluffy nestling Black guillemot. Photo: Debs Allbrook.

Another day, another #auk. The Black guillemot (Cepphus grylle) is born black+fluffy, with several years before developing its bright red feet fully. These are associated with sexual maturity @2-4 y/o 👣

Black guillies are widespread in the N.hemisphere and are arguably the best #seabird 😉 #Auktober

@exeter.ac.uk @uniexecec.bsky.social @exetermarine.bsky.social

The first paper from our #kittiwake/ oil platform work has been published! 🕊️🗼

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

2387 AONs were recorded on 14 (28%) assets. Could equate to 16,382 across pictured assets 🔺 or 7% of UK/ Ireland population, but not currently incl. in #seabird census!

The loveliest person to have the pleasure of working with. Will miss you Amy 🥰 #Seabirds #TheSeabirdGroup

Exciting news!! The World Seabird Union @worldseabirdunion.bsky.social 4th World #Seabird Conference is now open for registration! 🕊️🌏

🏢Hobart, Tasmania. 📅7-11 Sept 2026

Click the link for all the info 🤓
worldseabirdunion.org/world-seabir... #WSC4

Find yourself a man who looks after you like this frigatebird looks after its stick

One of this year's juvs turned up in Wicklow, Ireland! About 100 miles across the Irish Sea in just over 3 weeks 🌊

We'd love to have any more sightings reported to us so please keep an eye out for yellow colour rings w/ black code! 👀 #Seabirds

Picture by Tim Hounsome

#SeabirdSeptember Another season complete with the offshore kittiwake colony I've known for 3 years now. Productivity and survival looking good, but we'll wait for the camera data to tell us more. Love to see them thriving and notice the same birds turn up on the same ledges year on year 🥰

A Roseate tern with a black head and bill flies over the teal Irish Sea. Photo: Debs Allbrook.

An immaculate, pre-breeding Roseate #tern for #SuperSeabirdSunday #TeamTern

A Common tern chick sits on a scale as its weight is being recorded. Image: Debs Allbrook. Posted in celebration of #SeabirdSeptember.

As autumn begins & seabird season ends for another year, we've been reminiscing about the summer! We'd love to share images of #seabird fieldwork throughout September to celebrate our diverse seabird species ✨🪶

If you have one you'd like to share pls include a description & use #SeabirdSeptember! 🐦

A pile of books and papers. Taken by Wesley Tingey.

The next in our series of ECR talks is coming up on Fri 5th September - this time on Peer Review 👀📃

The panel will be our own @thelabandfield.bsky.social & @ingridpollet.bsky.social, @tashgillies.bsky.social & Dr. Richard Sherley ✒️✨

Time: 9.30 am (BST). Sign up now: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Sign ups for Guillemates 2025/ 2026, for mentors and mentees. Deadline 19th September. Any q's email Jacqui - ecr@seabirdgroup.org.uk.

Early career researcher who'd love a mentor? Or mid-career (onwards) looking to give back AS a mentor?

Sign up below for the new round of Guillemates 🥰🐧
Mentees👉 forms.gle/cdktNREkhUDb...
Mentors👉 forms.gle/uwA9X9giUPnA...

Such a great learning (or supporting!) opportunity 👩‍👩‍👦‍👦
Pls share! #seabirds

New Conservation project to protect nesting seabirds on the Great Saltee Island, Wexford - @npwsireland.bsky.social

#NatureConservation #Seabirds

www.npws.ie/news/new-con...

The outcomes of my study back in 2017 recommended wardens were appointed to help protect the breeding gannets on Great Saltee... and 8 years later they're in place 🥳

www.npws.ie/news/new-con...

#betterlatethannever #seabirds #Ireland
Well done @npwsireland.bsky.social

🐟🐟🐟

A modified primer-pair designed for the molecular sex identification of black-legged Kittiwake (Laridae: Rissa tridactyla) - Conservation Genetics Resources In studies of avian populations accurate sex identification facilitates the study of sex-linked behaviour, ecology, social structure, decision-making, and life histories. To improve molecular sex iden...

Using #genetics to sex #Seabirds? 👉 New #openaccess #Methods note published today (optimize don't reinvent👍). No PhD student is an island: huge thanks to co-authors, collaborators and funders. #ornithology @ukri.org @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social doi.org/10.1007/s126... @springernature.com

A Black Guillemot on a rock

Couldn't let #WorldSeabirdDay go past without a nod from us and the best UK #seabird there is! Here's to another year where we will advocate and fight for our beautiful, wonderful #seabirds ❤️❤️❤️

What's your favourite seabird?? [Photo: Debs Allbrook]

I've started using these this year - www.wildlifemonitoringsolutions.com/wilsus-trade.... They were recommended as able to work for a year at a time! They also send an image a day (if there's 4G). Your other option would be an external battery pack on your existing cam, as someone else said

Fully devastating footage 💔

Maybe not for this generation, but technology evolves so fast it can be hard to stay ahead of the curve..

The trouble is the skills you need evolve over time, in some cases quicker than you become employed!

In my case I focused heavily on practical skills, but now I am in a position where stats & computer modelling are king, and I simply have never done these. Learning from the ground up now is HARD 😖

@exetermarine.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social @northwaleswt.bsky.social @cumbriawildlife.bsky.social @rspbengland.bsky.social @rspbcymru.bsky.social @stubearhop.bsky.social @alicetrevail.bsky.social

They are particularly likely to show up in or around colonies in North Wales, the Isle of Man, the SW Scottish coast, Lancashire or Cumbria 🗺️

They have a yellow ring plus a secondary coloured ring on the other leg - we'd love to know the yellow code, plus secondary colour. And photos if poss! 📷

A juvenile kittiwake in the hand, wearing a 3-digit coded yellow colour ring, a red plastic ring and a metal ring.

Listen up anyone working in the Irish Sea this summer! We tagged a bunch of kitts in Liverpool Bay and want to gather as many resightings as we can. If you spot these yellow colour rings please give me a shout (dla205@exeter.ac.uk) 🐦💍💛

(Modelled by our very own VIP 😌👑)

#Seabirds #IrishSea

Really interesting chat on #seabird #research careers from @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social this morning 🕊️🐥🐧 Thanks everyone on the panel for your time, some food for thought 🙏✨

This is terrifying..