Last month, we said goodbye to our Conservation and Research Intern, Mathilde Ducroz, as she finished her seven month Internship here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. We caught up with her in her final month to hear about her time with us and the hands-on experience she gained.
“As my time at the Trust is coming to an end after an exciting and packed seven months, here are some of the things I have been up to as Conservation and Research Intern.
My first week started strong with a successful moth trapping session in the Savannah Arena. Having not studied them in great detail before, it was nice to discover more about these animals and see the diversity of shapes, sizes and colours, in particular their camouflage capabilities (as can be seen on the picture below of the Miller blending in with the rocky ground). Some species that caught my eye were all the hawk-moths (such as the Poplar Hawk-Moth below). Over my time at the Trust, we conducted multiple sessions and it was interesting to see the difference in species at various locations and time of year. For example, the trap in the Woodland Arena yielded a very different catch than the ones in Reg’s Wildflower Meadow or the Savannah Arena with a very large number of Large Yellow Underwing. Although I came not knowing anything about them, I quickly started recognising species, picking up identification tips from our extremely knowledgeable biodiversity volunteers Monica and Brigid. I highly recommend giving it a go in your garden at home, all you need is a strong lightbulb, white sheet, some egg boxes and a field guide (or the internet)!
During my time here, I also carried out many other surveys using a variety of techniques to measure biodiversity on-site. This included butterfly transects, vegetation quadrats, small mammal footprint tunnels, camera trapping and more. All are useful skills for future jobs. I even, to my surprise, enjoyed pitfall trapping, which looks at invertebrate life on site. Who would have thought there was such a variety of spiders? Below is a picture of the more colourful Wasp Spider. Over July, August and September, I also helped Tanith, the Trust’s Research Assistant, with small mammal surveying at the Trust and two other local external sites. If you want to learn more about this project, I recommend reading our previous blog post explaining it in more detail. By far what I enjoyed the most was monitoring the progress of our Barn Swallow nests on-site, including one just by the front door of my accommodation. A total of 11 chicks fledged from three different nests so if you ever visit around July and August keep your eye and ears peeled for them!
After a busy summer period of surveying, October was a lot quieter. I spent a lot of time writing up fact sheets based on recent research on the different birds of prey flown at the Trust. These will be used by the Bird and Marketing Teams when wanting new information to use during displays or post about our bird’s counterparts in the wild. I gained a wide breadth of knowledge on the ecology and behaviour of various birds of prey including some fun facts. Did you know that Golden Eagles in Greece have learnt to feed on tortoises by dropping them onto rocks? Or that the Little Owl’s scientific name, Athene noctua, is named after the bird’s association with Athena, the goddess of wisdom?
From October to December, I helped Dr Matt Stevens, our British Projects Manager, by doing a few raptor transects across the south-east of the country from Banbury to Whitstable to Brighton. What’s better than collecting valuable scientific data while walking across the English countryside (plus it’s a fair-weather survey, so no need worry about getting soaked!)? It was really nice to learn distance sampling surveying using a range finder and compass, which is sure to be useful for me in the future. Some birding highlights included a Merlin and three Marsh Harriers as well as any Kestrel sighted (especially when seen hovering). Other than birds of prey, I also saw Stonechats which are always a treat to observe, a Kingfisher and a Woodcock. The most memorable, despite not being a bird, was without a doubt a very special encounter with an Otter.
This last month, I have focused on the analysis and report writing of the project I have been undertaking. I looked at the diversity and abundance of wild birds at the Hawk Conservancy Trust using data from surveys I carried out, as well as data from previous years. In doing this, I had the chance to refresh and improve my coding and analysis skills. The analysis showed that wild bird diversity and abundance has increased on-site, in particular for woodland species. It is nice to see some more unusual birds appearing regularly at the Trust such as Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers. Close encounters with the local Kestrel is always a treat. Some rare one-off sightings included a Common Snipe and Barn Owl, both at the bottom left of the meadow so keep your eyes peeled next time you visit!
Working at the Trust allowed me to attend the flying displays and I particularly enjoyed the Brilliant Bird Brain sessions at the end of day. I highly recommend staying until the end of the day during the summer timetable for them. These often quieter sessions allow visitors to gain insight into how the birds are trained and meet a species which you might not have seen at other displays. I also took the opportunity to see some of the special events, all better than the next, from Sunset at the Trust to the Christmas Market to the latest Winter Woodland Lights.
It has been a pleasure to be working at the Trust and I will miss working with the people here. I felt welcomed from my first day and integrated into the team. A special thank you to Jamie, our Conservation and Research Coordinator, and Tanith, our Research Assistant on the British Raptor Programme, who had to put up with me the most! I am sad to leave but hope that future projects or career opportunities will lead me to work with the Trust again.”
