It has been an important month for me as I have been selecting some chunkier projects that I will carry out over the course of my year with MWT. It was tough because there are so many fascinating things going on and I would just love to play a role in all of them! I settled on two that I think will benefit me and my skill development in different ways, but I still aim to get involved in all sorts of other antics that the team are getting up to. This means that I have some level of independence, while continuing to get a good grip on the different roles in Ecology and Conservation.
Another busy month as a Student Intern
Find out about the different projects that Rachel will be getting stuck into throughout the year!
Project number one is designing a survey to determine how the general public feel about the wild wallabies. People that I have spoken to already have had a variety of opinions on the matter so it will be really interesting to find out how the wider population feel about them. This project is going to include a degree of public education on the different ways that the wallabies interact with our native flora and fauna, and any issues that could arise with the expansion of the current population. For now, you can find out a little more on the MWT website: Red-Necked Wallaby - Position Statement | Manx Wildlife Trust (mwt.im)
We are slowly learning more about wallabies on the Isle of Man, including a very exciting collaboration with Ben Harrower in early November. Ben will be conducting a survey of the using a thermal imaging drone to understand more about the current population size – at the moment the estimates are extremely varied.
Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) in a fast-flowing river bed, England: Cumbria, Ennerdale valley, October - Linda Pitkin/2020VISION
Project number two is a feasibility study on the reintroduction of freshwater pearl mussels. Freshwater pearl mussels have been absent on the island since around 1902 and are considered a vulnerable species. The population is not doing well as they require very good water quality and populations of salmonids in order to survive. Freshwater pearl mussels would also benefit Manx rivers because they feed by filtering out organic particles from the water, increasing water quality for fish, invertebrates etc. They are quite fascinating creatures, and I can’t wait to find out more about them in the upcoming months.
I have been getting up to all sorts of other things this month too! I have helped to re-format our litter survey information so that it is a lot more detailed, and I developed a system for scanning the archive of photos dating back to when MWT purchased their first reserves. I have also learned a lot about carbon sequestration this month through going to visit peat hags with Sarah. We were brainstorming ways to protect the bare peat using large volunteer groups. I learnt more through tuning in to the Inter Island Environment Meeting conference talks. The conference held a lot of different talks ranging from invasive species to new survey techniques. It was great to discover what projects are currently going on.
I have also visited the calf again this month (and I am now preparing for a week-long trip to assist with the back end of the seal pup surveys – super exciting!!). We took a trip on the boat around coast to attempt to count the seals. Lara and the seal volunteers really had a great eye for them and counted nearly 130! I think I managed around 90, so I definitely need more practice in telling the difference between a rock and a seal… Have a go yourself in this video, it is so tricky!
So that is all from me this month! I am so excited to see what next month has to hold and will of course continue with monthly blog updates.
Again, feel free to follow along on my Instagram page @rachels_placement for more updates, and if there are any budding ecologists out there who would like to contact me and ask any questions about my time on placement, or experience at university on an environmental science course, please send me an email at rachelsmith@mwt.im.