Skip to main content

Brighter Days and Milestone Moments: Winter Seal Surveys Progress

By

 

After weeks of battling short daylight hours, we’ve finally turned a corner—longer days are returning and the promise of better weather on the horizon! While winter has its challenges, including tides that occasionally fell outside daylight hours! We pushed through and kept collecting data when we could. And now, with brighter days ahead, our work is evolving once again.



Credit: Claire Stainfield, taken as part of a survey under licensed research drone usage permitted by NatureScot.

A Major Milestone: 50 Flights and Counting!

Persistence has paid off, and we recently hit a significant achievement—our 50th drone flight! This marks the continued effort in our research, capturing invaluable data on the seal colony throughout the seasons. Every flight represents hours of planning, teamwork, and dedication (in the office and in the field!), and we couldn’t have done it without the incredible support around us. To celebrate? Ice cream, of course! Because what better way to mark a mid-winter win than with a well-earned sweet treat?


The ice cream cookie cakes didn't last long enough for the photo op!


Looking Ahead: More Light, More Beachgoers, More Data

As the days grow longer and the weather begins to improve, we suspect the beaches will start filling up again—not just with seals but with people, too. This shift also means a new phase of my PhD research kicks into gear: understanding human activity on the beach using GPX files. Seeing how people interact with the coastline is just as important as studying the wildlife, and with more visitors expected, it’s the perfect time to collect this crucial data.

dogwalker? runner? wild swimmer? what do you like to do on the beach? 

If you're a beachgoer and interested in contributing to this research, I’d love to hear from you (GPS@sruc.ac.uk)! Whether you're curious about how to share your GPX activity tracks or just want to learn more, feel free to reach out. Your data could play a valuable role in understanding how people and wildlife share the coastline.


More Light, More Flights:

While winter has tested our patience, the team has come through stronger, and our research continues to move full steam ahead. We’ve hit 50 flights—just a quarter of the way through our ambitious project, with many more to come before we reach the finish line in 2026. With more flights, more data, and new phases of research kicking off, we’re excited for what’s next!






Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seals, Sun, and Science: A Day in the Life of a PhD Student at Newburgh Seal Beach

By
  Hey there! I’m a new PhD student at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in Aberdeen, and I’m super excited to share my research journey with you. This year, I will be spending a lot of time at Newburgh Seal Beach, observing the seal colony that calls this place home. It’s been an exciting start, and I can’t wait to dive into the details with you. What’s the Deal with the Seals? So, what’s so special about these seals? Well, they’re grey seals, and they hang out on the beach all year round. But here’s the interesting part: their numbers change with the seasons. My mission this year is to gather all kinds of cool ecological data about them. I’m looking into how different age groups and gender of seals use the beach and where they prefer to rest. To do this, I’m using drones to snap aerial photos of the colony. From these bird’s-eye views, we can estimate the seals’ age by their size, determine their sex by the colour of their fur, and see exactly where they like to chill. Why Bot...
Post a Comment
Read more

Winter Seal Surveys: Winter Winds, Pups, and Persistence

By
  The winter months are a magical yet challenging time for seal surveys. But for our team, the beauty of this season is just one side of the story. Winter also marks an exciting period in seal ecology—the birth of pups. While the snow and frost transform Forvie sand dunes into breathtaking landscapes, winter is far from ideal for fieldwork. The shortened daylight hours are the first hurdle, limiting the windows when we can fly our drones. On survey days, we work to make the most of the precious light, often starting  during sunrise or racing against the early sunset. Surveying at sunrise (photo credit: Charlotte Wood). Adding to the difficulty, winter storms sweep in with gusty winds and relentless rain. Both are enemies of drone flight. The high winds make it unsafe to launch, and rain can damage equipment. There’s no denying the frustration when a perfectly planned survey day is postponed because of bad weather. Snow covering on the new beach board walk at Newburgh SealB...
Post a Comment
Read more