The PhD Project was awarded a generous grant from Sea-Changers, a marine conservation charity, to support our drone-based seal research at the Ythan Estuary. This funding is crucial for providing the on-the-ground assistance needed to ensure safe and effective drone flights, while safeguarding the delicate wildlife of the reserve. It's all the people on the ground who make my research possible. I’m excited to introduce Kirsty, read on to hear her reflections on the role! I (Kirsty) am the sixth person to finish the drone internship with Claire at Newburgh, starting in April and finished mid-May. From previous blog posts you may be familiar with the role of drone intern - assisting Claire with the seal surveys, speaking to members of the public and being a drone spotter. With survey times being 2 hours either side of low tide and increasing daylight hours, the tide times seemed to vary, but stay in my favour; meaning no early early starts for me! The weather was still cold, ...