Galumphing with the Seals of Forvie: Tales of a drone internship by Chris Jenkins

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 Chris, my latest drone observer intern. Read on to hear his reflections on the role!

So after the excitement of being taken on for the drone internship the reality of starting this and praying I wouldn’t mess up took the sheen of that initial thrill. 

 Luckily the intimidation of working with Scotland’s seal Queen was allayed upon meeting with the impressive Claire Stanfield. Her easy-going manner and disarming smile, soon put the the fear of dropping a clanger too bed. (hopefully not too big a clanger)

A Soft landing was mercifully granted too me for my first session on the beach. This was with the help and guidance of Grace my predecessor in this role. 

Boot open and tools of the trade handed out 

 • High vis jackets 

 • Metal stakes 

 • plastic chain (red). 

 • Warning signs, 

 • drone , 

 • rucksack. 

 Like a scene from a Quentin Tarantino movie everything was dished out and we stroud into the early morning, although we had no bank to rob. Up to the bluff , the anemometer was deployed, wind checked to see if it was behaving itself. After confirmation we were good to go it was a quick game of guess the numbers of seal, then down the hill and onto the beach. 

 Grace gave me instructions 

 • Count the punters “trudging slowly over wet sands” Morrisey 1988 

 • checking the temp, 

 • wind speed

 • seals in the water 

 • identify the birds 

 • Record drone flight times. 

 • hold the line 

I was asked if I wanted to do the book. With Reverence Grace handed over this sacred document. I reviewed the previous entries and sketches. “I can do this” I said to myself. This is my chance to show my fabulous artistic skills sketching out the location of the haul out. I began to draw then remembered I had the drawing skills of an excitable three-year-old being given their first crayons and a sheet of paper.

Needless to say my drawing leant mainly towards an impressionist style rather that any true representation. Luckily Graces diplomacy was deployed as she reviewed the squiggles, smudged lines and splodges that my sketch had produced and gave the result a seal of approval. The said holy text was handed back to Claire. 

 one day down next time I would be flying solo. (yikes) 

The next session winter had decided to show it’s face. We stepped out into the frigid frosty morning air. The blanket of thick white frost ensured that we negotiated the incorrectly named no slip pathway with the dexterity of 2 Galumphing beach masters slowing creeping our way up to the bluff. Not being deterred by the conditions we reached the top of the path overlooking the incumbent seal haul out on the far shore of the Ythan. 

 Then the dreaded anemometer was deployed. Wind was good, time to go. 

Now it was time to repeat the ice ramp this time with there was and extra frisson of danger thrown in with the possibility of a full-on toboggan down the path and into the dunes below. Another ungraceful display of uncoordinated foot placement was produced as we slowly descended this perilous path.

Mercifully no falls or bones were broken and we ended up on the beach. Time to enhance my drawing skills (failed. Another day done and this time I was on my own. Kiddy reins cut I was off). 

The sessions began to follow one after the other, I began checking the tides app everyday along with the long-range weather but it all ended to soon. 

The early morning winter starts went far too quickly. I missed the orange glow of the sun slowly clawing its way up into the grey skies, how the surface of the water changed as this process developed, orange, purples, red and blue streaks of colour skating across the surface of the Ythan and dawn broke. This colour show was all too brief magical all the same. 

 Miss the sounds of the seals and chattering ducks 

Missed the opportunity I had to drain Claire of her knowledge of all things seal, to hear the amazing tales of seal research that took her around the world from the heat of the Galapagos to the isolated cold majesty of the South Georgia. 

Didn’t even mind when we fought our way through the snow Armageddon that January brought to climb up to the bluff to find the wind was now no longer our friend and we had to return back to Craibstone with no data. 

All too soon I was doing the hand over and felt a stab of sadness as I handed over the mantle to Amber.

Would I recommend this internship, “absolutely” 

Has it fired up a want to be involved in Marine Conservation “definitely”. 

Did the day Claire showed me what she was doing with all this data fry my brain, “without a doubt” 

Would I do it again? I don’t need to answer that!   

Thanks for the opportunity Chris J.

The aerial image was taken as part of a PhD study based at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) gathering data on the environmental factors influencing seal haul-out behaviour, , taken under licensed research drone usage as permitted by NatureScot.