Researcher Featured on BBC's Springwatch

PhD Researcher Liz Morgan stars in BBC's Springwatch talking about her research into the foraging habits of Shags . Feature starts from 35.55

Following on from Keith Hamer’s starring performance in BBC’s Countryfile a few weeks ago we have another TV celebrity on our hands. Our very own Liz Morgan has been featured in this week’s Springwatch programme – Click here to watch (See from 36 mins in video – Only available in the UK).

Liz is in her 3rd year of her PhD supervised by Keith Hamer and Chris Hassall, working closely with researchers from Newcastle University on the Farne Islands (specifically Dr Chris Redfern and Dr Richard Bevan) and with the National Trust who manage the islands. Her research is being funded by a NERC scholarship.

Liz is studying the foraging ecology of European shags to assess how flexible they are in where and how they find food. The main aim is to know if birds have repeatable patterns in their behaviour which could mean individuals differ in their ability to respond to environmental changes. To do this she is fitting birds with telemetry devices which monitor their location and diving activity over a short timescale (while birds are feeding chicks).

Liz did her undergraduate degree in ecology at St Andrews University, and did an MRes in Biodiversity and Conservation at Leeds in 2009 & 2010. In between her studie she has had various jobs, mostly working with birds for the RSPB in numerous locations and the Wildlife Trust in Alderney (Channel islands) before coming back to Leeds to do her PhD.

Main Picture by Peter Steward