Meet the Rockabill 2015 team:
Brian Burke
This is Brian's second season as
a Roseate Tern Warden on Rockabill. He holds a degree in Zoology and a Masters
in Wildlife Conservation and Management, both from University College Dublin. From
work done during his masters he recently published research on the media
coverage of the Irish White-tailed Eagle reintroduction project and will soon
publish a study on the breeding Peregrine Falcon population of Co. Wicklow, carried
out in conjunction with NPWS conservation rangers. Soon after completing his masters,
Brian did an internship with the National Parks and Wildlife Service at
Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, studying and documenting the Greenland White-fronted
Goose (GWFG) in Ireland over the last thirty years. Irelands hosts c50% of the flyway
population of GWFG every winter, the majority of which can be seen at Wexford
Wildfowl Reserve, with important flocks in his native Roscommon. The GWFG
is also the species featured on Birdwatch Ireland's logo.
Brian is delighted to be back on
Rockabill and is already feeling the benefit of having a year of experience
under his belt. Last year was a record year for Roseate Terns here, and he's
eager to top that success in 2015.
You can follow Brian on twitter: https://twitter.com/BBurke88
Andrew Power
This
is Andrew’s first season as a Rockabill Tern Warden after two years
working with Little Terns in Kilcoole and Baltray. He has been secretary
for the Carlow Branch of BirdWatch Ireland for the past five years and
holds a degree in Zoology from Trinity College Dublin. Little Terns
formed the subject matter of the research he undertook for his final
year thesis. Following this, Andrew went on to complete the first ever
study of the rare endemic Sinai Hairstreak Butterfly in Egypt as part of
his Master of Research in Conservation Biology for the University of
Nottingham. Since then, Andrew has continued to work in exotic climes;
venturing to both Cape Verde and back to the Sinai, Egypt. In Cape Verde
the work focused on the endemic Cape Verde Warbler, whilst in Egypt
they were looking at the importance of Bedouin gardens to biodiversity.
Andrew is delighted to be a part of the Rockabill team and hopes to
bring some good luck to the project after being involved in a couple of
record breaking seasons in Kilcoole and Baltray.
You can follow Andrew on twitter: https://twitter.com/aerpower
Dr. Steve Newton
Dr.
Steve Newton is Senior Seabird Conservation Officer for BirdWatch Ireland. He
is responsible for seabird research, monitoring and colony management.
This comprises coordinating, on an annual basis, the Irish input to the
Seabird Monitoring Programme (UK-Ireland) and managing the Rockabill
Roseate Tern and the Kilcoole Little Tern Projects. Equally importantly (to us anyway!), he brings us out bread, milk and fruit on a regular basis!
Steve organised the first quantitative survey of nocturnal petrels and shearwaters on west coast islands in 2000-2001 as part of the Seabird 2000 Project. He was also responsible for managing the BWI/NPWS Chough Survey and follow-up research programme (2002 to 2010), the NPWS/BWI Upland Bird Survey (2002-2004), and other work on upland habitats and their birds, including Hen Harrier and Red Grouse. He is a member of the all-Ireland team responsible for the 'Birds of Conservation Concern' process which reviews the Red, Amber and Green lists for Ireland and is a member of the Irish Rare Breeding Birds Panel.
Steve organised the first quantitative survey of nocturnal petrels and shearwaters on west coast islands in 2000-2001 as part of the Seabird 2000 Project. He was also responsible for managing the BWI/NPWS Chough Survey and follow-up research programme (2002 to 2010), the NPWS/BWI Upland Bird Survey (2002-2004), and other work on upland habitats and their birds, including Hen Harrier and Red Grouse. He is a member of the all-Ireland team responsible for the 'Birds of Conservation Concern' process which reviews the Red, Amber and Green lists for Ireland and is a member of the Irish Rare Breeding Birds Panel.
Skerries Seatours
While they don't do any work on the island, the guys from Skerries Seatours play an important role in the project. They drop the wardens and their mountain of supplies out to the island at the start of the season, they bring us home safely at the end of the season, and they keep us topped up with everything we need throughout the summer months (volunteers, water, shopping . . . . the occasional pizza . . . . all the essentials!). Eoin is a local RNLI crewman and is always just a phonecall away if we ever have any problems.
They do tours around Rockabill - a great way to see the island and all of the birds without causing any disturbance. See http://www.skerriesseatours.ie/ or their Facebook page for more details. And give us a wave if you see us!
The project is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, to whom we are very grateful, as well as to the individuals in NPWS who provide various logistical support early in the season.
We'd also like to thank the Commission of Irish Lights who allow us to use and stay on the island.
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