'Big Brother' on the Dyfi estuary reveals fishy secrets
A study of the fish eaten by one of Wales' rarest breeding birds has won Stacey Melia a new award from the Welsh Ornithological Society (WOS).
Stacey, who recently graduated from Aberystwyth University in Zoology, used data collected by staff and volunteers at Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust's Dyfi Osprey Project to assess the diet of the 2012 chicks. The high-definition cameras that beam images to the Cors Dyfi Visitor Centre and website were crucial in collecting detailed information about the types and size of fish fed to the chicks.
Stacey Melia (Photo: WOS).
Her study found that Grey Mullet was the species most frequently caught by Monty, the adult male, with fish up to 676 grammes (1.5 lbs) being delivered to the nest. Sea Trout and Flounder made up the bulk of the rest of the chicks' diet, but the adult female aggressively rejected Flounders brought to her by Monty.
Temperature, cloud cover and rainfall influenced the fish caught by the male Osprey and, interestingly, the chicks received enough calories on only one day out of three. Two of the chicks died in the Dyfi nest during bad weather, and only one bird (named Ceulan) fledged. He was tracked by satellite to Senegal where he died after becoming tangled in fishing nets.
Osprey, Cors Dyfi MWT, Powys (Photo: Kev Joynes)
Stacey Melia will be awarded £100 by WOS President Iolo Williams at the Welsh Ornithological Society's Annual Conference in Monmouth, where she will present her work.
Speaking from her home in Coventry, Stacey said, "I was delighted that my study has been chosen for this award, and it's great that WOS is encouraging students to study birds in Wales while at University. I hope that this award will help in my search for a career in nature conservation, and I am looking forward to meeting so many of Wales' eminent ornithologists at the Conference."
Since graduating, Stacey has secured a position as a lecturer in Ecology and Conservation at Bridgwater College, Somerset, while pursuing a PhD with Oxford Brookes University based at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust's new site at Steart Marshes on the Severn Estuary.
- The WOS Student Research Award is open to any full- or part-time undergraduate or masters student who writes a dissertation based on a study of birds in Wales. Details of the 2014 Award will appear on the WOS website early next year.
- The 2013 Award will be made at the Welsh Ornithological Society Conference on Saturday 2 November at The Bridges Community Centre, Monmouth. The theme is Wales' birds - from Gwent to the World, in partnership with the Gwent Ornithological Society, celebrating its 50th anniversary.
- The Welsh Ornithological Society (WOS) is a membership organisation that promotes the conservation of birds and their habitats across Wales. The Society encourages the study of wild birds and a high standard of bird recording in Wales through its publications, annual conference and grant scheme. Membership costs just £15 a year.
