Seabird Surveyor/Researcher required to survey ACAP Priority Populations in the South Atlantic

 A Grey-headed Albatross of the South Atlantic; photo by Richard Phillips

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has advertised for two Seabird Surveyors to join the Ecosystems team and carry out a field survey of Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatrosses in the South Atlantic. Surveyors will additionally, evaluate the current status and trends of the two species (along with Wandering Albatrosses from a separate survey) and update Conservation Action Plans. 

These specific populations of Black-browed, Grey-headed and Wandering Albatrosses are ACAP Priority Populations (declining at more than 3% per year, hold more than 10% of the global population, and are at risk from fisheries), therefore findings from the survey will be critical to their ongoing conservation management. 

This new research intends to provide an update on earlier an earlier study, published in the journal Polar Biology in 2017, on population trends of these species. 

The Postholder roles are described in the advertisement as follows: 

Postholder 1 (7-month contract) will be expected to:

• photograph selected colonies during the field survey (mid Nov. to mid Dec. 2023)
• count albatrosses in images
• compare counts from Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV or drone) imagery with those from photos
• generate correction factors from data on breeding failure rates and diurnal attendance patterns collected
• determine current breeding population sizes and long-term trends
• write a manuscript for a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and: 
• update Conservation Action Plans. 

Postholder 2 (3-month contract) will:

• conduct a series of UAV-based aerial surveys of the colonies, and;
• count the albatrosses in the resulting UAV imagery.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, 16 August 2023.

For more information, and to apply, please visit the British Antarctic Survey website, here.

09 August 2023