Detrás de las cosechadoras

Que los primillas persiguen a las cosechadoras no es nuevo. Todos hemos visto como se agrupan confundiéndose con la nube de polvo, realizando numerosos picados, algunos a escasos metros del cabezal. Hay incluso quien hipotetiza que los movimientos premigratorios en dirección norte les permiten explotar este recurso durante más tiempo, ya que la recogida del cereal a escala peninsular sigue un patrón fenológico muy marcado.
Sin embargo, al margen de mencionar el fenómeno, no existía hasta la fecha un artículo científico dedicado a evaluar la importancia de esta forma de búsqueda de alimento tan particular. Han sido nuestros colegas portugueses con Inés Catry a la cabeza quienes le han puesto números a este proceso y efectivamente, desde esta perspectiva más rigurosa, demuestran que los primillas efectivamente cambian su estrategia de búsqueda de alimento si hay cosechadoras en marcha y que dirigen hacia ellas sus vuelos de caza.

Today we interview: Aldina Franco

Aldina Franco is Portuguese but has been working in the UK for the last 15 years. She did a PhD under the supervision of William Sutherland on the lesser kestrel in Portugal and currently she is Senior Lecturer at the University of East Anglia. Her research group works in four core research areas: (1) unravelling the mechanisms underlying changes in dispersal capacity and migratory behaviour and their links to global environmental change, (2) development of niche theory and envelop models for native and non-native species and (3) conservation of endangered species and (4) selection of priority areas for conservation. She teaches ecology to undergraduate and postgraduate students and her teaching includes several links to her research on ecological responses to environmental change.


Q: So Aldina, what is the worst part of your work at the university?
A: Certainly, marking exams.

Q: And what do you like the most from your work?
Many things, this is a diverse job and I like the diversity. I particularly like thinking about the research hypothesis and exploring how to tackle them by testing hypothesis, field work in extremely hot conditions, discussing the results with students, post-doctoral researchers and colleagues.

Q: If you like hot weather, then beer or "tinto de verano(*)"?  (*) wine with soda
A: At the end of a hot day I would select beer with tapas.

Q: Quite a lot of your research has been wih lesser kestrels. So ,why lesser kestrel and not other species?
A: Lesser kestrels are great species to work with. They nest in colonies, are relatively easy to capture and mark, they are easy to observe and it is a well know and well-studied species with both migratory and resident individuals inhabiting the same colonies.

Q: What kind of research are you currently doing with the lesser kestrels?
A: I am looking at migratory strategies of lesser kestrels, trying to understand the mechanisms underlying migratory decisions of migrant and resident birds. It is incredible to see in the same colonies individuals that migrate and others that are resident. We do not know how this operates and whether the proportion of residents is changing over time and if it is dependent on the quality of the habitat and suitability of the weather (particularly during the winter). We aim to understand the population consequences of the two migratory decisions, but we are starting with little information (e.g we do not know if birds with different migratory strategies interbreed or not).

Q: You have been collaborating with HORUS. Why do you think this project is important?
A: HORUS is a great project, it enables the public to have access to intimate details of the lesser kestrel day to day life. In the UK the BBC Springwatch programme does the same for many British species. Horus is also good at disseminating science to the general public.

Q: Have you been to Seville?
A: I visited Seville as a tourist more than 10 years ago. I really enjoyed visiting the Alcázar palace complex. The vibrant movement of people in the streets and the late meals in the esplanadas were quite special.

Q: Why did you decide to work in science?
A: Because I felt I did not know enough and did not have enough evidence to support the conservation work I was doing before starting the PhD. I was managing a EU LIFE project for a Portuguese NGO- LPN.

Q: Is science compatible with family life?
A: Yes, it is but requires a lot of effort and organisation.

Who is who in HORUS: Interview with Inês Catry

In project HORUS we are collaborating with different partners from different countries that are also working with the lesser kestrel. Considering that some of our followers may have difficulties reading Spanish this time we are having an interview in English. We interview Inês Catry, who is participating with us in a project that tries to find out why some lesser kestrels remain in the south of the Iberian Peninsula in winter instead of migrating to Africa. Inês is from Lisbon, Portugal. She is a post-doctoral fellow at the Center of Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" of the University of Lisbon and she knows well the Portuguese lesser kestrels.

Q:Why did you decide to work on science and do research on birds?
A:It wasn’t so much a decision as it was all I ever wanted to work on. I started bird watching when I was around eight, with my older brother. I remember going on holiday with my parents and taking notes of every observed bird during those trips. I still keep my note books from that time.

Q: What does your mother think about your work?
A: All four of her children are scientists, three of them work with birds, what can she do?

Q:What do you like the most  and which is the worst part of your work?
A: The best is fieldwork, although after three months in the field I’m glad to be back at home and excited about analysing the data collected.. The worst part in Roller (Coracias garrulus) vomit.

Q: What kind of research are you doing with the lesser kestrels?
A: I started working with lesser kestrels fourteen years ago. Since then, the research has included many aspects of their ecology, such as habitat and prey selection, impacts of agriculture management, nest-site selection, etc. I’ve also studied their migration using light-level geolocators, particularly looking at migratory routes and wintering grounds. More recently I’m interested on the impacts of future climate change. The ecological impacts and costs of predicted increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation are not fully understood and may present unexpected challenges to conservationists that require solutions.

Q: And why the lesser kestrel and not other species?
A: I not only work with lesser kestrels, I also work with rollers and white-storks. But lesser kestrels represent a very good model species as they are colonial and very easy to manipulate. Moreover, they are a migratory species, which poses a greater number of questions.

Q: You are collaborating with HORUS project, why do you think HORUS it is important?
A: The technology applied in this project enables us to look in detail to many aspects of the ecology of lesser kestrels. The amount of data generated is amazing. Moreover, it has an important role in increasing public awareness.


Q:  Can you tell us an anecdote related to your work?
A: There’s a very friendly dog at one of the lesser kestrel colonies where I work. He keeps eating my folders. First time it happened I spent more than half an hour looking for my folder and asking some local people if they’ve seen it. I couldn’t imagine that the dog was the guilty!

Q: If you had to define your work with a single word which one would it be?
A: Unpredictable.

Q: Even if it sounds rude, ¿how much money do you earn in your job?
A: I have a post-doctoral grant from the Portuguese government. 1490 euros/month.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I ride my bike, watch football (Benfica!) and hang out with friends.

Q: Which is the most exciting part of your work?
A: Lately, it’s been retrieving birds with geolocators and find out where rollers and lesser kestrels are going during the winter period.

Q: If you could choose, would you choose research again?
A: Definitely.