Scottish Grey Partridge Recovery Project Research Assistant
Fiona has been with GWCT Scotland’s Lowlands team for five years. She works with the two PARTRIDGE project farms in Scotland, Balgonnie and Whitburgh, carrying out grey partridge and other farmland wildlife monitoring, and providing advice to the farmers and keepers on establishing habitat such as hedges, wild bird seed and pollinator mixes. She also carries out monitoring on two reference sites, as well as outreach such as farm walks, events and social media for the PARTRIDGE project. The project aims for 30% increase in biodiversity on the demonstration farms.
“I love my job,” says Fiona. “Most people watch birds as a hobby, but I am lucky enough to get to watch birds for my job. Even when I’m getting up at 4am to count birds or going to bed at midnight after counting hares. And I love to see the results of our work, such as when a few hundred linnets visited Balgonie this winter to enjoy a specially sown seed mix (watch the video here). I also enjoy the range of people I work with across Europe on the PARTRIDGE project – we all support each other and share advice.”
A rewarding part of the job for Fiona is mentoring two students each year. “It’s great to see how they progress, developing field work skills and soft skills like data entry and communications. One former student, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, has gone on to be appointed to the Youth Advisory Council of the British Trust for Ornithology.”
Fiona’s advice to women looking to enter the sector is: “Keep knocking on the door. It’s competitive and most jobs are over-subscribed. Volunteer for things like bird-ringing to get experience and build your network, as who you know can make a difference. Secure a placement while at university it you can. Use social media like Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to find interesting people and relevant events to go to – you never know who you might meet. And consider joining professional bodies like CIEEM or IEMA as they run social events.”