Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray

Principal Ornithology Consultant @APEM_Ltd | #Seabirds | PhD @ERI_UHI @ThinkUHI | MSc @BangorUni @sos_bangor_uni

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@Naturalist_Sam @SUPERDTP1 @ERI_UHI @ThinkUHI Huge congratulations Sam! 🎉

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@OceanGirl_Megan Huge congratulations Megan 🎉

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@lucyjayneryan Thank you so much @lucyjayneryan! Also thank you and @Nina_OHanlon again for the beautiful cake and for making the celebrations so special 😊

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@Nina_OHanlon @ERI_UHI Thank you very much @Nina_OHanlon and for all of your guidance along the way!! 😊

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@PaulCaplat @eamasden @Nina_OHanlon @wilsonjaredm @BrydenCentre_EU Thank you very much Paul and for all of your guidance!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

I am thrilled to say that I passed my viva on Friday!

Thank you so much to my examiners @jon_seabirds & @StevenBenjamins for making it a great experience and for a really interesting discussion.

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@NualaCarr @jon_seabirds @StevenBenjamins Thank you very much Nuala 😊 I hope that you are doing well!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

I also wanted to thank @Nina_OHanlon and @lucyjayneryan for the amazing cake!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

A huge thank you to all of my supervisors @eamasden, @Nina_OHanlon, @wilsonjaredm and @PaulCaplat. Also to the @BrydenCentre_EU for funding my project.

[Seabird Watch @seabird_watch]

We've launched a NEW workflow!

Help monitor kittiwake nests in Scotland, with images from new, long-range cameras, developed by @timelapsefilms @RSPBScience. These images should allow a better view into nests to spot chicks 🐣

➡️https://t.co/OCSZAux93t #ornithology #citsci

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@RobThomas14 @BrydenCentre_EU @ERI_UHI Thank you Rob!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

🚨I am delighted to share my first, first-author paper!

This work compares data collected from vantage point and #drone surveys to assess the effectiveness of #drones for assessments of #seabird abundance and distribution.

https://t.co/7AU1UlnKdq

@BrydenCentre_EU @ERI_UHI

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@PeliCoinOrg @BrydenCentre_EU @ERI_UHI Of course!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@Luis_Ramos126 @BrydenCentre_EU @ERI_UHI Thank you Luis!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@Naturalist_Sam @BrydenCentre_EU @ERI_UHI Thanks Sam!

[Lilian Lieber @LilianLieber]

🫧NEW PAPER by @CostagliolaRay comparing #seabird numbers & distributions using vantage point and aerial #drone surveys. Distributions linked to tidal cycle & hydrodynamics (eg shear lines): https://t.co/TP9R5pN4Hu @AlexNimmoSmith @Nina_OHanlon @eamasden @PaulCaplat @wilsonjaredm

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

Thank you to my co-authors: @LilianLieber @AlexNimmoSmith @eamasden @PaulCaplat @wilsonjaredm @Nina_OHanlon

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

@PaulCaplat @PelagicLabQUB Thank you @PelagicLabQUB and @LilianLieber! Also thank you very much to @PaulCaplat for all of your help, expertise and advice!

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

4/4 #WSTC8 #ToolSesh
We also aim to uncover particular scanning protocols observers can adopt to ensure that counts of #seabirds are as accurate as possible. For example, changing the speed at which observers scan and the direction of scans (i.e. with or against the current).

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

1/4 #WSTC8 #ToolSesh
Land-based vantage point (VP) surveys are a widely used method of collecting #seabird abundance and distribution data for environmental impact assessments. However, VP surveys are prone to biases due to detectability issues.

[Dr Melissa Costagliola-Ray @CostagliolaRay]

3/4 #WSTC8 #ToolSesh
This work will use individual-based modelling (IBM) to assess the influence of different dive times of #seabirds and different current speeds (high, medium, & low) on the accuracy of seabird counts made by observers undertaking traditional VP surveys.