Making the unpredictable predictable

Hi! Still the same team: Sonia and I are continuing our work on the project STOP Predators, which is a crucial initiative that could serve as a model for protecting other endangered species in the future.

One important thing to understand about working in ecology is that the real skill lies in problem-solving. It’s something we don’t really learn at school, but in reality, when you work with living species and in the field, not everything can be predicted. No matter how much you plan, things rarely go exactly as expected, and even when you think you’ve anticipated every possible issue, something new always comes up.

Some challenges can be anticipated, like the weather. Unfortunately, conditions were not on our side last month, which limited our ability to carry out fieldwork.

But other challenges are more surprising. Biological variability can completely change your expectations. We were targeting specific species like mice or rats, but in the field, things don’t always go according to plan, and we didn’t catch a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. At that moment, it can be frustrating, especially after hours of preparation and effort in the field. Coming back empty-handed can be quite humbling. This raises two key questions: why does this happen, and how do we account for it in our calculations for the thesis? 

There are also moments when solutions are simple in theory,
but not so much in practice. For example, when our study site became inaccessible with the car due to a slippery slope, the “easy solution” was simply to walk one hour back and forth with a significant elevation gain and full bag. Not exactly easy… but I guess that’s what we call a “simple solution” in fieldwork.

On paper, protocols are clear and controlled. In reality, the field constantly reminds us that nature doesn’t follow our expectations and that variability and interactions are part of the process. It’s probably one of the biggest gaps between studying ecology and actually practicing it.

In the end, working in ecology is not just about knowledge, it’s about adapting, adjusting, and constantly finding solutions in unpredictable conditions.

But working in the field is definitely worth it.

Also, I did found the Madeira firecrest, so happy about that :)

Kusjes, 
Kath

Chasing data in wild places

 Portugues

Olá!

Nestas últimas semanas tive a oportunidade de iniciar outra parte do trabalho de campo para recolher dados sobre predadores no meu lugar favorito, Pico do Facho. Infelizmente, nem tudo correu como planeado, mas estamos a trabalhar numa estratégia para resolver o problema 😊. Além disso, uma das melhores partes do trabalho de campo é estar em lugares incríveis, com uma vista muito bonita, geralmente rodeada apenas pela natureza e longe dos ruídos intensos da cidade.

Além disso, a minha colega e eu terminámos a identificação dos animais nos vídeos das câmaras de armadilhagem, o que significa que finalmente podemos começar a trabalhar na nossa tese e analisar os dados recolhidos nos últimos anos, entrando assim no coração do projeto. Temos muitos dados para gerir e compreender, mas, felizmente, vamos trabalhar nisso juntas.

Esta semana também vou participar em algumas atividades de trabalho de campo do projeto LIFE Nature@Night com o Fernando, o que tenho a certeza de que será uma experiência única e me ajudará a compreender melhor o tema dos fatores de stress abióticos nas aves.

Beijinhos,
SD

English

Òla!
in these last few weeks I had the opportunity to start another part of the field work to collect data about predators in my favorite place, Pico do Facho. Unfortunately, everything didn’t go as planned, but we are working on a strategy to resolve the problem 😊. Also, one of the best part of fieldwork is being in super cool places with a very nice view, usually with only nature around and not hearing the loud noises of the city.

Moreover, my colleague and I finished identifying the animals in the videos in the camera traps, that means that we can finally start working on our thesis and analyze the data that were collected in the last years and enter in the heart of the project. We have a lot of data to manage and understand, but luckily, we will work on it together.

This week I will also participate in some field work of the LIFE Nature@Night project with Fernando, which I am sure will be a unique experience, and will help me understand better the topic of abiotic stress factors on birds.

Baci,

SD

Why choose SPEA Madeira?

It’s been a month since I arrived. Before applying for an internship at SPEA Madeira, I wanted to understand who they are, what they do, and the impact they have at both a national and international level. Here is a quick summary of my findings and my experience so far!

Who is SPEA? The Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves is a Portuguese non-governmental environmental organization (NGO). Founded on November 25, 1993, it began with a focus on birdwatching and ornithology before evolving into a major player in conservation.

Since 1999, SPEA has been the official Portuguese partner of BirdLife International, a global network of environmental organizations present in over 100 countries. Recognized as a Public Utility entity since 2012 and a Development NGO since 2021, SPEA is also a member of the C7 Coalition, which brings together Portugal’s seven largest environmental organizations to advocate for sustainable policies. Their expertise is world-renowned, as shown by awards like the 2022 Natura 2000 European Award for Marine Conservation.

While the headquarters are in Lisbon, SPEA has key delegations in the Azores and Madeira. The Madeira office have a small team coordinated by Cátia Gouveia, including Elisa, Tiago, and Manuel (experts in terrestrial and marine conservation), Catarina (a specialist in environmental education and communication), and Fernando (a technician in Geographic Information Systems).

The expertise here is vast, and the team works on several major but complementary fronts to protect island ecosystems:

• Restoring Habitats & Fighting Predators: With the new BESTLIFE2030 STOP Predators (2025-2027) project, evaluate the impact of invasive species (like cats, rats, and ferrets) and invasive plants on Cory’s Shearwater colonies. The goal is to create safe zones for these sensitive birds. This echoes the LIFE Pterodromas4future (2021-2026) project, dedicated to saving two endemic petrels which also face threats from habitat loss and climate change.

• Light Pollution: Through the LIFE Natura@night (2021-2025) project, they map light pollution in Natura 2000 areas to reduce its impact on nocturnal birds, bats, and moths. This effort comes to life every year with the Salve uma Ave Marinha campaign. Since 2009, volunteers have patrolled the island to rescue seabirds dazzled by artificial lights.

• The CircularOcean (2024-2028) project turns the challenge of marine litter into an opportunity. They work to sensitize the fishing and tourism sectors, as well as schools, by integrating waste management into a circular economy approach.

• Initiatives like LIFE4BEST Puffinus allow them to study the Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus), a vulnerable species nesting in remote cliffs by using new monitoring methodologies.

In short, being part of the SPEA Madeira team means being at the crossroads of scientific research and field conservation. Every project I am part of (managing invasive species and fighting light pollution) contributes to a larger goal: making Madeira a safer sanctuary for the unique biodiversity it holds.

My first month with SPEA

Portuguese version

Olá a todos novamente!

Já faz um mês desde que comecei o meu estágio aqui na Spea, e estou a começar a adaptar-me à Madeira :). Infelizmente, não temos tido muita sorte com o tempo, por isso trabalhámos sobretudo no escritório, a ver os vídeos das armadilhas fotográficas do ano passado e a começar a dar uma direção ao meu trabalho de divulgação. O trabalho de campo tem sido um pouco desafiante para mim, mas tenho a certeza de que vou encontrar uma forma de tirar o melhor proveito dele, e estou entusiasmada com todos os diferentes eventos em que a Spea participa, desde atividades educativas nas escolas até às feiras pela ilha.

Graças à ajuda da minha colega Kathleen, estamos a implementar a organização dos dados para que seja mais fácil trabalhar com eles quando fizermos a análise estatística e compreendermos os nossos resultados. Mesmo que o trabalho seja um pouco repetitivo, fico contente por ter este tempo para me envolver mais no projeto e aprender mais sobre a ilha através da leitura de relatórios, com a esperança de que nos próximos meses tenhamos mais sorte com o tempo e possamos continuar com a recolha de dados no campo :)

English version

Hi everyone again!

It is been one month since I started my internship here at Spea, and I’m starting to settle down in Madeira :). Unfortunately we haven’t been very lucky with the weather so we mostly worked in the office, watching last year camera traps videos and starting to give a direction to my dissemination. Field work has been a bit challenging for me but I am sure I’ll find a way to get the best from it, and I am looking forward to all the different events that Spea participates in, from the educational events in school to the fairs around the island. 

Thanks to the help of my coworker Kathleen we are implementing the data organization so that it’ll be easier to work with them when we are going to to the statistic and understand our results. Even if the work is a bit repetitive I am glad to have this time to engage more in the project and learn more about the island from reading reviews, hoping that in the next months we’ll be more lucky with the weather and we’ll be able to continue with the data collecting part in the field :)

A new adventure

Olá a todos,

O meu nome é Kathleen Carreira Neves e estou a fazer o mestrado em Biologia dos Organismos e Ecologia na Université Catholique de Louvain, na Bélgica. Neste momento estou na Madeira, na SPEA, a realizar um estágio de quatro meses, e estou muito feliz por estar aqui para ver uma das aves mais fantásticas: o Madeira Firecrest, uma pequena espécie endémica. Mas, claro, não vim até aqui apenas por ele!

Nos últimos anos, os meus estudos têm-se focado em compreender como as atividades humanas influenciam o comportamento dos animais selvagens. Trabalhei anteriormente com morcegos e noitibós, e agora tenho a oportunidade de trabalhar com aves marinhas. Parece que acabo sempre por trabalhar com espécies noturnas, apesar de eu ser uma pessoa mais matinal!

O meu trabalho tem estudado principalmente os impactos da luz artificial durante a noite (ALAN) e da energia eólica offshore na vida selvagem. Estas experiências ajudaram-me a perceber como é importante ligar a investigação científica aos desafios reais da conservação da natureza. A ciência não deve ficar apenas entre cientistas; partilhar conhecimento com outras pessoas é essencial para aumentar a sensibilização e promover mudanças positivas na nossa relação com a natureza. A investigação científica também pode apoiar decisões de conservação e políticas mais informadas.

Na SPEA, vou trabalhar principalmente no projeto STOP Predators, que tem como objetivo proteger aves marinhas que evoluíram sem predadores naturais. Por causa desta história evolutiva (o seu Umwelt), estas aves são especialmente vulneráveis a espécies introduzidas, como ratos, murganhos, furões e gatos. Outros animais introduzidos, como coelhos e gado, também alteram a paisagem e degradam os habitats, criando desafios adicionais para estes ecossistemas frágeis.

Fazer parte de um projeto que inclui trabalho de campo, recolha de dados e análise permite-nos compreender melhor processos que normalmente não conseguimos observar diretamente.

Estou muito grata por esta oportunidade e tenho muito entusiasmo em aprender, contribuir e descobrir a Madeira durante esta experiência.

Kathleen

In nature, nothing exists alone – Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

 

English version 

Hi everyone,

My name is Kathleen Carreira Neves, and I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Organism Biology and Ecology at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. I am now in Madeira at SPEA for a four-month internship, and I’m very excited to be here to see one of the most amazing birds: the Madeira Firecrest, a tiny endemic species. Of course, I didn’t come all this way just for it!

Over the past few years, my studies have focused on understanding how human activities influence wildlife behaviour. I previously worked with bats and nightjars, and now I have the opportunity to work with seabirds — it seems my path keeps leading me to nocturnal species, even though I’m actually a morning person!

My work has mainly explored the impacts of Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) and offshore wind energy on wildlife. These experiences showed me how important it is to connect scientific research with real conservation challenges. Research does not only belong to scientists, sharing knowledge with everyone interested and it is essential if we want to raise awareness and encourage positive changes in our relationship with nature. Scientific studies can also play an important role in guiding conservation actions and supporting informed political decisions.

At SPEA, I will mainly contribute to the STOP Predators project, which focuses on protecting seabirds that evolved without natural predators. Because of this evolutionary history (their Umwelt) these birds are especially vulnerable to introduced species such as rats, mice, ferrets, and cats. Other introduced animals, like rabbits and livestock, also modify landscapes and damage habitats, creating additional challenges for these fragile ecosystems.
Being part of a project that involves every step, from fieldwork to data collection and analysis, allows us to observe and understand processes that are otherwise invisible.

I am very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to learning, contributing, and discovering Madeira through this experience.

Kathleen

In nature, nothing exists alone – Rachel Carson, Silent Spring