Shanti and one of her colour-banded Sabine's gull chicks. Be afraid little one.....be very afraid.
.....and logistics, and data management, and Sabine's gull capturing, and lots of other things too. A huge and hearty CONGRATULATIONS to Shanti Davis on her recently completed MSc. thesis! Migration Ecology of Sabine's Gulls (Xema sabini) From the Canadian High Arctic is bound to become a classic and definitive reference.
Shanti's work represents one of the most comprehensive studies of Sabine's gulls to date. The second coolest gull in the Arctic, a species which deserves, nay demands, our attention has finally received its due thanks to Shanti's tireless efforts. Working out of Nasaruvaalik Island over several years, Shanti has painstakingly learned the ways of the Sabine's gull -their breeding biology, their migration routes, their awesome behavioural adaptations, and much more. Building on work begun by Mark Mallory and Kelly Boadway, Shanti took things to the next level and undertook a massive mark-recapture study that trapped over hundred birds, successfully tagged and tracked several dozen, and resulted in a detailed and fascinating glimpse into the ecology of this incredible trans-equatorial migrant. Stay tuned for more earth-shattering tracking papers than you can shake a stick at.....Well done SED!