Work experience at Kilchoan Melfort Trust
Part of my dissertation
“This is what I did this year at Kilchoan Estate, I had a great time overall which has involved some of my dissertation data collection and other various conservation and estate work.
First of all, I had the opportunity to do a part of my ongoing dissertation project regarding the simplification of recording oak tree health where I was able to collect more than enough data.
This involves using a mix of digital photography with research correlations/models to measure the crown transparency of the tree, which is a dominant indicator of tree health.
I also continued to maintain the reptile survey which I set up with help from the team, which has artificial cover objects to measure absence/presence of reptiles in the sites of Kilchoan Estate; with slow-worms and common lizards being recorded using INaturalist, with it being a simple method for uploading records along the survey routes.
The oyster nursey work for the native species Ostrea edulis involves sorting age groups, estimating mortality rates using cages for protection in till they can be released into the wild.
These specific species faced intolerance to environmental change, which is one of the reasons for the need for repopulation/reintroduction.
A few other activities I helped with was the monthly moth survey, which has recorded a great deal of species over the years, helping with the creels/lobster pots, gardening and deer fence work. Another piece of work we helped on was a part of a three-year project to breed and reintroduce the rare species of fern, Woodsia ilvensis, which specialise on scree surfaces. The practical work we did was the planting of around 250 individuals with tags for monitoring purposes.
It was a pleasure doing work experience once again at Kilchoan Estate with the team and I hope to come back again soon.”
