WOMEN IN SEABIRD SCIENCE
Eliane Miranda
she/her
MSc Student
McGill
University
Discipline
Behaviour, Physiology
Regional Focus
Middleton Island in Alaska; Coats Island in Nunavut
Years Active
0-2 years
Species Focus
Auks (Alcidae)
Tell us about your work with seabirds.
My M.Sc. thesis focuses on exploring the potentials of PIT tagging as a technology which allows for the collection of large amounts of data with limited disturbance, specifically in two auk species: the ground-nesting rhinoceros auklet and the cliff-nesting thick-billed murre.
What advice would you offer to individuals aspiring to pursue a career as seabird scientists?
The bites don't hurt as much as you think they will... GRAB THAT BIRD! On a more serious note, this is also how I felt generally when entering this field. It felt extremely daunting. In the end though, most people are extremely welcoming and you'll learn more from these wonderful creatures than you ever thought you could. My advice would be not to be afraid, we are far more capable and resilient than we believe.
Eliane wearing a yellow jacket and orange helmet sitting in the cliffs of the thick-billed murre colony at Coats Island (Nunavut). Eliane is holding an adult that she just banded.
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