Current Team Members
Sophie Edwards: Team Leader
I am interested in cognition and animal behaviour and for my PhD I am researching nest-building in zebra finches and blue tits. I am looking at how they adapt their nests in response to changes in the climate, and the regions of the brain that are involved in nest construction and adaptation. I am co-supervised by Professor Susan Healy, University of St Andrews, and Professor Simone Meddle at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh and am funded by the Eastbio BBSRC Doctoral Training Programme.
I spend most of the blue tit breeding season walking between nestboxes and checking the building progression. I am a trainee bird ringer and always looking for interns to monitor in the field. Click here for more information about me.
I am interested in cognition and animal behaviour and for my PhD I am researching nest-building in zebra finches and blue tits. I am looking at how they adapt their nests in response to changes in the climate, and the regions of the brain that are involved in nest construction and adaptation. I am co-supervised by Professor Susan Healy, University of St Andrews, and Professor Simone Meddle at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh and am funded by the Eastbio BBSRC Doctoral Training Programme.
I spend most of the blue tit breeding season walking between nestboxes and checking the building progression. I am a trainee bird ringer and always looking for interns to monitor in the field. Click here for more information about me.
Isabella Tortora Brayda Di Belvedere: MSc Student (2019-2020)
I am studying a Research Masters, in Animal Behaviour, with Professor Sue Healy as my supervisor. For my research, I am investigating the nest building procedure in the (fabulous) blue tit and am hoping to answer the following questions:
1) What time of day do blue tits most actively build their nests?
2) How long does it take a blue tit to construct their nest?
3) Do blue tits have a ‘procedure’ to how they build their nest and do individuals follow the 4) same nest building procedure between years?
Are blue tits opportunistic in their nest material gathering, or is there a pattern?
My research is being conducted in the St Andrews Botanic Gardens, and I am setting up cameras at regular intervals to try and catch all the subtleties of the nest building process.
I am studying a Research Masters, in Animal Behaviour, with Professor Sue Healy as my supervisor. For my research, I am investigating the nest building procedure in the (fabulous) blue tit and am hoping to answer the following questions:
1) What time of day do blue tits most actively build their nests?
2) How long does it take a blue tit to construct their nest?
3) Do blue tits have a ‘procedure’ to how they build their nest and do individuals follow the 4) same nest building procedure between years?
Are blue tits opportunistic in their nest material gathering, or is there a pattern?
My research is being conducted in the St Andrews Botanic Gardens, and I am setting up cameras at regular intervals to try and catch all the subtleties of the nest building process.
Alice Fouillouze: Erasmus MSc Student (2019)
I am a French MSc student, studying Behavioural Ecology and Wildlife Management at the University of Burgundy (France) and am interning with the Nestboxes project for 6 months. I am assisting with general fieldwork and data collection, but my particular focus is on the effect of temperature on material selection and breeding success in the context of climate change.
I am a French MSc student, studying Behavioural Ecology and Wildlife Management at the University of Burgundy (France) and am interning with the Nestboxes project for 6 months. I am assisting with general fieldwork and data collection, but my particular focus is on the effect of temperature on material selection and breeding success in the context of climate change.
Rowan Stanforth: Undergraduate Honours Student (2018-2019)
I am an undergraduate student in Biology, currently working on blue tit nest construction as part of my dissertation project. I am very interested in construction behavior in general and the cognitive and evolutionary processes that underlie it.
I am an undergraduate student in Biology, currently working on blue tit nest construction as part of my dissertation project. I am very interested in construction behavior in general and the cognitive and evolutionary processes that underlie it.
Kirsty Bond: Undergraduate Honours Student (2018-2019)
I am a final year undergraduate student in Behavioural Biology at the University of St Andrews. Particularly interested in the evolution and mechanisms of behaviour, and inspiring and educating others about the natural world.
I am a final year undergraduate student in Behavioural Biology at the University of St Andrews. Particularly interested in the evolution and mechanisms of behaviour, and inspiring and educating others about the natural world.
Austin Morin: Undergraduate Honours Student (2018-2019)
I was monitoring the blue tits as they built their nests in early spring. In order to monitor the bird's building progress I visited the nests and photographed the nests every few days. I recorded the state of nest and if there were any eggs. Once eggs hatched I also ringed nestlings. At the end of the breeding season I deconstructed the used nests, and I sorted them by the materials used. I will be using this data to write my undergraduate dissertation.
I was monitoring the blue tits as they built their nests in early spring. In order to monitor the bird's building progress I visited the nests and photographed the nests every few days. I recorded the state of nest and if there were any eggs. Once eggs hatched I also ringed nestlings. At the end of the breeding season I deconstructed the used nests, and I sorted them by the materials used. I will be using this data to write my undergraduate dissertation.
Tom Oldridge: Undergraduate Honours Student (2018-2019)
I am a final year undergraduate student at the University of St Andrews. I am currently in the process of conducting my dissertation research to assess the function(s) of the various materials that blue tits selectively forage, particularly that of moss. Along with Austin, I photographed the nest boxes located around St. Andrews and later deconstructed these in the lab to assess the proportion of the different materials utilised. I am particularly interested in animal construction behaviour and animal-plant interactions’
I am a final year undergraduate student at the University of St Andrews. I am currently in the process of conducting my dissertation research to assess the function(s) of the various materials that blue tits selectively forage, particularly that of moss. Along with Austin, I photographed the nest boxes located around St. Andrews and later deconstructed these in the lab to assess the proportion of the different materials utilised. I am particularly interested in animal construction behaviour and animal-plant interactions’
Previous Team Members
Nora Carlson: (2016-2018)
James St Clair: (2016)
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Inès Heeren: Intern (2018)
Barbara Klump: (2016-2017)
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Lauren Guillette: (2016-2018)
Alice Bernard: Intern (2017)
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Collaborators and Sponsors
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