Hello again! I am now three months into my saline lagoons traineeship with The Conservation Volunteers and National Museums Scotland. With the arrival of spring and (slightly) better weather, the past two months have seen me spending more and more time outdoors in my wellies! Here are just a few of the things I have been up to in March and April (both in and out of my wellies!)…
Surveying My First Saline Lagoon
After learning and talking so much about saline lagoons over the past few months, it was very exciting to finally visit one! Despite the weeks of planning involved in organising this survey day, clearly the one thing I had forgotten to book was good weather! But, wrapped up in waterproofs and the essential wellies, we set off to the lagoon anyway, armed with nets, sieves and many sample tubes.
Happy to be out at my first saline lagoon!! This is Skinflats Lagoon in the Inner Firth of Forth.
The day was a great learning experience for me to get to grips with all the different sampling techniques used in lagoon fieldwork (more detail to follow in the next blog post!), and I can’t wait to find out what species we have collected when I sort through the samples in the lab later…
Taking my first salinity reading using the refractometer.
Sharing Saline Lagoons with New Audiences
As well as collecting more data on the species found in saline lagoons, a big part of my traineeship is to raise awareness of these fascinating habitats. In March, I was invited to give a talk at a science meeting between National Museums Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. I enjoyed having the opportunity to show off the cool invertebrate and plant life that thrives in saline lagoons, including specialist isopods, snails and charophytes.
Showing off saline lagoon invertebrates at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
In April, I travelled to SCENE (Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment) on the sunny banks of Loch Lomond for the Scottish Freshwater Group Spring Conference. I presented a poster on my saline lagoon research, met lots of freshwater biologists and learnt about a variety of freshwater research projects across Scotland through a series of interesting talks throughout the day.
Me and my saline lagoons poster at the Scottish Freshwater Group Conference.
And More…
One of my favourite things about my traineeship is how varied every week and day can be! Here are some snippets of my recent adventures:
I worked with Natural Talent Trainee Rebecca at the Edinburgh Science Festival Careers Hive. We used science experiments to engage school pupils with science and talk to them about careers in STEM.
I attended the Porcupine Marine Natural History Society Conference in Millport. Great to meet so many marine enthusiasts and have the chance to explore the local marine life with them too!
I went out with the TCV Coastal Community Trainees for a day in Gullane. We worked hard in the morning on unblocking a nearby stream before enjoying a rocky shore explore in the afternoon.
I had a fun day in Maryhill, Glasgow working with TCV Scotland and Natural Networks Trainees to bring local communities closer to nature. These kids couldn’t get enough of our newts and pond invertebrates!
My wellies had an outing again at the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative Rocky Shore Day. Here we are looking for plastic nurdles on Limekilns beach.
I should join a welly club! Essential kit for getting involved in Capturing our Coast: a UK-wide marine citizen science project.
Stay tuned for more updates from me and my wellies!
Katherine Whyte
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Find out more about Natural Talent, National Museums Scotland and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.