Project Overview
In the Gulf of Maine, populations of gulls have fluctuated dramatically during the past several decades, largely as a result of human activities. Gulls are apex predators in nearshore marine ecosystems and can significantly alter terrestrial habitats on breeding islands. Though gulls are a conspicuous presence in coastal New England, surprisingly little is known about their population biology.
The Gull Population Biology program is designed around a unique, long-term gull banding program initiated in 2004 on Appledore Island focused on Great Black-backed Gulls (GBBG) and Herring Gulls (HERG). Field-readable leg bands are used to facilitate resights of live birds both on and off the island, and during the breeding and non-breeding season. Thousands of GBBGs and HERGs have been banded and resighted by island researchers. The project receives numerous resights from private citizens who observe banded gulls in nearly every state on the Atlantic coast (and a few inland states). The data generated from this project is used to quantify adult survival rates, dispersal patterns by sex and age, age at first reproduction, and many other aspects of gull biology. During the program, researchers will:
- Band adult and juvenile gulls of both species under the guidance of mentors.
- Conduct routine, on-island resights of banded gulls and assign nest IDs to all banded birds.
- Map nests using GPS.
- Monitor the reproductive success of banded gulls in key study areas via daily nest checks (# eggs, # eggs hatched, dates of hatch, chick survival to 10 days, chick fledging).
- Record data on gull diet.
- Participate in public outreach on and off Appledore Island.
- Participate in weekly discussions and lectures as part of the larger Shoals Undergraduate Research Group cohort.
Project Mentors
Gulls of Appledore Research Team (Dr. Kristen Covino, Dr. Liz Craig, Dr. Nichola Hill, Dr. Sara Morris, Dylan Titmuss)
Dates: May 30, 2025 to August 11, 2025
SML Research Symposium: August 9, 2025
Stipend: $2100 for the 10-week program
Includes room & board for 10 weeks and round-trip vessel transportation from Portsmouth, NH to Appledore Island. Researchers are responsible for their own transportation to/from Portsmouth, NH at the beginning and end of the program.
To Apply
- Application Deadline: February 10, 2025, 11:45 p.m. Eastern time
- Applicants should be prepared to upload (as separate files): cover letter, resume/CV, and unofficial transcripts. Please use the following naming convention for all files: Last_First Name_file title (example: Smith_John_resume).
- Request two letters of recommendation. At least one letter must be from a professor/faculty member. The second can be from a graduate student TA or employer.
- Undergraduates in all majors may apply.
- Prior relevant field/lab experience preferred but not required.
- All applicants will be notified of their application status by email no later than March 14, 2025.
Note for international students: International students studying in the United States under an F-1 visa are eligible to work as a research intern at SML. Before applying, we encourage students to confirm with their academic institution about their eligibility for off-campus employment through a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or other comparable program.
Questions?
Email shoals.lab@unh.edu
Read about David Mesta (SML '17, NECC '17) in the news! David was featured for his research on blood parasites in gulls on Appledore Island.