Language:

Volunteer For Us

Come and Volunteer for the EU LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater Project

First things first - What work will be involved?

These options can be taken separately or all combined. Boat based observations are dependent on finding a boat and so are usually combined with one other activity depending on the time of year.

1. Boat Based Observations

Requirements

Ability to identify seabirds (training will be provided, but some basic id skills are required)
Enthusiasm and an interest in conservation are essential.
Willingness to arrange and pay for own travel to Malta.
Might involve spending days at sea.

Whats In It For You:

The chance to spend time out at sea on a boat (possibly a fishing boat which is interesting in itself) looking for Yelkouan Shearwaters in particular. Data will be logged in the European Seabirds at Sea database so will be of international value. On a recent observation, volunteers and staff saw dolphins (a family party), pomarine skuas, cory’s and yelkouan shearwaters, yellow legged gulls, lesser black backs. Migratory birds are also a high possibility in Spring.

Why We Need You:

To complement our ringing, data logging and satellite tagging of shearwaters, we require observers to spend time at sea on boats surveying Maltese waters for Yelkouan Shearwaters and other seabirds. This will help to build our understanding of seabird distributions and their behaviour around boats.

2. Ringing and Monitoring Work

Requirements

The work requires some climbing on cliffs (with ropes where required) so a head for heights is necessary BTO or similar ringing licence essential

What’s in it for you

Spending time on the cliffs monitoring the birds is one of the great pleasures of the job. The birds can be heard in the burrows cooing and out at sea calling. This is a very rare chance to see yelkouan shearwater close up and contribute to the monitoring and tagging work that is going on in Malta.

Why we need you

The team have been stretched resource wise as the monitoring work requires sometimes all night sessions on the cliffs and so help would be greatly appreciated. The work will go towards identifying the feeding grounds of Yelkouan Shearwaters and other seabirds. The project is being undertaken with a view to designating the first Marine IBA in Malta.

3. Site based work

Requirements

Any of the below:

Enthusiasm! Even if you have no experience, you can really help our site warden out with a extra pair of hands
Monitoring skills (bird, insect, butterfly, bat, moth, reptile, vegetation, other!)
Practical skills such as rubble wall repair
People skills - talking to visitors, campers, bbqers, quad bikers, trappers, residents to tell them about the project and encourage positive behaviour
Site management skills

What’s in it for you

The project site of Rdum tal-Madonna is a spectacular rocky peninsular in the North of Malta. This is a chance to spend some time outdoors on the site, helping our site warden to improve the site for wildlife and people.

Why we need you

There is little history of SPA management in Malta, especially for these cliff top sites and we need some positive input in this area. Practical help in all the above aspects is urgently needed. Also, the site warden is managing a large area alone which has multiple challenges in terms of human impact – talking face to face with people is likely to have a very positive effect.