UEA student wins bishop's ecology prize for plover research

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 07:02 · Archive

Adam Bourton, a University of East Anglia master's student, has won the Bishop of Norwich's annual £1,000 ecology prize for research on protecting endangered ringed plovers.

Adam Bourton, a master's student at the University of East Anglia, has won the Bishop of Norwich's annual £1,000 ecology prize for his research on ringed plovers. Ground-nesting ringed plovers are on the UK 'Red List' of highest conservation concern. Bourton worked with the RSPB to study the effectiveness of wire mesh cages designed to protect eggs laid by the wading birds on beaches in north Norfolk and beside the Solent in the south of England.

The cages protect eggs from predators while still allowing adult birds access to their nests. Bourton's research found that while the cages did improve nest survival, they also increased the death rate of adult ringed plovers in Norfolk. This finding suggests that habitat and predators at each location should be taken into account when considering whether to use the protective cages.

Bourton said he became interested in ringed plovers while working as a membership fundraiser for the RSPB. 'Seeing the birds up close really captured my attention,' he said. 'Watching them run around the beach like little bandits, with their distinctive mask-like facial markings, I just thought they were great.' The Bishop of Norwich Prize for Ecology is sponsored by the Anne French Memorial Trust and is awarded annually to the student whose dissertation achieves the highest marks in the UEA's MSc course in applied ecology and conservation.

How it is being reported

• UEA student 'over the moon' to win bishop's ecology prize for ringed plover researchA UEA researcher working to protect endangered ringed plovers nesting on Norfolk beaches has won the annual Bishop of Norwich Prize for Ecology.Eastern Daily Press · 13 Oct, 06:00
• UEA student 'over the moon' to win bishop's ecology prize for ringed plover researchA UEA researcher working to protect endangered ringed plovers nesting on Norfolk beaches has won the annual Bishop of Norwich Prize for Ecology.Norwich Evening News · 13 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Adam Bourton · University of East Anglia · RSPB · Bishop of Norwich · Norfolk · Solent · Anne French Memorial Trust

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem