Abiodun Ademola

BSc Forestry and Wood Technology, (Federal University of Technology, Abeokuta, Nigeria)

Hailing from Nigeria, Abiodun has an undergraduate degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. She is a goal-oriented young lady, passionate about nature conservation. Abi is interested in improving species and ecosystem interactions to improve conservation management across all landscapes. 

Abi is committed to conserving biodiversity for posterity by working to solve conservation challenges in her country and Africa at large. During her undergraduate studies, she reached out to students and neighbouring communities of the University on the need to make wise use of the natural resources for posterity. This was made possible fthrough her position of President of the Forestry and Wildlife Student Association (FOWISA).

Abi's MSc study will investigate whether human presence affects Red-winged starlings and their chicks Her objectives are:
(1) to verify that the relationship between high numbers of high human presence days and poor nestling growth is still present post covid-19 and assess whether this is associated with increased (GCMs in nestlings exposed to high human traffic on campus (nestling tGCMs measured from faecal sacs deposited away from the nest by parent birds: these are easily collected if the parent is observed carrying the faecal sac from the nest, and some birds in the study population will bring these sacs to researchers in return for a raisin).
(2) to assess whether the negative relationship between fGCMs and pedestrian traffic in non-breeding adult Red-winged starlings In winter is reversed in breeding adult starlings in summer, and examine relationships with body mass maintenance and behaviour.

Thesis:
Impacts of fluctuating human presence on behaviour and physiology of urban Red-winged Starlings (Supervisors: Dr Susie Cunningham and Dr Celiwe Ngcamphalala).