I'm really pleased to say that I passed my PhD Viva today without corrections, which means I am now officially a Doctor of Biology! The viva involved an interview process with two professors in similar fields of biology asking lots of questions as to the reasoning behind my research as well as my key findings. Despite being a nerve-wracking process, it was also a great opportunity to talk to experts in the field as to how my research fits into the wider context of evolutionary and ecological research. It goes without saying that I couldn't have achieved this without the professional and personal support of my supervisors (Ben, Josh and Ella) and the rest of the research group at Oxford - thank you everyone and on to the next chapter!

Spotted flycatchers are very much a 'Brill bird' to me. Brill, a small village on the Buckinghamshire side of the Bucks/Oxon border, is where my parents live and where I grew up. The unusual thing about the village is that it is on top of a hill at roughly 120m altitude in an area of generally very flat land. To me, this seems a likely reason as to why it draws in a few migrating species during the autumn that hit higher land on their long flights. Spotted flycatchers are a migratory species which breed across the UK and overwinter in tropical Africa. The UK breeding population has taken a real hit over the last few years, dropping by 92% between 1967–2020, making them a red list species that aren't particularly easy to find. The reason for this severe decline is somewhat unclear, but is likely linked to climate change at their wintering sites as well as a loss of insects and suitable habitat in the UK. Despite this serious decline, I came across no less than four on a walk through the village common today, which was a real treat!