Jodie Clements
Conservation Breeding Officer
About me
I’ve been avid about all things avian for as long as I know. From hatching domestic bird eggs in incubators and bird watching with my father as a child, to working with exotic species and learning of the value these interesting hobbies can have in the wider world. I strive to do what I love and love what I do. This and the inspirational people around me have got me where I am today.
My role
I have worked at WWT since 2017, largely with the Conservation Breeding Unit. Here I assisted with management of the safe-guard captive population of spoon-billed sandpiper, endeavouring to develop a recipe as it were for successful breeding in captivity I spent the summers of 2018 and 2019 in the Russian Far East assisting with the implementation of ‘headstarting’ for this species. From 2020, I have assisted the project remotely due to ongoing global events.
In 2023/24, I was seconded to Conservation Evidence to review and write-up the first decade of the Conservation Breeding Project for spoonies; collating data and experience for analysis with all involved partners in order to advise future hosts of captive spoonies.
I have been fortunate to spend more recent summers assisting with (and keep skills sharp) for another avian headstarting project abroad. The Conservation Breeding Unit has also allowed me to assist with numerous incubation, rearing, and release trials at WWT Slimbridge during my employment for use on national and international conservation programmes.
Skills
- Conservation/captive breeding avian species
- Artificial incubation and rearing avian species
- Avian ‘Headstarting’ techniques (egg collection, egg and chick transportation, rearing for release, release methods, post release monitoring)
- Fieldworking (breeding bird surveys, nest/brood location, behaviour monitoring)
- Observational and scientific drawing