Galapagos
In April 2019, I was fortunate enough to be chosen alongside a group of students, to take part in a trip to the Galapagos Archipelago. We spent two weeks there, dividing our time between Santa Cruz and Isabella. Whilst on Santa Cruz, we stayed at the Charles Darwin Foundation, where extensive work and research is carried out to help preserve the archipelago and its inhabitants. During our stay, we were tasked with creating a film for the foundation about the plight of endemic land birds and the invasive parasitic fly that is damaging their populations (see below).
Not only did we get to experience the terrestrial worlds of the Galapagos, but also its underwater realms. These were some of the most interesting and diverse dives of my life in an absolutely phenomenal location.
For the Love of Birds
For the Love of Birds' is a visual documentary about the Philornis downsi and Landbirds projects being undertaken by the Charles Darwin Foundation, supported by the Galapagos Conservation Trust. By contextualizing a parasitic fly through the iconic and beautiful birds of the Galapagos that it threatens, our piece provides a moving account of this pioneering research.
Find out more about the project here:
https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/research/projects/philornis-downsi