The European Ornithological Union Congress held in Wales this past August was the first scientific conference I had the opportunity to attend. It was all the more exciting that I was able to make my own small contribution to the content right away—namely, in the form of a poster presenting the results of my bachelor’s thesis, which addressed the question: “How does a diet consisting of landfill waste affect the immune systems of white stork and Mediterranean gull chicks?”

After a long train ride, we got started right away on Monday, and together with other volunteers, we helped the organizing team prepare everything for the upcoming days, including participant registration. This was an excellent opportunity to connect with other young people (mostly master’s or PhD students), and we quickly engaged in not only fascinating conversations about career paths—which provided inspiration for our own future possibilities—but also formed friendships that lasted throughout the conference. The following days were literally brimming with interesting short and long presentations—some delved into physiological relationships, such as mitochondrial function depending on nest temperatures. With my background in biomedicine from my studies, I particularly enjoyed these topics and found it fascinating to to place science “on a small scale”—that is, at the molecular and cellular levels—into a “broader context,” namely how individuals, populations, and species adapt to changes in their environment in the short and long term. Other speakers addressed questions regarding migration behavior, the effects of light pollution, habitat loss due to ski slopes, agricultural measures for lapwing conservation, the use of plastic in Spanish magpie nests, or how egg size affects breeding success. Bottom line: many very different topics in a very short time, all united by a common ornithological thread—and as someone generally interested in everything, I eagerly hopped back and forth between the rooms.

With the many different topics came at least as many different people. Talking to everyone was practically impossible, and the sheer number of conversations sometimes made my head spin. Nevertheless, I was able to gain a lot from all the interactions—either directly through new specialized knowledge or, even more often, through interpersonal exchanges. Above all, presenting my own poster was very enriching, and I was delighted by the genuine interest shown by those walking around and the resulting exciting questions and conversations.

All in all, this conference not only provided me with plenty of exciting material to reflect on, but also brought me greater clarity and inspiring connections for potential career paths. I am extremely grateful for these experiences and would like to extend a special thank you to the German Ornithological Society, whose support made this trip possible in the first place.

by Miriam Kott