Following those who follow seabirds. Mapping collaborations in the field using a mixed-method approach

How do researchers choose their field sites? In the case of seabird research, this question is all the more complex, because the birds themselves choose remote sites for which access and living conditions are strongly limited for the researchers. In this paper, I describe the use of a mixed methodology within my doctoral research to identify what access to the field site really means for researchers and how sites are connected together. This research contributes to the geography of science, examining the spatial dynamics behind scientific research. Here, I identify that some sites are more attractive for seabird researchers, and discuss why. While some sites are attractive to many research teams, they can also be a personal space for one researcher and thus the network between sites is a network of collaborations between single or teams of researchers.