Current Appointments:
British
Trust for Ornithology -
Trustee
British Trust for Ornithology - Chair of Ringing
Committee
RSK/BioCensus - Principal Ornithologist
Ringing and Migration - Associate
Editor
Severnside Bird Ringing & Research Group
British Ornithologists’ Union - Scientific Programme Committee - Avian
Disease Ecology (2027)
Natural England Twite Recovery Steering Group
Bird Survey and Assessment Steering
Group
- Consulting -
Alongside my academic research, I am interested in evidence-based methods for bird survey design and data assessment. I have developed technical guidance and modeling approaches for industry, and have supported academic placements to tackle real-world challenges. I run a start-up that supports commercial and NGO clients to design and resource scientifically robust ornithological surveys and data assessment.
Bird Survey and Assessment Steering Group: Most ornithological consultancy work prior to 2018 was based on the BTO’s Common Bird Census (CBC), a method designed to monitor breeding birds at a national scale through repeated visits to farmland and woodland to record breeding behaviors. However, this approach is ill-suited to commercial surveys, which need to quantify bird use of a specific land parcel over fewer visits and account for a range of behaviors, including use of the site by birds nesting elsewhere. In 2016, I co-authored new commercial guidance that addresses these challenges. This guidance was published in 2018 and has since become the industry standard. I have continued to sit on the steering group overseeing its development. Through this work, I have also supervised several academic projects assessing the effectiveness of established methods. For example, evaluating the number of surveys needed to meet species diversity thresholds, or using BTO open data to assess site importance for birds. Additionally, I have contributed to the development of the CIEEM competency framework for ornithology, a desk-study tool using BTO data, and authored several technical notes on specific survey methodologies.
Skopeo: The Ornithology Network: I founded Skopeo with my partner in 2021, as a spin-out from work developing survey guidance published in 2018. We were responding, then as now, to an industry need for specialist, sustainable approaches to resourcing and interpreting ornithological survey data. Our approach uses competent, local bird surveyors for data collection, while we work with clients on their specific needs: survey design, data assessment, and extension modeling (for example, for collision risk). Our links with the ornithological community, academic practice, and the Bird Survey and Assessment Steering Group mean we are well placed to meet these needs. Our clients range from regional ecological consultants to global engineering firms, NGOs, and statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs). As a result, our work is varied. We work on conservation baselines and species-specific monitoring, support on and offshore sustainable development, and inform mitigation, compensation, and habitat enhancement for birds.