BTO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
An experienced field biologist and analyst in the Framing Futures team, Adham takes a broad multi-taxa approach to understand how best to modify or restore landscapes for the conservation of biodiversity, adaptation to environmental change (e.g. climate change), the ecosystem services provided and the trade-offs between these. Adham is an expert at the use of passive acoustic monitoring to monitor a diverse range of often cryptic taxa.
Interests & Responsibilities
Recent projects have included leading the research and monitoring underpinning a large-scale 5-year landscape restoration project in the Polesia region of Belarus and Ukraine, a collaborative project under the umbrella of the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme.
Adham has advised and been involved with other ELSP projects in Scotland, Romania and Portugal and, with Máire Kirkland, developed models looking at the role of climate and edaphic factors (e.g. soil moisture) on the size and intensity of wildfires in Portugal and Polesia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Research Ecologist
Ailidh is in the Monitoring Research team and works on a wide range of projects related to understanding change in populations of birds and other taxa, and the effectiveness of protected areas. Her work encompasses analyses of abundance and distribution data from the BTO's major volunteer recording schemes (e.g. BBS and BirdTrack) and comprehensive literature searches on particular issues such as the impact of invertebrate declines, the importance of habitat recording and non-native species.
Interests & Responsibilities
Barnes, A.E., Robinson, R.A. & Pearce-Higgins, J.W. 2023. Collation of a century of soil invertebrate abundance data suggests long-term declines in earthworms but not tipulids. PLOS ONE View at journal website (DOI: 10.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist / Communications
Alastair is currently working alongside Natural England to improve knowledge of seabird flight heights and collision risk with offshore wind turbines in UK waters. His primary role is to undertake a review of existing methods for collecting seabird flight height data to inform our
Job Titles:
- Scottish Raptor Monitoring Coordinator
Amy works on behalf of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (SRMS). The SRMS is a partnership of eight organisations, each of which plays a key role in Scottish ornithology, notably with expertise in undertaking and reporting on scientifically rigorous monitoring of birds of prey. She is hosted by BTO Scotland. Amy works on behalf of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme (SRMS) raptormonitoring.org
Interests & Responsibilities
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Finance and Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Ecologist
Andrew is the Senior Research Ecologist for Northern Ireland. His primary role is to take the lead on the BTO NI operation. This entails working closely with NIEA/DAERA, nature conservation NGOs and other stakeholders in NI, to deliver an existing programme of funded research, to identify priority areas of future data and information needs, and design, develop, fundraise for, and deliver additional new research to meet the needs of stakeholders across NI.
Interests & Responsibilities
Before joining BTO, Andrew worked for 13 years with the National Trust, as the Countryside Manager for the East Down property group. Prior to that, he was an employee with the Ulster Wildlife Trust for 10 years, working his way up from Nature Reserves Officer to Nature Conservation Director. He was also a member of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside from 2009 to 2015, which provided an advisory role to the government.
Andrew has a particular interest in seabirds, having previously worked for JNCC on both the Seabirds at Sea and Seabird Monitoring Programme, Scottish Natural Heritage as the site manager for the Isle of Noss in Shetland, and National Trust as warden for the Farne Islands. He has also volunteered for RSWT in the Seychelles and Department of Conservation in New Zealand.
Andrew has been an ornithologist for 45 years. He has volunteered for BTO in NI since 2002, primarily undertaking BBS and WeBS. Andrew was one of the professional BBS field surveyors in NI from 2007 to 2021.
Andrew grew up in the West Midlands, but has lived in Northern Ireland since 2001 with his wife Elaine and daughter Caitlin. He enjoys going walking with their rescue dog Lola, who is an energetic Collie/Lab cross.
Qualifications
BA (Hons) Countryside Planning, University of Gloucestershire, 1993
HND Countryside Management, Aberystwyth University, 1992
Job Titles:
- Fieldwork Coordinator ( BTO Scotland )
Anthony is responsible for carrying out and reporting on fieldwork projects across Scotland.
Interests & Responsibilities
Originally trained as a botanist, Anthony started his career working as a habitat surveyor for Forestry Commission Scotland, before joining the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Developing Ecological Survey Skills trainee programme. Anthony has a broad range of multi-taxa survey skills and specialises in upland and forest habitats in a Scottish context, as well as at-sea seabird surveys. Prior to joining BTO Scotland in 2020, Anthony worked with RSPB on the long-running Ring Ouzel monitoring project in the Cairngorms and on a Willow Tit radio-tracking project in Yorkshire. He has also worked as a consultant ecologist, as a ringer at Landguard Bird Observatory, and has carried out fieldwork internationally, including assisting with a complete breeding population census of the critically endangered Christmas Frigatebird in 2017.
Anthony's responsibilities include planning and carrying out fieldwork across Scotland and Northern England, GIS analysis of tracking data, and providing GIS support to Research Ecologists. His main interests are upland birds, particularly Ring Ouzel and Ptarmigan, arctic-alpine habitats and seabird conservation. He is happiest on the hills, or onboard a boat on the high seas.
Anthony is an active ringer and a member of the Tay and Shiants Auk Ringing Groups, and is also a member of the Ring Ouzel Study Group. His other interests include learning Scottish Gaelic and exploring the use of art in science and conservation communication. Anthony's pronouns are he/him.
Qualifications
MSc Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants, University of Edinburgh, 2010
BSc (Hons.) Conservation and Forest Ecosystems, Bangor University, 2009
Job Titles:
- Head of Engagement and Development ( BTO Country Operations )
Ben is responsible for managing the team of staff that engages, develops and sustains supporters in the four nations of the UK. He also leads the Sustaining Supporters strategy action area.
Interests & Responsibilities
Job Titles:
- Member of the Scottish Raptor Study Group
- Research Ecologist
Björn works as a Research Ecologist on the BTO Scotland science team. His current main focus is the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme, helping with data management and analysis in order to improve understanding of raptor populations and support their conservation.
Interests & Responsibilities
Before joining BTO, Björn worked as a Quantitative Ecologist at the Biological Records Centre within the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology on national recording scheme data, particularly of insects, contributing to a study of farmland birds and agri-environment schemes, and modelling invasive species distributions in Europe.
Previously, Björn worked in Austria, carrying out bird and plant surveys for ecological consultancies and BirdLife Austria, and he was the ringer and climber for a White-tailed Eagle conservation project and a Honey Buzzard study. For his "civilian national service" Bjorn worked on a Great Bustard head-starting project in Germany.
Björn is a member of the Scottish Raptor Study Group, helping with peregrine, goshawk, sparrowhawk, osprey, red kite and barn owl nest monitoring, including as a climber. Bjorn also co-organises the Grasshopper & related insects Recording Scheme of Britain and Ireland.
Qualifications
PhD, University of York: ‘Using citizen science data to reveal the role of ecological processes in range changes of grasshoppers and crickets in Britain', 2017
MSc Environment and Development, University of Reading, 2002
BA/MA Classics, University of Oxford, 1999
Redhead, J.W., Hinsley, S.A., Beckmann, B.C., Broughton, R.K., Pywell, R.F. 2018. Effects of agri-environmental habitat provision on winter and breeding season abundance of farmland birds. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 251: 114-123 https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AGEE.2017.09.027
Beckmann, B.C., Purse, B.V., Roy, D.B., Roy, H.E., Sutton, P.G., Thomas, C.D. 2015. Two species with an unusual combination of traits dominate responses of British grasshoppers and crickets to environmental change. PloS One, 10(6): e0130488 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130488
Roy, H.E., Rorke, S.L., Beckmann, B., Booy, O., Botham, M.S., Brown, P.M.J., Harrower, C., Noble, D., Sewell, J., Walker, K. 2015. The contribution of volunteer recorders to our understanding of biological invasions. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115(3): 678-689 https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12518
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
- Ringing & Nest Records Process Manager
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
- Ringing & Nest Record Database Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Youth Engagement Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Associate Director Country Offices
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Senior Data Scientist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
- Head of Ringing & Nest Recording Team
Job Titles:
- Head & Principal Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Senior Research Officer
Job Titles:
- Engagement & Surveys Officer ( England )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Surveys Team
- Head of Surveys
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
Job Titles:
- Development and Engagement Coordinator ( England )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Biological Data Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Head & Principal Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Development and Engagement Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director - Information Systems
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
- Scheme Support Officer & Sustainability Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Reserve Manager
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Engagement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Surveys Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director, Science
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Northern Ireland Seabird Coordinator
Northern Ireland Seabird Coordinator Katherine Booth Jones describes her love for the wild coastal habitats of Northern Ireland and the charismatic seabirds that inhabit them.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Principal Ecologist - Seabirds
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
- Ringing Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Terrestrial Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Ringing and Nest Recording Team
- Licensing Officer
Job Titles:
- Acting Head of Science Scotland
- Research Ecologist, Reflects on His Work Tagging Songbirds to Collect Data about Their Migration Routes over the Sahara
Mark Wilson, BTO Research Ecologist, reflects on his work tagging songbirds to collect data about their migration routes over the Sahara.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Head & Principal Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Licensing and Sales Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Head of the Framing Futures Team, and Principal Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Associate Director, Research
Job Titles:
- Supporter Development Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Ringing & Nest Recording Communications Officer / Science Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Head of People and Organisational Development
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Principal Data Scientist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Development and Engagement Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Data Science and Bioacoustics Team
- Senior Research Ecologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Surveys Team
- Wetland Bird Survey Manager
Job Titles:
- Science Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Wetland and Marine Research Team
- Survey Organiser