Ecology of migrant birds in Africa

Populations of long-distance migrant birds are declining across Europe, often at a faster rate than short-distance migrants and resident species.

Despite a wealth of work conducted on the breeding grounds, the causes of the declines are unknown for many of these species, suggesting a potential role for conditions on migration routes and wintering grounds. However, relatively little is known about the ecology of migrants outside of the breeding season.

We aim to increase our knowledge of migrants' wintering ecology through intensive field work in sub-Saharan Africa. Together with analysis of remote sensing data and work with local communities, we are working to enhance our understanding of the impact of land use change.

• To understand the distribution and resource use of priority Afro-Palaearctic landbird migrants outside of the breeding season, at stopover sites and on their wintering grounds.
• To assess the scale of habitat change in sub-Saharan West Africa and identify the drivers of land use change.
• To understand the socioeconomic basis of land use change and develop ways of mitigating such change.

• 2011-2016: Stopover and wintering ecology of wood warblers at three sites in Ghana and Burkina Faso
• 2015-2017: Distribution and habitat use of European turtle doves in Senegal
• 2012 - present: Broad scale distribution of wood warblers in relation to land use change
• 2016-2017: Are European population trends of migrants related to land use and climate change in sub-Saharan Africa?     

 

• Three years of intensive radio tracking, investigating tree selection and habitat use, completed at each of three wood warbler staging and wintering sites in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Playback surveys for wood warblers carried out in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Cameroon. 
• Two seasons investigating the distribution and fine-scale habitat use, using remote-download GPS trackers, of European turtle doves in Senegal. 
• Population trends of migrant birds across Europe related to land use and climate change, using remote sensing data. 
• Transects set up through Shea parklands to measure impact of management interventions on migrant bird numbers.

 

• The economics of conservation and land use change: PhDs: 2016-2019: "Political ecology of trees and birds in Ghana" (University of Cambridge). 2017-2020: "Cost-effectively conserving Afro-palaearctic migrants in West Africa" (University of Sheffield).                                    
• 2017-2019: Trialling effect of management interventions in Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) parklands

• British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
• Ghana Wildlife Society
• Ghana Ringing Scheme
• Naturama 
• Vogelbescherming Nederland
• Nature Communauté Développement 
• University of Cambridge
• University of Sheffield 
• The Beer-Sheba Project
• Birdlife International

• Sussex Ornithological Society
• The Wetland Trust & Porzana Ltd
• Cambridge Conservation Initiative