Migratory Birds: ecology and conservation

BOU Annual Conference 2010
University of Leicester
5 - 7 April 2011


supported by
BTO / JNCC / RSPB / University of Sheffield

Migratory birds are all around us; warblers singing in spring, seabirds gliding across shimmering summer seas, a mass of shorebirds reeling across our cool coastal skies in autumn to the plumped out thrushes in our winter berry hedges. Britain hosts some of the largest concentrations of migratory birds anywhere in the world, with internationally important numbers of many waterbirds and seabirds. Not surprisingly, much of our research has focussed on understanding these species and their habitats, and this has been fundamental to developing our conservation approaches. But, our migrants are only ours for part of their lives and this presents a significant challenge in understanding their ecology and the pressures they face throughout the year; our research and conservation activities have to be placed in an international context, taking into account complementary activities in other range countries and through pursuit of international collaboration.

The BOU last presented a conference dedicated to migratory birds in 1990 – The ecology and conservation of Palaearctic-African migrants (Ibis 134 (1992) Supp 1: 1 -132). Since then, many BOU conferences have included presentations on migratory birds partly because these species make up such a large proportion of our bird fauna, but also because the themes have been so relevant to migrants. In addition, there have been a number of other important international conferences that have progressed our understanding of migratory birds, such as Waterbirds Around the World in 2004. Building on these, this conference will provide a topical update on research into bird migration and the current challenges facing migrants. It will aim to cover the following topics:

· Annual cycles, especially movement patterns, connectivity, stop-over ecology, moult strategies and carry-over effects;

· Individual and population responses to environmental change, including range change, phenological shifts and migration strategies, with a focus on agriculture, deforestation and desertification;

· Management strategies, especially through international cooperation and collaboration;

· Methodological and technological advances in migration study.

The conference scope will be terrestrial, freshwater and marine, with a focus on population-level research and management. Participants will be asked to identify research and management priorities by considering the scope of current knowledge showcased by the conference, information gaps and likely future pressures.

The conference is aimed at research and conservation organisations as well as statutory government agencies, and those engaged in policy and advocacy.

The conference will aim to:

· Explore advances in our understanding of the behaviour and ecology of migrant birds, especially at population or annual cycle levels;

· Highlight species’ responses to environmental change, especially at the population level and in relation to habitat change;

· Demonstrate habitat and species management practices and challenges, with a focus on international collaboration, habitat protection, conflict resolution, wise use and the societal value of migrant birds (in ecosystems, food, culture);

· Consider the evidence needs for managing migratory bird populations into the future, especially in light of challenges presented by water, food and energy security;

· Showcase the very latest methods for studying migration, focussing on technological and analytical advances, especially spatial analysis and behavioural modelling.

Bookings now open.

See the programme for open slots for which we invite papers for presentation.

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