My research to date sits at the interface of movement ecology, trophic ecology, taxonomy and applied conservation. I focus on the behavioural ecology of waterfowl, particularly quantifying their movements at fine spatial scales alongside their trophic environment and interactions with other birds and their habitats. I also specialise in the behaviour and taxonomy of aquatic invertebrates that form the prey base of these waterfowl, and how variation in these communities influences bird distribution and movement. By connecting these two systems, I aim to understand their structure and dynamics, identify predictable ecological patterns, and determine the processes that regulate population size and distribution.
My DPhil research builds on this work by examining waterfowl movement at a much larger, cross-continental scale between Europe and Asia. I am interested in whether migratory waterfowl track sequential waves of aquatic invertebrate resources across wetlands, and how changes in the timing and distribution of these resources shape migratory routes and population dynamics.
behaviour, ecology, evolution; ornithology
