Simon Wotton

Senior Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science

Background

My main focus has been on organising national surveys of scarce breeding species in the UK, the results of which help to identify any problems and, in some cases, lead on to developing conservation solutions. These have included surveys on hen harrier, nightjar, woodlark, Dartford warbler, ring ouzel and cirl bunting, as well as coordinating national bittern monitoring since 2005.

In some cases, novel survey methods have been devised for individual species, such as a playback method along transects for surveying ring ouzels.

I have a keen interest in lowland heath and am a member of the RSPB Lowland Heathland Nature Recovery group.

I am the RSPB representative on the Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS) steering group, with representatives from British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).

I am supporting recently established Common Bird Monitoring schemes in Botswana, Kenya and Uganda, and am involved with the Global Wild Bird Indicator project.

I provide ongoing support to BirdLife Cyprus's monitoring of illegal bird trapping.

Partners and Collaboration

  • Dr Teresa Frost, British Trust for Ornithology
  • Dr Ian Burfield, BirdLife International
  • Mr Andrew Stevenson, Scottish Natural Heritage
  • Mr Tassos Shialis, BirdLife Cyprus

Contact

Simon Wotton

Simon Wotton

Senior Conservation Scientist, Conservation Science

The Lodge, Potton Road, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL

simon.wotton@rspb.org.uk

Research Gate

Specialisms

New methods and technologies Protected areas Tropical forests UK species Upland Woodland

Selected Publications

Synergies between site protection and agri-environment schemes for the conservation of waders on lowland wet grasslands

Two conservation strategies have been put in place in Europe to address precipitous population declines of wading birds that breed on lowland wet grasslands. These are site protection and agri-environment schemes (AESs) and the two ...

Date
04 April 2014
RSPB Authors
Dr Jennifer Smart, Prof Richard Gregory, Simon Wotton
Authors
Smart, J., Wotton, S., Dillion, R., Cooke, I.A., Diack, A.I., Drewitt, I., Grice, A.L., Gregory, P.V. & Richard D.
Published in
Ibis
View publication Details
Curlew Lapwing Redshank Snipe England UK species

The status of the Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus in the UK in 2012

Capsule: There were up to 6348 Ring Ouzel territories in the UK in 2012.Aims: To produce estimates of the size of the Ring Ouzel breeding population in the UK and its constituent countries.Methods: A stratified random selection of tetrads was surveyed within...

Date
02 May 2016
RSPB Authors
Simon Wotton, Dr Mark Eaton
Authors
Wotton, S.R., Stanbury, A.J., Douse, A. & Eaton, M.A.
Published in
Bird Study 63: 155-164
View publication Details
UK UK species

Bitterns and Bittern Conservation in the UK

Once widespread and even locally numerous across the lowlands of the UK, the Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris had been extirpated by a combination of habitat loss and persecution by the late 1880s....

Date
01 January 2012
RSPB Authors
Simon Wotton
Authors
Brown, A., Gilbert, G. & Wotton, S.
Published in
British Birds
View publication Details
Bittern UK UK species

Long term stability of White-necked Picathartes population in south-east Sierra Leone

White-necked Picathartes Picathartes gymnocephalus is a globally 'Vulnerable' bird endemic to the highly threatened Upper Guinea forests in West Africa. In an environment under a high level of threat...

Date
07 September 2011
RSPB Authors
Dr Graeme Buchanan, Simon Wotton, Dr Tony Morris
Authors
Monticelli, D., Siaka, A., Buchanan, G.M., Wotton, S., Morris, T, Wardill, J.C., Lindsell, J.A.
Published in
Bird Conservation International
View publication Details
International White-necked Picathartes International species

The increase in the Corncrake Crex crex population of the United Kingdom has slowed

Providing an update on the population size and distribution of breeding Corncrakes in the UK, including the results of the most recent full national survey and annual monitoring of the core population.

Date
12 October 2015
RSPB Authors
Simon Wotton
Published in
Bird Study Volume 62, 2015 - Issue 4
View publication Details
Corncrake UK
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