D. Philip Whitfield

• PhD
• Managing Director at Natural Research

Natal dispersal is a crucial period for raptors with serious implications for individuals’ survival and population demography. In this study we analyzed data from 18 GPS-tracked golden eagles in order to describe their dispersal ecology in northern Greece, where the species feeds mostly on tortoises. Young eagles in our population dispersed at 176...

Satellite tracking allows for novel investigations into golden eagle home range characteristics. Understanding home range characteristics is important for conservation and for assessing the potential impact of landscape changes from forest planting, wind farms, etc. Small sample sizes, inconsistent definitions and methods restricted several previou...

GPS satellite tracking allows novel investigations of how golden eagles Aquila chrysaetos use the landscape at several scales and at different life history stages, including research on geographical barriers which may prevent or limit range expansion or create population/sub-population isolation. If there are significant barriers to golden eagle mo...

Despite advancements through satellite telemetry, knowledge of the behaviour and ecology of large raptors during natal dispersal is still poor, even though this transience phase is important in understanding the population dynamics and conservation of these keystone species. After this phase, which can take several years, the subsequent rapid trans...

Understanding drivers underlying birds’ responses to operational wind turbines is essential for robust wind farm proposal assessments, especially for large raptors with life history traits engendering sensitivity to impacts from two potential adverse effects: fatality through collision with rotating turbine blades and functional habitat loss throug...

Research on potentially adverse effects of wind farms is an expanding field of study and often focuses on large raptors, such as golden eagles, largely because of their life history traits and extensive habitat requirements. These features render them sensitive to either fatality (collision with turbine blades) or functional habitat loss (avoidance...

Natal dispersal distance (NDD) is critical in understanding and defining populations and their conservation. It is defined as the linear distance between the natal location and first reproductive (‘effective NDD’) or potential reproductive (‘gross NDD’) location. It is a measure of gene flow and the functional connectivity across generations betwee...

Natal dispersal of large raptors is poorly understood, despite being a crucial transitional life-cycle phase affecting gene flow and population dynamics. A research-gap rarely examined concerns how young dispersing raptors strategize movements towards first settlement on a prospective breeding territory. First territory settlement is a critical dec...

With life-history traits involving high survival, low reproductive output, years of natal dispersal and deferred maturity, the population ecology and behaviour of large raptors which occur at low densities can be difficult to study. The age at which large raptors first settle on a prospective breeding territory receives relatively little attention,...

Golden Eagles are resident in Greece and known to feed mainly on tortoises when breeding. However, information on alternative prey is scarce, especially during the tortoise brumation, that roughly coincides with the eagles’ non-breeding season. We analyzed 827 prey items collected from 12 territories over five territory years and 84 records of eagl...

Wind farms can have two broad potential adverse effects on birds via antagonistic processes: displacement from the vicinity of turbines (avoidance), or death through collision with rotating turbine blades. These effects may not be mutually exclusive. Using detailed data from 99 turbines at two wind farms in central Scotland and thousands of GPS-tel...

Wind farms may have two broad potential adverse effects on birds via antagonistic processes: displacement from the vicinity of turbines (avoidance), or death through collision with rotating turbine blades. Large raptors are often shown or presumed to be vulnerable to collision and are demographically sensitive to additional mortality, as exemplifie...

Climate change and anthropogenic nitrogen deposition are widely regarded as important drivers of environmental change in alpine habitats. However, due to the difficulties working in high‐elevation mountain systems, the impacts of these drivers on alpine breeding species have rarely been investigated. The Eurasian dotterel (Charadrius morinellus) is...

Capsule: The undulating display flight of Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos has a territorial function on current consensus: we found that displays could occur at any location within a home range of territorial birds and were not more frequent at the territorial limits (as documented by a previous study) or around the nest site. Aims: To test the nul...

Summary of the monitoring of impact of operating wind turbines in 2015

Summary of the results and conclusions on the wind farm impact on birds for 2016

Summary of the results and conclusions on the impact of operational wind turbines on birds in NE Bulgaria

Monitoring of the impact of Wind turbines on birds in Bulgaria

In general, there are clear advantages to using simple and relatively inflexible statistical methods, even when model interpretability is not paramount (James et al. 2013). However, model transferability is an essential, but difficult to achieve, feature of Species Distribution Models (SDMs) (Fielding & Haworth 1995, Yates et al. 2018) which can on...

Many large raptors exploit or rely on anabatic and orographic winds which provide vertical lift, to supplement or provide the energy fuelling flight. Airspace is therefore a critical habitat for such large raptors and its use is subject to the underlying terrestrial topography, because particular topographic features are more likely to provide wind...

For many species, there is evidence that breeding performance changes as an individual ages. In iteroparous species, breeding performance often increases through early life and is expected to level out or even decline (senesce) later in life. An individual's sex and conditions experienced in early life may also affect breeding performance and how t...

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform requested a thorough investigation of the fates of satellite tagged raptors, especially golden eagles. This report provides a major review of the movements and fates of golden eagles satellite tagged during 2004 - 2016. Of 131 young eagles tracked, as many as 41 (31%) have disapp...

Más recursos gratuitos sobre ciencias ambientales en: www.ScienceJournalForKids.org Imagínate qué sentirías al volar por el cielo con unas alas tan anchas que, cuando coges un poco de aire caliente que se eleva, remontas el vuelo durante kilómetros. Así es como vuelan los buitres cuando buscan su próxima comida. Por desgracia, los mejores lugares...

Imagine how it would feel to fly through the sky on wings so wide, when you catch some rising warm air you soar for miles! This is how vultures fly as they look out for their next meal. Unfortunately, places that are best for vultures can also be good locations for wind farms because there’s lots of wind to turn their turbines and make electricity....

A better understanding of the mechanisms driving superpredation, the killing of smaller mesopredators by larger apex predators, is important because of the crucial role superpredation can play in structuring communities and because it often involves species of conservation concern. Here we document how the extent of superpredation changed over time...

This report presents results of the ornithological survey and monitoring at Saint Nikola Wind Farm (SNWF) in the period 01 December 2016 to 15 March 2017, continuing from similar studies in previous winters before and after construction of SNWF including period of carcass searches and Turbine Shut Down System application in winter 2016-2017. As sta...

Understanding the ranging behaviours of species can be helpful in effective conservation planning. However, for many species that are rare, occur at low densities, or occupy challenging environments, this information is often lacking. The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a low density apex predator declining in both non-protected and protec...

Mapping of data used in modeling Martial Eagle habitat utilization showing the heterogeneity of the landscape in Kruger National Park. Tree cover was sourced from Sexton et al. [51], a 72 class National Land Cover (72 class NLC, from http://bgis.sanbi.org) was used to understand the preferred landscape types. A 1:50 000 river map was used to inform...

Net Squared Displacement (square distance between each point and the first location, plotted over time) of Martial Eagles tracked from Kruger National Park showing six individuals that remained in spatially confined areas for the majority of their tracking period and two individuals (G32516 and G32551) that roamed widely. Plots are not to the same...

Minimum Convex Polygon (dashed red lines) enclosing all (100%) tracking locations of birds that held stable home ranges and the trajectory (blue lines) of those locations showing movements over the course of each individuals tracking period. (TIFF)

Table showing the number of GPS locations (presence points) used in the habitat preference models for each bird. Data that are used in the breeding period model are shown in bold. (DOCX)

Data used in modelling the habitat preference of Martial Eagles during the non-breeding period. (CSV)

A 72 class National Land Cover map (SANBI) was used to inform habitat preferences of Martial Eagles. Categories that contained < 2% of absence and presence points were collapsed into a class ?other?. (DOCX)

Generalised linear mixed model showing how Martial Eagle hourly step lengths are affected by the breeding status (breeding vs. non-breeding period), the month of the year, and territorial behaviour. (DOCX)

Akaike Information Criteria (AICc) and associated statistics for the top five GLMMs for the non-breeding period habitat utilization of Martial Eagles in relation to tree cover (TC), National Land Cover class (LC), distance to nearest river (DRi), elevation (El), slope (Sl), distance to the territory edge (Ed), and distance to nearest road (DRo). An...

Data used in modelling the habitat preference of Martial Eagles during the breeding period. (CSV)

Wind farm development can combat climate change but may also threaten bird populations’ persistence through collision with wind turbine blades if such development is improperly planned strategically and cumulatively. Such improper planning may often occur. Numerous wind farms are planned in a region hosting the only cinereous vulture population in...

Vulture telemetry locations used in the analysis. (DOCX)

Predicted cumulative annual collision mortality under different avoidance rates for operating and proposed wind farms per conservation zones. (DOCX)

Technical characteristics and coordinates of the operating and proposed wind farms in the study area. (DOCX)

Average values per conservation zone of the technical and biological parameters feeding the Collision Risk Model. (DOCX)

The Band Collision Risk Model (CRM) described by Band et al. (2007) attempts to estimate the number of fatalities at an operational wind farm that will result from birds colliding with rotating turbine blades due to given levels of flight activity (Stage 1) and the probability of a bird passing through spinning rotor blades actually being hit by th...

The Band Collision Risk Model (CRM) described by Band et al. (2007) attempts to estimate the number of fatalities at an operational wind farm that will result from birds colliding with rotating turbine blades due to given levels of flight activity (Stage 1) and the probability of a bird passing through spinning rotor blades actually being hit by th...

Harnessing wind energy is seen as an environmentally friendly strategy to combat climate change. However, adverse environmental impacts have come to light for species that are prone to collision with wind turbine blades, such as vultures, leading to a conflict between wind energy industry and conservation. Our study area epitomized such a conflict,...

This report presents results of the ornithological survey and monitoring at Saint Nikola Wind Farm (SNWF) in the period 01 December 2015 to 15 March 2016, continuing from similar studies in previous winters before and after construction of SNWF including period of carcass searches and Turbine Shut Down System application in winter 2015-2016. As sta...

The recognition of individual animals is essential for many types of ecological research, as it enables estimates of demographic parameters such as population size, survival and reproductive rates. A popular method of visually identifying individuals uses natural variations in spot, stripe or scar markings. Although several studies have assessed th...

Harnessing wind energy is often considered as an environmentally friendly strategy able to combat climate change on one hand, but even small-scale wind farms threaten on the other hand the persistence of local raptor populations prone to collision with turbine blades. This paper attempts to explore the interrelation between predicted wind farm coll...

Capsule The number of Dotterel breeding in the UK declined by 57% between 1987/88 and 2011, from 980 to 423 breeding males; there has been a contraction of the species’ geographical range as well as declining numbers on core sites. Aims To estimate the number of Dotterel breeding in the UK in 2011, the changes since surveys in 1987–88 and 1999, an...

Wind industry is among fastest evolving green sectors of renewable energy production, contributing on one hand to gas emission reduction, but negatively a#ecting on the other hand species that are prone to collision with wind turbine blades. This paper attempts to resolve the con"ict between wind energy investments and conservation .We used telemet...

Concerns over CO 2 emissions during energy generation and its effect on climate change have led to increases in the use of renewables, such as wind energy. However, there are also serious environmental concerns over this type of energy production due to its impacts on bats and birds. In southern Africa, bearded vultures have declined by >30% during...

Conservation management of species distributed across fragmented habitats requires consideration of population genetic structure and relative levels of genetic diversity throughout the relevant geographic range. The Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos is monitored within Scotland to ensure its survival in the face of land-use pressure, persecution and f...

This report presents results of the ornithological survey and monitoring at Saint Nikola Wind Farm (SNWF) in the period 01 December 2014 to 15 March 2015, continuing from similar studies in previous winters before and after construction of SNWF. The primary objective of wintering bird studies at SNWF is to investigate the possible effects of the wi...

Currently, according to SNH (2010) guidance the recommended avoidance rate for swans under the Band Collision Risk Model (CRM) is 98 %. The objective of the present report is to evaluate available contemporary information on the most suitable value for an avoidance rate for swans that may encounter at operational onshore wind farms. We highlight t...

Currently, there is no general agreement about the extent to which predators impact prey population dynamics and it is often poorly predicted by predation rates and species abundances. This could, in part be caused by variation in the type of selective predation occurring. Notably, if predation is selective on categories of individuals that contrib...

Separation of animals and humans using a protective set-back distance (Minimum Ap-proaching Distance) is a popular tool for conservation managers to promote wildlife-hu-man coexistence. In several cases, Minimum Approaching Distance is based on how ani-mals respond to an approaching human, using Flight Initiation Distance or Alert Distance. Alert D...

This report presents results of the ornithological survey and monitoring at Saint Nikola Wind Farm (SNWF) in the period 01 December 2013 to 15 March 2014, continuing from similar studies in previous winters before and after construction of SNWF. The primary objective of wintering bird studies at SNWF is to investigate the possible effects of the wi...

Dispersal comprises three broad stages - departure from the natal or breeding locations, subsequent travel, and settlement. These stages are difficult to measure, and vary considerably between sexes, age classes, individuals and geographically. We used tracking data from 24 golden eagles, fitted with long-lived GPS satellite transmitters as nestlin...

The report presents results of the ornithological survey and monitoring at Saint Nikola Wind Farm (SNWF) in the period 01 December 2012 to15 March 2013, continuing from similar studies in previous winters before and after construction of SNWF. The primary objective of wintering bird studies at SNWF is to investigate the possible effects of the wind...

Capsule The breeding season diets of White-tailed Eagles and Golden Eagles in western Scotland were different, and there was no evidence of competition between the two species. Aim To test the hypothesis that the reintroduced White-tailed Eagles will have an adverse effect on Golden Eagles through competition for food. Methods Collections of prey r...

Capsule The loss of eagles from large tracts of lowland and upland habitat in Britain and Ireland over the last 1500 years is attributed to human activity.Aim To estimate changes in past distribution and population size of Britain and Ireland's two native eagle species.Methods Placenames suggesting the past presence of eagles were categorized accor...

This report updates outline ornithological work carried out as prescribed by the AES Geo Energy Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP), and also the Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) for the site. The work follows the Owner Ornithological Monitoring Plan. The present document reports on the results and activities of the ornit...

The wintering period of the geese in the region started in the middle of December (earlyJanuary in the Project area) and ceased by the end of February in all three winter seasonsincluding 2010/2011. Greater White-fronted Goose (GWFG) was the most common speciesrecorded and the percentage occurrence of RBG in goose flocks was about 7 %. GreylagGoose...

Capsule Golden and White‐tailed Eagles selected different habitats for nesting.Aim To investigate differences in nesting habitat used by sympatrically breeding eagles in western Scotland, following reintroduction of White‐tailed Eagles from 1975 onwards.Methods Nest‐site locations from national surveys in 2003–05 were entered into a geographical in...

Little is known about the ecology of the Grey-headed Fish-Eagle (GHFE; Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) despite it being a globally near-threatened species in apparent decline. We here present the first quantitative information on nesting ecology of this species, in a regionally significant population at Prek Toal, part of the seasonally flooded swamp for...

Six sites around Borup Fiord, west central Ellesmere Island, Canada, were surveyed for breeding Knot Calidris canutus islandica. Breeding density at the main study site was estimated using a calculation based on hatching success, brood counts and the probability of broods being resighted: estimates from other sites were based on this assessment. De...

Aim To investigate the population size, distribution and breeding success of Golden Eagles in Britain, for comparison with similar surveys in 1982–83 and 1992.

Aims To provide a reliable population estimate of Dotterel against which past and future estimates could be compared. Methods Over half of the potential breeding habitat in Britain, selected randomly and to cover protected sites and former breeding sites for Dotterel, was surveyed through a single visit when Dotterel had young chicks. Results After...

The Band collision risk model (CRM: Band et al. 2007) attempts to predict mortality rates of birds due to collision with rotating wind turbine blades at operational wind farms, and requires the appliance of a substantial ‘avoidance rate’ to correct raw model estimates, to account for the fact that birds are very adept at avoiding collision. Most av...

Capsule Natal dispersal distance was significantly shorter in males than in females.Aim To examine the correlates of variation in dispersal in a reintroduced population of White‐tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla in western Scotland.Methods Observations of natal (or release) sites and subsequent breeding sites of individually marked birds were used...

The Dotterel, one of Britain's rarer breeding birds, nests on montane plateaux. Numbers and distribution of breeding Dotterel in Britain were determined by an extensive survey in 1987 and 1988 combined with a detailed on-going study. One hundred and twenty-eight montane tops were surveyed (56% of all potential breeding habitat). Three hundred and t...

Although some waders (Charadrii) are known regularly to attempt to rear 2 broods in some summers (e.g. Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula, Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius l), this ability is not associated with Palearctic waders breeding at higher latitudes, except where one or more clutches are left in the sole care of previous mates. This...

In long-lived raptors with delayed maturity, the period between fledging and settlement on a breeding site may take several years and is poorly understood. In our study of a reintroduced population of White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), we investigated movements during this transient (juvenile dispersal) phase of natal dispersal using recor...

D. P. Whitfield, R. Reid, P. F. Haworth, M. Madders, M. Marquiss, R. Tingay, A. H. Fielding. Diet specificity is not associated with increased reproductive performance of Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos in Western Scotland. Ibis: the International Journal of Avian Science, 2009, vol. 151, no. 2, pp. 255-264. Published by and copyright Wiley-Blackwe...

White-tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla became extinct in Britain in 1918 following prolonged persecution. Intensive conservation efforts since the 1970s have included the re-introduction of the species to Britain through two phases of release of Norwegian fledglings in western Scotland in 1975–85 and 1993–98. Population growth and breeding succes...

1. This report describes investigations into the demography and population dynamics of Welsh hen harriers Circus cyaneus, using historical data from population surveys, nest visits, and a programme of wing tagging nestlings in 1990-1995. 2. Sample sizes for estimation of several demographic parameter values through resightings of wing tagged were...

During the summer of 2008, AGE OOD (AGE), developer of the Saint Nikola Wind Farm(the Project), was made aware that winter bird survey records for the region, during2007/2008, had shown what appeared to be potentially significant winter flight activity in thegeneral area of the proposed development. Of particular interest was the reported presence...

Human disturbance can have several adverse effects on wildlife and therefore is increasingly seen as a threat. A common resolution of problems associated with encroaching human activities is to separate them from sensitive wildlife areas by protective buffer zones or set-back distances within which human activity is restricted. The most common meth...

The number of wind farms is increasing worldwide. Despite their purported environmental benefits, wind energy developments are not without potential adverse impacts on the environment, and the current pace and scale of development proposals, combined with a poor understanding of their impacts, is a cause for concern. Avian mortality through collisi...

Redshanks Tringa totanus that are preyed upon by Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus at the Tyninghame Estuary, Firth of Forth, Scotland, provide an example of how the starvation–predation risk trade-off results in mortality. In this trade-off, animals cannot always optimize anti-predation behaviour because anti-predation behaviours, such as avoiding pred...

Raptor predation on waders was studied by direct observation of raptors hunting a known wader population and subsequent recovery of dead waders. In each of three winters, raptor predation was shown to be the most significant cause of mortality in most small wader species, Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, Merlins Falco columbarius and Peregrines F. per...

Predation on waders was investigated over the winters of 1982-83 and 1983-84 at a rocky shore and a small estuary in southeast Scotland. Probably all the waders which were found after being eaten were killed by raptors; mammalian predation and death due to severe weather were of minimal importance in comparison to the effects of raptor predation. S...

The conservation status of the hen harrier Circus cyaneus in Britain, and its pivotal role in the raptor–grouse moor conflict, has rendered research on the factors influencing its population dynamics of crucial importance. Using over 20 years of data, we examine influences on the reproductive output of the small, but recently expanding, population...

In passerine birds polygamous species lay eggs later than monogamous species. Yom-Tov has hypothesized that this is because polygamous males do not provision their mates with food, thereby delaying egg-laying. An indirect prediction of this hypothesis is that there should be no difference in laving dates between monogamous and polygamous birds in w...

Capsule: The third complete survey of Golden Eagles in Britain found 442 pairs. Aim: To investigate the population size, distribution and breeding success of Golden Eagles in Britain, for comparison with similar surveys in 1982-83 and 1992. Methods: All known home-ranges were surveyed between January and August 2003, to record Golden Eagle presence...

This metadata relates to an electronic version of an article published in Bird Study, Volume 54, Issue 2, July 2007, pages 199-211. Bird Study is available online at informaworldTM at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a909088928 Aims To utilize temporal changes in the distribution and occupation of Golden Eagle territories in...

Animals’ avoidance of humans or human activities can have several adverse effects on their distribution and abundance, and a frequent tool used by conservation managers to avoid such effects is to designate ‘buffer zones’ (or set-back distances or protection zones) around centres of animals’ distribution within which human activity is restricted....