David Noble

David Noble

Head & Principal Ecologist

Office: Thetford
Team(s): Associate Director Team Statistical and Monitoring Science

David is responsible for the strategic development of BTO’s monitoring programme and associated research, is the main contact for biodiversity indicators, surveys of taxa other than birds, and for conservation initiatives such as BAP and Birds of Conservation Concern.

Interests and responsibilities

  • Senior investigator with extensive experience in the analysis and interpretation of biological data.
  • Represents BTO on a range of scientific and statutory committees related to bird and mammal conservation.
  • Interested in capacity building and development of monitoring programmes for birds and other taxa in the UK and internationally, particularly in Europe.
  • Committed to an evidence-based approach to tackling a range of conservation issues.
  • Experience leading a team of researchers on projects related to bird conservation, temporal and spatial variation in bird abundance and distribution and the development of analytical methods.
  • Development of bird indicators in the UK and in Europe.
  • Previously, researcher on the ecology and behaviour of seabirds in Canada and cuckoo hosts in the UK and Africa, currently investigating effects of pollutants on migratory waders in North America.

Other Information

European Bird Census Council (EBCC) – Delegate, and Observer on Executive Committee Tracking Mammals Partnership

Qualifications

BSc Guelph University, Canada. MSc Queen’s University, Canada. PhD University of Cambridge, UK.

Recent BTO publications

  • Heywood, J.J.N., Massimino, D., Baker, L., Balmer, D.E., Brighton, C.H., Gillings, S., Kelly, L., Noble, D.G., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., White, D.M., Woodcock, P., Workman, E. & Wotton, S. 2025. The Breeding Bird Survey 2024. BTO Research Report 787
  • Massimino, D., Baillie, S.R., Balmer, D.E., Bashford, R.I., Gregory, R.D., Harris, S.J., Heywood, J.J.N., Kelly, L.A., Noble, D.G., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Raven, M.J., Risely, K., Woodcock, P., Wotton, S.R. & Gillings, S. 2024. The Breeding Bird Survey of the United Kingdom. Global Ecology and Biogeography 34: doi:10.1111/geb.13943
  • Massimino, D., Woodward, I.D., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A. 2024. BirdTrends 2023.
  • Sandal, L., Sæther, B.E., Freckleton, R.P., Noble, D.G., Schwarz, J., Leivits, A. & Grøtan, V. 2024. Species richness and evenness of European bird communities show differentiated responses to measures of productivity. Journal of Animal Ecology 93: 1212-1224 doi:10.1111/1365-2656.14136
  • Heywood, J.J.N., Massimino, D., Balmer, D.E., Kelly, L., Marion, S., Noble, D.G., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., White, D.M., Woodcock, P., Wotton, S. and Gillings, S. 2024. The Breeding Bird Survey 2023.

  • Stanbury, A.J., Burns, F., Aebischer, N.J., Baker, H., Balmer, D., Brown, A.F., Dunn, T., Lindley, P., Murphy, M., Noble, D.G., Owens, R. & Quinn, L. 2024. The status of the UK’s breeding seabirds. British Birds 117: 471-487
  • Howard, C., Marjakangas, E.-M., Morán-Ordóñez, A., Milanesi, P., Abuladze, A., Aghababyan, K., Ajder, V., Arkumarev, V., Balmer, D.E., Bauer, H.-G., Beale, C.M., Bino, T., Ali Boyla, K., Burfield, I.J., Burke, B., Caffrey, B., Chodkiewicz, T., Del Moral, J.C., Dumbovic Mazal, V., Fernández, N., Fornasari, L., Gerlach, B., Godinho, C., Herrando, S., Ieronymidou, C., Johnston, A., Jovicevic, M., Kalyakin, M., Keller, V., Knaus, P., Kotrošan, D., Kuzmenko, T,, Leitão, D., Lindström, Å., Maxhuni, Q., Mihelič, T., Mikuska, T., Molina, B., Nagy, K., Noble, D., Jostein Øien, I., Paquet, J.-Y., Pladevall, C., Portolou, D., Radišić, D., Rajkov, S., Rajković, D.Z., Raudonikis, L., Sattler, T., Saveljić, D., Shimmings, P., Sjenicic, J., Šťastný, K., Stoychev, K., Strus, I., Sudfeldt, C., Sultanov, E., Szép, T., Teufelbauer, N., Uzunova, D., van Turnhout, C.A.M., Velevski, M., Vikstrøm, T., Vintche 2023. Local colonisations and extinctions of European birds are poorly explained by changes in climate suitability. Nature Communications 14: doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39093-1
  • Massimino, D., Woodward, I.D., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A. 2023. BirdTrends 2022.
  • Burns, F., Mordue, S., al Fulaij, N., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Boswell, J., Boyd, R.J., Bradfer-Lawrence, T., de Ornellas, P., de Palma, A., de Zylva, P., Dennis, E.B., Foster, S., Gilbert, G., Halliwell, L., Hawkins, K., Haysom, K.A., Holland, M.M., Hughes, J., Jackson, A.C., Mancini, F., Mathews, F., McQuatters-Gollop, A., Noble, D.G., O’Brien, D., Pescott, O.L., Purvis, A., Simkin, J., Smith, A., Stanbury, A.J., Villemot, J., Walker, K.J., Walton, P., Webb, T.J., Williams, J., Wilson, R. & Gregory, R.D. 2023. State of Nature report 2023.
  • Heywood, J.J.N., Massimino, D., Balmer, D.E., Kelly, L., Noble, D.G., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Woodcock, P., Wotton, S., Gillings, S. & Harris, S.J. 2023. The Breeding Bird Survey 2022.

Other publications

Pratte, I., Noble, D., Mallory, L.M., Braun, B.M. & Provencher, J.F. 2020. The influence of migration patterns on exposure to contaminants in Nearctic shorebirds: a historical study. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 192 (DOI: 10.1007/s10661-020-8218-1) 


Gaston, A.J., Chapdelaine, G. & Noble, D.G. 1983. The growth of Thick-billed Murre chicks at colonies in Hudson Strait: inter- and intra-colony variation. Canadian Journal of Zoology 61 (part 11) : 2 465-2 475 View Abstract Link to Article (DOI: 10.1139/z83-327)

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