Hugh Hanmer

Senior Research Ecologist

Hugh is a Senior Research Ecologist in the Terrestrial Ecology team working primarily on urban birds and demographic data.

Interests & Responsibilities

Hugh has a background in avian urban ecology having undertaken a PhD on urban birds at the University of Reading. His research primarily focuses on urban ecology and avian demography using long and short-term citizen science surveys alongside novel field surveys. He has a particular interest in the impacts of and human-wildlife interactions around garden bird supplementary feeding, first started during his PhD and continued at BTO.

Hugh was responsible for the coordination of BTO Project Owl during 2018/19 including leading the design and analysis of two Tawny Owl surveys and he is also the organiser of the 2024/25 Blackbirds in Gardens survey.

Other Information

Prior to undertaking his current role and following his PhD, Hugh spent a summer as a RSPB Research Assistant working on Corn Bunting breeding success and Swift survey projects. He started bird ringing at a young age and currently holds a BTO S permit with extensive experience of ringing throughout the UK and abroad from the Tropics to the Arctic Circle. Since moving to start work at BTO HQ he has got involved in a number of local ringing activities both through BTO work projects and as a volunteer.

Qualifications

PhD “Unintended Consequences: How Human Intervention Affects the Ecology of Urban Birds”, People and Wildlife Research Group, University of Reading 2014-2017.

MRes Environmental Biology, University of St Andrews 2012-2013.

BSc Zoology (Hons), University of St Andrews 2008-2012.

S permit bird ringer.

Recent BTO Publications

Hanmer, H.J. & Leech, D.I. 2024. Breeding periods of hedgerow-nesting birds in England. Research Report no. 762. ISBN: 978-1-912642-58-8

Boersch-Supan, P.H., Hanmer, H.J. & Robinson, R.A. 2024. Extended moult phenology models improve inferences about moult duration and timing. Ornithology View at journal website (DOI: 10.1093/ornithology/ukae003)

Hanmer, H.J., Dadam, D. & Siriwardena, G.M. 2022. Evidence that rural wintering populations supplement suburban breeding populations. Bird Study Link to publication View at journal website (DOI: 10.1080/00063657.2022.2139814)

Hanmer, H.J., Cunningham, A.A., John, S.K., Magregor, S.K., Robinson, R.A., Seilern-Moy, K., Siriwardena, G.M. & Lawson, B. 2022. Habitat-use influences severe disease-mediated population declines in two of the most common garden bird species in Great Britain. Scientific Reports 12 View at journal website (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18880-8)

Hanmer, H.J., Boersch-Supan, P.H. & Robinson, R.A. 2022. Differential changes in life cycle-event phenology provide a window into regional population declines. Biology Letters View at journal website (DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0186)

Hanmer, H.J., Boothby, C., Toms, M.P., Noble, D.G. & Balmer, D.E. 2022. Large-scale citizen science survey of a common nocturnal raptor: urbanization and weather conditions influence the occupancy and detectability of the Tawny Owl Strix aluco. Bird Study Link to publication View at journal website (DOI: /10.1080/00063657.2021.2019188)

View all BTO publications for this author

Other Publications

Hanmer, H. J., Thomas, R. L. and Fellowes, M. D. E. 2018 Introduced Grey Squirrels subvert supplementary feeding of suburban wild birds. Landscape and Urban Planning 177: 10-18

Hanmer, H. J., Thomas, R. L. and Fellowes, M. D. E. 2017 Urbanisation influences range size of the domestic cat (Felis catus): consequences for conservation. Journal of Urban Ecology 3: jux014.

Hanmer, H. J., Thomas, R. L., Beswick, G. J. F., Collins, B. P. and Fellowes, M. D. E. 2017 Use of anthropogenic material affects bird nest arthropod community structure: influence of urbanisation, and consequences for ectoparasites and fledging success. Journal of Ornithology 158: 1045-1059.

Hanmer, H. J., Thomas, R. L. and Fellowes, M. D. E. 2017. Provision of supplementary food for wild birds may increase the risk of local nest predation. Ibis 159: 158-167.

Dunning, J., Hanmer, H., and Christmas, S. E. 2014 Hybridisation between House Martin Delichon urbicum and Sand Martin Riparia riparia: a new observation and review of past occurrences as a case study into hybrid reporting rates. Ringing & Migration 29: 86-89.