Research Ecologist

Hannah works as a Research Ecologist, analysing quantitative data from a range of projects across Wales.
Hannah is interested in combining traditional and novel monitoring techniques to better understand species’ behaviours and ecology (at a variety of scales, from individual through to community level), especially in light of changes in their environments (be it human induced or natural), in order to aid conservation efforts if appropriate.
She completed her PhD at Cardiff University, where she assessed the conservation biology of two species of seabird that breed on the same islet, but at different times of year. This included developing a bespoke Raspberry Pi based camera system to gain a snapshot of behaviours and potential threats in nests.
Prior to her PhD Hannah has studied a wide range of different species across a variety of habitats. These have ranged from tropical coral reef fish behaviours to interactions between a temperate reef seaweed and a limpet that almost exclusively relies on it to survive, to monitoring migrating waders and migrating and breeding passerines (including Swallows).
Hannah is based within the BTO Cymru office looking at Welsh bird populations and their conservation.
- BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University, 2015
- MRes Marine Biology, University of Plymouth, 2017
- PhD Ecology: ‘The conservation biology of the Monteiro’s storm-petrel and band-rumped storm-petrel on Ilhéu da Praia, Azores’, 2022
Recent BTO Publications
- Hereward, H.F.R., Brenchley, A., Facey, R.J., Hughes, J., Lindley, P.J., Taylor, R.C., Wilson, M.W. & Macgregor, C.J. Status and distribution of Rook Corvus frugilegus in Wales in 2022/23 View at journal website( DOI: )
- Harris, S.J., Baker, H., Balmer, D.E., Bolton, M., Burton, N.H.K., Caulfield, E., Clarke, J.A.E., Dunn, T.E., Evans, T.J., Hereward, H.R.F., Humphreys, E.M., Money, S. and O’Hanlon, N.J. Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986–2023 View at journal website( DOI: )
- Hereward, H.F.R., Macgregor, C.J., Gabb, O., Connell, A., Thomas, R.J., Cross, A.V. & Taylor, R.C. Modelling population-level impacts of wind farm collision risk on Welsh Red Kites View at journal website( DOI: )
- Macgregor, C.J., Gillings, S., Balmer, D.E., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Harris, S.J., Hereward, H.F.R., Humphreys, E.M., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., Taylor, R.C., Troost, G. & Atkinson, P.W. Impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza on seabird populations in the North Sea are detectable in sea-watchers’ migration counts 10.1080/00063657.2024.2440826 View at journal website( DOI:10.1080/00063657.2024.2440826 )
- Clark, B.L. et al. Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds 10.1038/s41467-023-38900-z View at journal website( DOI:10.1038/s41467-023-38900-z )
- Williams, J.M., Scott, S.E., Galbraith, C.A., Martay, B., Macphie, K.H., Hereward, H.F.R., Barton, M.G., Bowgen, K.M., Pearce-Higgins, J.W. & Robinson, R.A. Climate change and migratory species: a review of impacts, conservation actions, indicators and ecosystem services. View at journal website( DOI: )