Meet the Team

For further information about the Great Bustard LIFE+ Project, please contact Tracé Williams, Project Manager on 07715 371747 or email: trace.williams@rspb.org.uk

Leigh Lock – Species Recovery Officer, RSPB

Leigh Lock is a Species Recovery Officer, developing and managing various species recovery projects across the UK. He leads on UK translocations and alongside the great bustard project, is involved in other reintroduction projects for crane, cirl bunting and white tailed eagle. Leigh has worked for the RSPB for nearly 20 years, mostly in SW England, where he has developed and managed successful species recovery projects for cirl bunting and stone-curlew, and has been involved in the great bustard project since 2005. He now represents the RSPB on the LIFE+ Project Steering Group.

David Waters – Director, Great Bustard Group

David represents the GBG on the LIFE+ Project Steering Group, along with Leigh Lock, Prof Tamás Székely and Ian Carter. About half of his time is allocated specifically to the LIFE+ Project. The rest of his time is used for the GBG work in Russia which is outside the remit of LIFE and for the running of the GBG. LIFE+ is very much about new work so the basic project still needs to be carried out, and funded as before.

Tamás Székely – Professor of Biodiversity, Bath University

Tamás has been Professor of Biology at the University of Bath since 2000. His research interests include sexual conflict and parental care, with current research on Kentish Plover in Turkey, breeding systems in shorebirds, sexual size dimorphism and conservation of endangered shorebirds. Tamás has represented the University of Bath, being a member of the Great Bustard Consortium since 2006, and is really excited by the new LIFE+ Project. The University of Bath has the role of leading on monitoring throughout the project which is essential to understand what the released birds do, what food they eat, how they interact with other bustards and how they evade enemies, providing the information we need to improve the survival and reproduction of British bustards. Tamás sits on the LIFE+ Project Steering Group.

Ian Carter – Ornithologist, Natural England

Ian Carter has worked as an ornithologist for Natural England and its predecessors for over 20 years, focussing especially on bird reintroductions, raptors and species legislation. He has been closely involved with the Red Kite Reintroduction Programme in England and has written numerous papers and popular articles on this, and other, bird conservation issues. He wrote a monograph about the red kite, the second edition of which was published in 2007, and has served on the editorial board of British Birds since 1998. He has been a member of the Great Bustard Project Consultive Committee since the work started back in 2004 and is delighted that Natural England are to be more closely involved in this reintroduction as part of the reinvigorated LIFE+ project. Ian represents Natural England on the LIFE+ Project Steering Group.

Tracé Williams – Project Manager, Great Bustard LIFE+, RSPB

Tracé started working for the RSPB in 2001 after four years in avian research at Jersey Zoo and WWT Slimbridge. She has experience of captive breeding and hand-rearing, having reared Mauritian fody and developed the rearing technique for the Mauritian grey white-eye. Tracé is fascinated by bird behaviour, which lead to an MSc from Durrell Institute of Conservation Ecology, University of Kent following in-depth studies of the breeding behaviour of Bali and common starlings. For the last 10 years she has worked in Wiltshire with farmers and the MoD, creating and restoring chalk grassland, providing safe nest sites and monitoring stone-curlews. This work has involved liaison with the Great Bustard Reintroduction Project since 2004, leading to her new role as Project Manager with the LIFE+ Project in November 2010.

Andrew Taylor – Project Adviser, Great Bustard LIFE+, RSPB

Andrew has worked for the RSPB in Wiltshire for three years, mainly as part of the Wessex Stone-curlew Project. In March 2011,he joined the LIFE+ team as one of three staff employed directly through the project. The focus of his work will be to develop and promote agri-environment options for great bustards, improving bustard habitat across the project area.

Kate Ashbrook – Monitoring Officer, LIFE+ Project, University of Bath

Kate completed her PhD in seabird ecology at the University of Leeds in 2010 before joining the LIFE+ team as Monitoring Officer in 2011. The focus of her work will be to increase our knowledge of basic bustard ecology and behaviour, habitat preferences and population demography.

Hannah Rose

Hannah has worked part time for the GBG since March 2010, after completing a National Diploma in Countryside Management at Sparsholt College. She became Project Assistant as part of the LIFE+ Project in September 2011, and now has a variety of roles including monitoring birds, site maintenance, administration and helping to run the GBG’s small information centre at The Hawk Conservancy Trust near Andover.

Austin Weldon – Project Officer, Great Bustard Group

Austin has a wealth of experience in practical wildlife management, having worked as a Field Researcher for the former Game Conservancy Trust, carrying out predation and game bird research. He has also worked in Africa on safari operations in Namibia and Tanzania. Austin’s main role involves the reduction of fox predation on great bustards immediately after release and during the breeding season. In addition to this, Austin will be involved in the day-to-day management of the project.

Allan Goddard – Farm Liaison, Great Bustard Group

A retired farmer from the Dorset Downs, Allan brings a wealth of farming knowledge to the GBG where he has been volunteering since spring 2010. Allan is on site up to three days a week, advising and planting crops in the release pen, monitoring, and liaising with farmers and landowners who are lucky enough to be chosen by the great bustards!

Lynne Derry – Visits & Retail Manager, Great Bustard Group

Lynne has worked for the GBG for three and a half years and manages the visits and retail side of the project. Lynne also helps with quarantine duties and monitoring of the released birds.