Ailidh Barnes currently works at the BTO as a  Research Ecologist specialising in ornithological surveys, wintering, breeding and estuarine bird surveys. She completed her PhD thesis on 'Modelling mitigation of bird population declines in the UK through landscape-scale environmental management' at the University of Bournemouth.

One of her recent projects has been to explore the role that formal nature reserves, such a Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves play in the conservation of bird populations in the UK.

We are often told about the importance of farmland, but rarely about areas of natural vegetation managed by conservation organisations. We might not expect nature reserves to host many seed-eating farmland birds, such as Corn Buntings.  Birds needing large territories, such a Eagles, will not be at home in farmland and need nature reserves. The talk will throw more light on such issues.