Jennifer Border

Senior Research Ecologist

Jenni is an experienced population and spatial modeller who joined the Framing Futures team after completing a NERC-funded postdoc entitled ‘Explaining and Predicting the Migration and Phenology of European-African Migratory Birds’ undertaken in collaboration with Durham University. 

Interests & Responsibilities

Jenni’s research focuses on African-Eurasian migratory birds and has involved collating an extensive set of tracking, ringing and observation data on trans-Saharan migrant songbirds from Europe and Africa, and using large-scale spatiotemporal modelling techniques to look at changes in phenology, distributions and weights of a large number of species over space and time.  

In her previous four years as a Spatial Ecologist at BTO, Jenni worked on a wide range of projects, primarily centred around large datasets and modelling distributions and trends. These included:

  • predictive modelling of bats’ spatial sensitivity to urbanisation and opportunities for birds and bats from habitat restoration;
  • assessing gaps in survey coverage at a UK level for birds, bats, butterflies and plants;
  • investigating the likelihood of non-native species invading the UK;
  • modelling breeding phenology in farmland birds;
  • modelling spatiotemporal change in UK bird trends;
  • determining cuckoo use of protected areas and determining drivers of change in moorland breeding bird populations.

Before joining BTO, Jenni was involved in research such as determining population limitations in a lowland grassland migrant (the Whinchat), tagging and tracking seabirds and eradicating the invasive myna birds in the Seychelles.

Qualifications

2012-2015 - PhD, Lancaster University, “Determinants of survival, productivity and recruitment in a declining migrant bird, the whinchat, Saxicola rubetra”.
2005-2009 - BSc Honours Ecology and Conservation, University of St Andrews.

Recent BTO Publications

Barton, M.G., Henderson, I., Border, J.A. & Siriwardena, G.M. 2023. A review of the impacts of air pollution on terrestrial birds. Science of The Total Environment 873 View at journal website (DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162136)
Sharps, E., Hawkes, R., Bladon, A., Buckingham, D., Border, J., Morris, A., Grice, P. & Peach, W. 2023. Reversing declines in farmland birds: how much agri-environment provision is needed at farm and landscapes scales?. Journal of Applied Ecology View at journal website (DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14338)
Calladine, J., Border, J., O’Connell, P. & Wilson, M. 2022. Modelling important areas for breeding waders as a tool to target conservation and minimise conflicts with land use change. Journal for Nature Conservation Link to publication View at journal website (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126267)
Border, J.A., Gillings, S., Reynolds, T., Neeve, G. & Newson, S.E. 2022. Can citizen science provide a solution for bat-friendly planning?. Landscape & Urban Planning 223 View at journal website (DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104402)
Fay, F., Schaub, M., Border, J.A., Henderson, I.G., Fahl, G., Feulner, J., Horch, P., Müller, M., Rebstock, H., Shitikov, D., Tome, D., Vögeli, M. & Grüebler, M.U. 2020. Evidence for senescence in survival but not in reproduction in a short-lived passerine. Ecology and Evolution View at journal website (DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6281) 8pp

Other Publications

Feare, C.J., van der Woude, J., Greenwell, P., Edwards, H.A., Taylor, J.A., Larose, C.S., Ahlen, P.-A., West, J.,Chadwick, W., Pandey, S., Garcia, F., Komdeur, J. & de Groene, A. 2016. Eradication of Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis from Denis Island, Seychelles. Pest Management Science. DOI 10.1002/ps.4263.

Taylor, J. A. 2015. Determinants of variation in productivity, adult survival and recruitment in a declining migrant bird: the Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra. PhD Thesis. Lancaster University, Lancaster.

Taylor, J. A., Henderson, I. G., Hartley, I. R. 2015. Breeding Whinchats (Saxicola rubetra) on Salisbury Plain: Evidence that carrying capacity is not currently limited by habitat or food availability. In: Bastian, H-V., Feulner, J. (eds): Living on the Edge of Extinction in Europe. Proc. 1st European Whinchat symposium: 211-218. LBV Hof, Helmbrechts.

Feare, C.J., Edwards,H., Taylor, J.A., Greenwell, P. A., Larose,C. S., Mokhoko, E. & Dine. M. 2015. Stars in their eyes: iris colour and pattern in Common Mynas Acridotheres tristis on Denis and North Islands, Seychelles. Bull. B.O.C. 2015135: 61-68.



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