Kate Risely

Garden BirdWatch Organiser

Kate leads the BTO's Garden Ecology team and co-ordinates the programme of garden ecology surveys and research, within the Communications department.

BSc (Hons) Zoology, University of Nottingham 1998-2001

Interests & Responsibilities

Kate has overall responsibility for running for Garden BirdWatch, a 'citizen science' project where volunteers record birds and other taxa using their gardens on a weekly, year-round basis, as well as additional garden-based surveys. Kate is interested in the research and conservation applications of our garden wildlife data.

Other Information

Ringing trainer and 'A' permit holder, and worked in the BTO Ringing team 2004 - 2007

Organised the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey from 2007 - 2014

Member of the New Networks for Nature Steering Group

Contribute monthly articles to BirdWatching Magazine

Recent BTO Publications

Plummer, K.E., Risely, K., Toms, M.P. & Siriwardena, G.M. 2019. The composition of British bird communities is associated with long-term garden bird feeding. Nature Communications View at journal website (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10111-5)

Lawson, B., Robinson, R.A., Rodriquez-Ramos Fernandez, J., John, S.K., Benitez, L., Tolf, C., Risely, K., Toms, M., Cunnigham, A.A. & William, R.A.J 2018. Spatio-temporal dynamics and aetiology of proliferative leg skin lesions in wild British finches. Scientific Reports 8 View at journal website (DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32255-y)

Lawson, B., Robinson, R. A., Toms, M. P., Risely, R., MacDonald, S., Cunningham, A. A. 2018. Health hazards to wild birds and risk factors associated with anthropogenic food provisioning. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B View at journal website (DOI: /10.1098/rstb.2017.0091)

Kate Risely and Clare Simm 2016. Garden Birds and other wildlife. British Trust for Ornithology Link to publication ISBN: 978-1-908581-68-6 224pp

Eglington, S.M., Brereton, T.M., Tayleur, C.M., Noble, D., Risely, K., Roy, D.B. & Pearce-Higgins, J.W. 2016. Patterns and causes of covariation in bird and butterfly community structure . Landscape Ecology 30 (part 8) : 1 461-1 472 View at journal website (DOI: 10.1007%2Fs10980-015-0199-z)

Plummer, K.E., Siriwardena, G.M., Conway, G.J., Risely, K. & Toms, M.P. 2015. Is supplementary feeding in gardens a driver of evolutionary change in a migratory bird species?. Global Change Biology 21 : 4 353-4 363 Link to publication View at journal website (DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13070)

View all BTO publications for this author

Content Related to Kate Risely

Publication

Is bird feeding changing Britain's garden bird communities?

Newly published research from BTO shows how the popular pastime of feeding the birds is significantly shaping garden bird communities in Britain.

Publication

Garden BirdWatchers allow us to better understand disease in British finches

Weekly reports from BTO Garden BirdWatchers, as well as ad hoc sightings of disease from members of the public to Garden Wildlife Health, have aided our understanding of leg lesions (more commonly referred to as ‘scaly...

Publication

The health hazards to wild birds associated with garden feeding.

The provision of supplementary food for wild birds at garden feeding stations is a widespread practice in the UK. These additional resources have been shown, through research, to be of benefit to wild birds, but there...