Interests and responsibilities

Erin oversees the collection and entry of seabird data submitted by volunteers and professionals around Britain and Ireland to the SMP database. Her role includes the production of the annual SMP report as part of the release of the Official Statistics generated by the survey which directly feed into a number of national indicators. Erin works closely with Aaron McKay (seabird monitoring support officer) to maintain the SMP database, co-ordinate volunteers and produce the SMP newsletter.

Erin has been working with seabirds, and birds in general, since leaving University having spent time working at various Bird Observatories around the UK. Her most recent role before joining BTO was working with UK CEH on the Isle of May, collecting data for one of the SMP’s Key Sites. Her work here involved the tagging, monitoring and diet sampling of Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Shags and Fulmars. Before moving to Scotland, Erin was part of the first all-female wintering team on Bird Island, South Georgia, working for the British Antarctic Survey as the Albatross Zoological Field Assistant.

Qualifications

• BSc Zoology, 2015, University of Bristol: The propagation of Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) through urban corridors from a source population in the Avon Gorge.
• MSc Zoology, 2016, University of Bristol: Orientation behaviour of Black-headed Gulls ( Chroicocephalus ridibundus) on the Cumberland Basin.

Other publications

• Ugland, C.R., Acker, P., Burthe, S.J., Fortuna, R., Gunn, C., Harris, M.P., Hewitt, J.H., Morley, T.I., Newell, M.A., Swann, R.L., Taylor, E.A., Wanless, S., Daunt, F. and Reid, J.M.(2026) Early-life stasis in partial seasonal migration is underpinned by among-cohort variation in migratory plasticity and selective disappearance. Journal of Animal Ecology. 00, 1-15.
• Fortuna, R., Acker, P., Ugland, C.R., Burthe, S.J., Gunn, C., Harris, M.P., Hewitt, J.H., Morley, T.I., Newell, M.A., Swann, R.L., Taylor, E.A., Wanless, S., Daunt, F. and Reid, J.M. (2025) Temporal dynamics of selection on early-life phenotypic plasticity in seasonal migration versus residence. Proc. R. Soc. B 293: 20251063
• Greco F, Ravenswater HM, Ruiz-Raya F, D'Avino C, Newell MA, Hewitt J, Taylor E, Benninghaus E, Daunt F, Goodman G, Steel D, Park J, Philip E, Thomas SS, Slomka MJ, Falchieri M, Reid SM, James J, Banyard AC, Burthe SJ, Cunningham EJA. (2025) Asymptomatic infection and antibody prevalence to co-occurring avian influenza viruses vary substantially between sympatric seabird species following H5N1 outbreaks. Sci Rep.15(1): 1435
• Newell, M.A., Harris, M.P., Wanless, S., Burthe, S.J., Bogdanova, M., Gunn, C.M., Hewitt, J., Taylor, E. & Daunt, F. (2025) The Isle of May long-term study (IMLOTS) seabird annual breeding success 1982-2024. NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre.