Senior Research Ecologist
Ian supports the Ecologists within BTO who are undertaking research into bird populations and ecology.
Interests and responsibilities
Ian's work is predominantly supporting marine research projects within the Wetlands and Marine team, for example analysing data for offshore wind farm proposals. He is also involved in other BTO research work including the House Martin project.
Other Information
Ian has a lifelong interest in birds and is an experienced field surveyor. Prior to undertaking his current role, Ian worked as a Field Ornithologist for BTO on woodland and farmland projects, and has also organised BTO survey coverage in North London and Essex as a (voluntary) BTO Regional Representative.
Since 2007, he has been leading the London Bird Atlas project (for the London Natural History Society in conjunction with the BTO Atlas), and final results of this work are currently being written up.
Apart from BTO surveys, previous research and survey work has included monitoring Mandarin and House Martin populations in north-east London, and research investigating the breeding ecology of a population of Tufted Ducks for his MSc dissertation project (‘Analysis of breeding Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) numbers at Walthamstow Reservoirs SSSI: Implications for Common Standards Monitoring methodology and site management’, report for Natural England, 2009)
Qualifications
MSc Conservation (Distinction), University College London, 2008 - 2009
Recent BTO publications
- Calbrade, N.A., Birtles, G.A., Woodward, I.D., Feather, A., Hiza, B.M., Caulfield, E.B., Balmer, D.E., Peck, K., Wotton, S.R., Shaw, J.M. & Frost, T.M. 2025. Waterbirds in the UK 2023/24. BTO/RSPB/JNCC/NatureScot
- Caulfield, E., Woodward, I., Peck, K., Wotton, S. & Frost, T. 2025. Overwinter population estimates of waterbirds in Great Britain. British Birds 118: 642-657
- Massimino, D., Woodward, I.D., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A. 2024. BirdTrends 2023.
- Walker, R.H., Robinson, R.A., Barimore, C.J., Blackburn, J.R., Barber, L.J., Bugg, N.R., McCambridge, H.E., Grantham, M.J., Griffin, B.M., Leighton, K. & Schäfer, S. 2024. Bird ringing and nest recording in Britain and Ireland in 2021. Ringing & Migration 38: 44-88 doi:10.1080/03078698.2023.2284510
- Woodward, I.D., Calbrade, N.A., Birtles, G.A., Feather, A., Peck, K., Wotton, S.R., Shaw, J.M., Balmer, D.E. & Frost, T.M. 2024. Waterbirds in the UK 2022/23.
- Woodward, I.D., Thaxter, C.B., Owen, E., Bolton, M., Ward, R.M. & Cook, A.S.C.P. 2024. The value of seabird foraging ranges as a tool to investigate the impact of offshore wind farms. Ocean and Coastal Management 254: doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107192
- Gardner, E., Robinson, R.A., Julian, A., Boughey, K., Langham, S., Tse-Leon, J., Petrovskii, S., Baker, D.J., Bellamy, C., Buxton, A., Franks, S., Monk, C., Morris, N., Park, K.J., Petrovan, S., Pitt, K., Taylor, R., Turner, R.K., Allain, S.J.R., Bradley, V., Broughton, R.K., Cartwright, M., Clarke, K., Cranfield, J., Fuentes-Montemayor, E., Gandola, R., Gent, T., Hinsley, S.A., Madsen, T., Reading, C., Redhead, J.W., Reveley, S., Wilkinson, J., Williams, C., Woodward, I., Baker, J., Briggs, P., Dyason, S., Langton, S., Mawby, A., Pywell, R.F. & Bullock, J.M. 2024. A family of process-based models to simulate landscape use by multiple taxa. Landscape Ecology 39: doi:10.1007/s10980-024-01866-4
- Massimino, D., Woodward, I.D., Barber, L., Barimore, C., Harris, S.J., Leech, D.I., Noble, D.G., Walker, R.H., Baillie, S.R. & Robinson, R.A. 2023. BirdTrends 2022.
- Gregory, R.D., Eaton, M.A., Burfield, I.J., Grice, P.V., Howard, C., Klvaňová, A., Noble, D., Šilarová, E., Staneva, A., Stephens, P.A., Willis, S.G., Woodward, I.D. & Burns, F. 2023. Drivers of the changing abundance of European birds at two spatial scales. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 378: doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0198
- El Haddad, H., Austin, G., Woodward, I. & Booth Jones, K. 2023. Analysis of wintering waterbird population trends for the Lough Neagh and Lough Beg Special Protection Area (SPA). BTO Research Report 760:
Other publications
Woodward, I., Bray, J., Marchant, J, Austin, J. & Calladine, J. 2015. A review of literature on the qualifying interest species of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in the Firth of Forth and development related influences. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.804 http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/804.pdf
Woodward, I. & Arnold, R. 2012. The changing status of the breeding birds of the inner London area. British Birds 105: 433-457