Bird Migration

• Global migrations: ICARUS (International Cooporation of Animal Researchers Using Space); DTUsat: Developing a satellite-tracking system for small, 5g GPS tags.
• Seasonal distributions and migration routes: Improving analysis of non-breeding distributions using ring recoveries (EURING atlas); Migration of red-backed shrikes and thrush nightingales using geolocators
• Effects of climate change: Phenological changes in migration monitoring data (primarily from Christiansø); Analyses of ring recoveries
• Migrants in Africa: Monitoring migrants in Ghana

Navigation

• The migratory orientation programme: Orientation of vagrant birds on the Faroe Islands
• Navigation in birds and bats

Conservation (and population ecology)

• Rare Danish breeding birds: The Danish little owl project; Peregrine, white-tailed and golden eagles, Mediterranean gull, little tern, Tengmalm's owl

Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre

• Faroe Island migration atlas
• Constant Effort Site ringing
• Spread of bird-borne diseases
• Avian flu surveillance in Denmark
• Monitoring (Skagen and Christians Island)
• Wild bird recovery stations

Welcome to the BIRD MIGRATION LAB

Primary research areas are within ornithology with a focus on bird migration, especially the orientation systems of long-distance migrants, but also including animal orientation and radio tracking in general. Other primary research areas include all aspects of the distribution, evolution and ecology of birds.

Overall research themes: Bird Migration: Migration routes; Climate change effects; Monitoring; Spread of bird-borne diseases. Navigation: Navigation and orientation, the migratory orientation programme. Conservation: Rare Danish breeding birds, Environmental impact assessment

I am Head of the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre of the Zoological Museum, Natural History Museum of Denmark and part of the DG Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate Change

Courses

Danmarks fauna - hvirveldyr (3. year, block 4), teacher 

Ornithology (block 3), responsible teacher

Supervision

Main subjects are in the fields of ornithology, bird migration, orientation, simulation of movements, bird conservation and avian biology in general. Masters and bachelor students are welcomed in these fields, and interested students should feel free to contact me.

Field projects could involve trapping, ringing, radio tracking, geolocators or orientation cage experiments.

Theoretical projects could involve the following: Analysis of (1) ringing data, (2) satellite telemetry data, (3) migration routes/patterns, (4) the extensive ringing data from Christiansø (including stopover ecology/competition, trends, influence of climate change, etc.) or (5) the occurrence of rarities.

In general, financial support will be limited, making studies using radio tracking or satellite telemetry and long-term field-studies dependent on external financing.

• EDUCATION

2004: PhD in Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (UCPH).

2000: Master in Biology, UCPH, Denmark

• CURRENT POSITIONS

2020 –: Professor in Movement Ecology; Section Head, Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Globe Institute, UCPH, Denmark

2021 –: Affiliated Scientist, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Radolfzell, Germany

2020 –: Scientific advisor; Copenhagen Bird Ringing Scheme, Natural History Museum of Denmark, UCPH, Denmark.

• PREVIOUS POSITIONS

2010 – 2019: Associate Professor in Ornithology, Natural History Museum of Denmark (SNM), UCPH, Denmark

2006 – 2006: Research Associate, Princeton University, US

2005 – 2009: Post-doc, UCPH, Denmark

• FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

2016 –: Corresponding Member, Deutsche Ornithologen‐Gesellschaft

2014: Sapere Aude – Research Leader. Danish Fund for Independent Research, Denmark

2010 –: International Ornithologist's Union, Fellow

2006 – 2007: Post-doc Scholarship, The Danish Fund for Independent Research, Denmark

2006: Cand. theol. Nicolai Michelsen og Valborg Michelsen, født Hjorth’s Foundation

2005: DTUsat payload competition, DTU

• SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS

2005 –: 6 Postdocs/9 PhD/19 Master Students, UCPH

• TEACHING ACTIVITIES

2007 –: Responsible teacher; Danish vertebrates, 50-75 students, 7.5 ECTS, BSc course, UCPH.

2010 –: Responsible teacher; Ornithology, 15-20 students, 7.5 ECTS, MSc course, UCPH.

• ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETING

2022: Convener. Symposium, Tracking migrants to reveal the diversity of spatiotemporal strategies and ultimately understand the ecology of migration. PAOC15, Zimbabwe.

2016: Convener. Symposium, Migration strategies: Intra-African versus Afro-Palearctic migrants. PAOC14, Senegal.

2014: Co-organiser. Migrant Landbirds Study Group Inaugural meeting. Wilhelsmhaven, Germany.

2013: Convener. Symposium, Large-scale spatial analysis of encounter data EURING tech, US.

2016: Convener. Symposium, Migration strategies: Intra-African versus Afro-Palearctic migrants. PAOC14, Senegal.

2013: Convener. Symposium, Movements and distribution of Afro-Palaeartic migratory birds in relation to environmental conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, EOU, UK.

2012: Convener. Symposium, Life on the move, PAOC13, Tanzania.

2011: Convener. Symposium, Africa Matters!, EOU 2011 conference, Latvia

2010: Convener. Workshop, Advances in tracking technology, MIGRATE 2010, Germany

2010: Convener. Symposium, Wild journeys: status and prospects of tracking individual, long-distance migrants, on the 25^th International Ornithological Congress, Brazil

• INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

2010 –: Faculty member, UCPH

2013 –: Collection Board member, SNM, UCPH

2012 –: Acting curator of birds, SNM, UCPH

2011 –: Mentor in Higher Education Teaching and Teaching Practice Programme, UCPH

2010 –: Education Board member, SNM, UCPH

2006 – 2019: Head of Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre, SNM, UCPH

• REVIEWING ACTIVITIES

2012 –: Editorial Board, BMC Movement Ecology

2009 – 2015: Board Member, EURING (European Union for bird RINGing)

2009 –: Editorial Board, Ringing and Migration

2015 – 2019: Editorial Board, BMC Animal Biotelemetry

2014: Referee panel member, Research Council of Norway

2013: COST ESSEM External Expert Panel

2008 –: Grant evaluations for the Czech, British, Dutch, Hungarian, South African, Swiss, Israeli, German and US National Science Foundations as well as Leverhulme Trust and National Geographic

2010: Tenure track evaluation committee; University of Aarhus, Denmark

2007 –: ICARUS Executive Board member

2004 –: Reviewer for 50+ ecological and ornithological journals

• MAJOR COLLABORATIONS

 Strong ties with some of the strongest environments in bird migration research at Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, (Dir Prof Dr Martin Wikelski; particularly regarding ICARUS), Lund University (Prof Dr Thomas Alerstam).

• CAREER BREAKS

 22.6-16.8.2008 Parental leave (two months)