Our Patron
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, became Patron of the BTO in 2020, assuming the patronage from His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh who held the role for over 30 years. The patronage reflects the close alignment between two of The Prince of Wales's long-standing areas of interest– supporting communities to protect their natural environment for future generations, and helping children and young people to build their skills, confidence and aspirations – and the growing body of work that the BTO is doing in these areas.
BTO volunteers gather the all-important data that fuel our understanding of the natural world, providing a solid evidence base that supports informed decision-making and conservation action. Through active participation, BTO volunteers not only make an important contribution to society but also receive mental health and well-being benefits. BTO is passionate about spreading these public benefits throughout society.
With the support of His Royal Highness, the charity wants to deliver the benefits of public participation in science through nature to many people, including those communities that have traditionally been under-represented. BTO is, for example, currently working with its Youth Advisory Panel to deliver a diverse, vibrant community of young birders with accessible youth-led opportunities, inspiring young people across society to engage with nature and science.
President of BTO
Frank Gardner, OBE
Frank Gardner is the BBC’s full-time Security Correspondent, reporting and presenting on a wide range of global security and terrorism stories. He has also written four Sunday Times bestsellers. He was awarded the OBE by HM The Queen in 2005 for services to journalism. Frank is a keen birder, his childhood interest having been renewed while working in the Middle East. In Spring 2019 he presented Nature Notes on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme looking at the provision of habitat for Nightingales.
Vice-presidents
Vice-president – Dr Fiona Barclay
Dr Fiona Barclay is the managing director of NatureGuides Ltd (formerly BirdGuides Ltd). She has produced scores of apps for mobile devices, and runs a digital consultancy for classical music. Fiona has encouraged a lasting partnership between the BTO and NatureGuides, sharing data and opportunities between the organisations. Fiona was also one of the recipients of the inaugural Dilys Breese Medal for communication of BTO activities to a wide audience.
Vice-president – Prof. Stuart Bearhop
Stuart is an ecologist with a range of interests mainly related to the migration and foraging ecology of vertebrates and the application of stable isotope techniques in animal ecology. He is Professor of Animal Ecology, University of Exeter, and the author of over 120 scientific papers. He has marked birds all over the world, and has dedicated many years to working on the East Canadian High Arctic Light-bellied Brent Goose.
Vice-president – Prof. Tim Birkhead
Tim is Emeritus Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Sheffield and a Fellow of the Royal Society. His research focuses on bird populations, reproduction, and the history of science. Tim's research has changed the way we think about bird mating systems. He has published many research papers and fifteen books including Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History from Cave Art to Conservation, and is the recipient of awards for his scientific research, history of science research, undergraduate teaching and public outreach.
Vice-president – Prof. Ian Owens
Ian is the Louis Agassiz Fuertes Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. His personal research is based on a combination of experimental, phylogenetic and molecular approaches to study the evolutionary ecology of vertebrates, particularly birds. Current areas of particular interest include large-scale patterns of biodiversity; ecological impacts of climate change; genetics of wild populations; speciation and diversification; phylogeny and ecology of extinction.