Dr. Ian Newton to Speak at Dartmouth

Dr. Ian Newton, an internationally-renowned expert on bird ecology and biogeography, will take the stage at 7pm on Wednesday, November 4th at Dartmouth College, Moore Hall, Room B03 to talk about the impact of humans on the survival of migratory birds.

Covering more than 30 years of field research in Europe and Africa, Dr. Newton will highlight the effects of land-use change, over-hunting, climate change, and other human environmental disturbances on the survival of Eurasian migratory birds and discuss ways in which these effects can be mitigated. Many migratory species are declining, and Dr. Newton’s research has targeted areas in which efforts to conserve these species might be best directed. Understanding patterns related to breeding and the wintering areas of migratory birds, including human disturbance at stopover sites, is a necessary step in conserving them effectively.

Dr. Newton began his ornithological career at the University of Oxford, where he studied the ecology and feeding behavior of finches. He then worked for the Natural Environment Research Council in Great Britain, studying waterfowl and birds-of-prey, with a particular focus on the impacts of DDT and other pesticides on avian wildlife. He has dedicated more than 25 years to the study of the European Sparrowhawk in south Scotland.

Dr. Newton has served as Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the U.K. and as President of the British Ecological Society and the British Ornithologists’ Union. He is currently Chairman of the Peregrine Fund in the U.S. and of the British Trust for Ornithology. He is an elected Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union. He has authored nearly 300 scientific papers, made frequent TV and radio appearances and written several books on avian wildlife and their habitats, including Finches (1972), Population Ecology of Raptors (1979), The Speciation and Biogeography of Birds (2003), and The Migration Ecology of Birds (2007).

After earning a Ph.D. degree at Oxford University, Dr. Newton has gone on to receive numerous awards, including the Order of the British Empire for service to the field of ornithology, the Union Medal of the British Ornithologists’ Union, and the Elliot Coues Award of the American Ornithologists’ Union.

Dr. Newton’s talk is co-sponsored by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) and the Dartmouth College Environmental Studies Program and open to the public.