Lucy Jayne Mitchell

Lucy is a postdoctoral ornithologist and ecologist, working primarily on the Horizon 2020 ROBINSON project, with expertise in avian tracking methods and ecological analyses.

I am a practical avian ecologist with a strong interest in movement and habitat selection to understand species’ relationships with their environment.

My PhD investigated the responses of European nightjars to habitat change on their breeding site using miniature GPS units, along with metabarcoding to study their diet.

I currently work on the ROBINSON Horizon 2020 project, investigating developing a cumulative impacts framework to study species interactions with renewable energy.

I also chair the UK Motus steering group, which aims to build a network of passive Motus receivers nationwide. Motus receivers consist of directional or omni directional antennae that detect miniature VHF tags that are uniquely coded to the bird or mammal onto which they are attached. These can be attached to small passerines and bats, thus enabling us to track species previously unable to be tagged. See motus.org for more details about the system, and contact me for more info on how to get involved.

Career

• 2019 – 2021 PDRA in Ornithological Migration – University of Hull
• 2015 – 2019 PhD, Uni of York
• 2014 – 2015 Greenspace Officer, Dundee City Council
• 2012 – 2013 MRes, Uni of Liverpool
• 2008 – 2012 Reserves Officer, Wildlife Trust BCN

• 2019 – PhD, Avian Ecology; Uni of York. Title: The influence of environmental variation on individual foraging and habitat selection behaviour of the European nightjar.
• 2013 – MRes, Conservation and Resource Management, Uni of Liverpool.
• 2007 – BSc (Hons) Environmental Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University