Whinchats are lively, beautiful and charismatic little birds. They were once a common sight but have suffered widespread declines over the last 50-60 years and are now red-listed as birds of conservation concern. They've almost disappeared from lowland Europe and we're lucky to still have populations of Whinchats which endure on Salisbury Plain and in upland margins but management of these areas is changing. We need a better understanding of how these could be used to maintain and create conditions suitable for Whinchats other birds breeding in these habitats, including Willow Warblers Tree Pipits and Reed Buntings, so what we can do to help Whinchat survival has much wider implications. Whinchats dominated my life for 3 and a half years as I studied them on Salisbury Plain for my PhD, so they will always have a special place in my heart. Now I want to raise money to fund further BTO research on Whinchats in Scotland so we can understand more about why they are declining and what action can be taken to stabilise their numbers.

So I'm running my second ever marathon on the 24th September, the Loch Ness marathon. As I'm now living and training in Norfolk the hills will be a challenge! A month later I'm going to take it up a notch by running the Norfolk coastal marathon but completing the remaining section of the Norfolk coastal path the day after, so totaling 45 miles in a weekend! I hoping I'll see a whinchat or to on my way round....

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