Honorary Research Associate

	Dr Robert E. Simmons BSc (Hons) (London), MSc (Acadia), PhD (Witwatersrand) John Day Building: 3.14 Tel: +27 (0)21 650 3310 Fax: +27 (0)21 650 3295 Email: rob.simmons@uct.ac.za
Photo taken by Julia Simmons

Rob is a behavioural ecologist, conservation biologist and ornithologist specialising in the ecology of raptorial birds, cats and giraffe. His studies have taken him from the UK to Canada, and Sweden to Africa with his main interests being mating systems of harriers, sibling aggression in eagles, reproductive constraints in subtropical species, the evolution of giraffe and climate change effects on birds. He moved from Windhoek in 2003 where he was part of the Biodiversity Programme for 14 years, specializing on the conservation of endemic, montane and wetland birds in Namibia. He now lives in Cape Town drawn here by black harriers, black eagles, whales and a stimulating research environment. His academic research on harrier ecology span both hemispheres and resulted in the publication of his first book Harriers of the World: their behaviour and ecology, published by Oxford University Press. He is continuing that work in collaboration with Fitz students with a 12-yr ecological and satellite-tagging study of endemic black harriers. A film of this work was completed in 2011 (The Secret Life of the Circler - HomeBrew Films). His studies of climate change effects on birds include vultures and fynbos-endemics (with Phoebe Barnard) and he also initiated the African continents' first studies of the impact of domestic cats on the biodiversity in and around Cape Town. Following his long-term studies of threatened birds in Namibia he has written his second book on Namibia's threatened birds, Birds to Watch in Namibia: red, rare and endemic species, with Chris Brown, and Jessica Kemper due for publication in 2013. He watches peregrines, whales and cats in between environmental impact assessments, from Glencairn with his partner Marlei and two daughters.

Research programmes

Current students

Doctoral

Sonja Krüger: Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus meridionalis population dynamics and conservation in the 21st Century (Supervisors: Arjun Amar & Rob Simmons).

Conservation Biology Masters

Masumi Gudka: The effects of pesticides on the breeding success and population of African Fish Eagles at Lake Naivasha, Kenya (Supervisors: Rob Simmons, Peter Ryan) Graduated June 2012

Recent peer-reviewed publications

For a more comprehensive list see Google Scholar profile

In press

Jenkins, J., Simmons, R.E., Curtis, O., Atyeo, M., Raimondo, D. & Jenkins, A.R. 2013. The value of the Black Harrier (Circus maurus) as predictors of biodiversity in the plant-rich Cape Floral Kingdom, South Africa. Bird Conservation International IP. IF 1.25

2013

2012

Goulding W., Pettifor R.A. & Simmons R.E. 2012. High mite burdens in an island population of Cape Wagtails Motacilla capensis: release from predation pressure? Ostrich 83:85-89. IF 0.427

Jenkins, J., Simmons, R.E., Curtis, O., Atyeo, M., Raimondo, D. & Jenkins, A.R. 2012. The value of the Black Harrier (Circus maurus) as predictors of biodiversity in the plant-rich Cape Floral Kingdom, South Africa. Bird Conservation International IP. IF 1.25

Simmons, R.E. & Brown, C.J. (in press). Birds to watch in Namibia: red, rare and endemic species. National Biodiversity Programme, Windhoek, 150 pages. No IF

Turner, R.C., Midgley, J.J., Barnard, P., Simmons, R.E. & Johnson, S.D. 2012. Experimental evidence for bird pollination and corolla damage by ants in the short-tubed flowers of Erica halicacaba (Ericaceae). South African Journal of Botany 79:25-31. IF 1.659

2011

Braby, J., Underhill, L.G. & Simmons, R.E. 2011. Prey capture success and chick diet of Damara Terns Sterna baleanarum in Namibia. African Journal of Marine Science 33(2):247-254.
IF 0.98

Simmons, R.E. 2011. Greater Kestrel survives impact with power lines. Ostrich 82:75-76. IF 0.427

Simmons, R.E., Retief, K. & van Beuningen, D. 2011. Blade runner: Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus and other birds in a wind farm environment in South Africa. Gabar 22 11-18. No IF

2010

Jeltsch, F., Blaum, N., Classen, N., Eschenbach, A., Grohmann, C., Gröngröft, A., Joubert , D.F., Horn A., Lohmann, D., Linsenmair, K.E., Lück-Vogel, M., Medinski, T.V., Meyfarth, S., Mills, A., Petersen, A., Popp A., Poschlod, P., Reisch, C., Rossmanith, E., Rubilar, H., Schütze, S., Seymour, C, Simmons, R, Smit, G.N., Strohbach, M., Tews, J., Tietjen, B., Wesuls, D., Wichmann, M., Wieczorek, M., Zimmermann, I. 2010. Impacts of landuse and climate change on the dynamics and biodiversity in the Thornbush Savanna Biome. In: Hoffman, M. T., Schmiedel, U., Jürgens, N. (eds.) Biodiversity in southern Africa. Volume 3: Implications for landuse and management: pp. 33–74, Klaus Hess Publishers, Göttingen & Windhoek.

Simmons, R.E. 2010. The nest, eggs and diet of the Papuan Harrier from Eastern New Guinea. Journal of Raptor Research 44: 12-18. IF 0.435

Simmons, R.E. 2010. First breeding records for Damara Terns and density of other shorebirds on Angola's Namib Desert coast. Ostrich 81:19–23. IF 0.254

Simmons RE. 2010 African Wahlberg's Eagle and its single egg. In: The Eagle watchers: Observing and Conserving Raptors around the World. Ruth E. Tingay (Editor); Todd E. Katzner (Editor); Keith L. Bildstein (Foreword); Jemima Parry-Jones , MBE (Foreword) ISBN: 978-0-8014-4873-7. Cornell University Press. New York. No IF

Simmons, R.E. & Altwegg, R. 2010. Necks-for-sex or competing browsers? A critique of ideas on the evolution of giraffe. Journal of Zoology 282:6-12. IF 1.545