Disclaimer:  CV last updated August 2017. Info on conservation activities to follow later.

RESEARCH

RESEARCH BIOLOGIST – DUTCH MONTAGU´S HARRIER FOUNDATION (April 2017 - Present)

Tasks: Monitoring impact of nature-inclusive farming practices in context of Species Action Plan for conservation of Montagu´s Harriers in Belgium.

    FREELANCE RESEARCHER – VANSTEELANT ECO RESEARCH (May 2016 – present)

    Collaborating with various organisations in avian research and conservation across the globe including Belgium (INBO), Germany (BirdLife Germany), United States (Hawk Mountain Sanctuary), Finland (Novia University of Applied Sciences).

    GUEST RESEARCHER – UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM (August 2015 – present)

    I extended the work which I started during my Ph.D.; analyzing how Honey Buzzards acquire complex migratory behaviours from fledging till adulthood. This work is done in close collaboration with Patrik Byholm at NOVIA University of Applied Sciences (Finland).

    GUEST RESEARCH BIOLOGIST – HAWK MOUNTAIN SANCTUARY (February - March 2017)

    Data analyses and writing publications to unravel:

    1. migratory development of Turkey Vultures from fledging till adulthood based on life-long tracking data.
    2. individual consistency of migration routes and timing within and among four different populations of Turkey Vultures across the northern and southern hemisphere
    3. movement ecology of breeding and non-breeding adult Turkey Vultures

    PHD STUDENT -- UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM (July 2011 – July 2015)

    At the research group of Computational Geo-Ecology (IBED, UvA) I studied how an Afro-Palearctic, long-distance migrant, the European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus, copes with variable weather conditions across multiple scales of migratory movement. I prepared four scientific publications that also constituted the main chapters of my Ph.D. thesis. 

     

    editorial & review activities

    ASSOCIATE EDITOR at IBIS (January 2017 – present)

    ASSOCIATE EDITOR at Natuur.Oriolus (April 2017 – present)

    MANUSCRIPT REVIEWER
    I´ve reviewed scientific publications for: Scientific Reports, Journal of Animal Ecology, Ecology, Journal of Avian Biology, Ibis, Auk: Ornithological Advances, Ardea, PlosOne, Ecological Modelling, Ornithological Science, Journal of Field Ornithology and Behaviour.

     

    conference contributions

    ORAL PRESENTATIONS:

    • VANSTEELANT W., K. BILDSTEIN, B. MEYBURG & P. BYHOLM. 2017. How do juvenile raptors find their way on their first autumn migration? Insights from lifelong tracking studies in the Old and New World. Presentation. 11th Conference of the European Ornithological Union, 21st August 2017, Turku (Finland).

    • VANSTEELANT W. AND B. MEYBURG 2017. Survival and migratory development of Lesser Spotted Eagles (Aquila pomarina): insights from translocation and lifelong tracking. Presentation. BOU conference: Advances in avian tracking and remote sensing: methods and applications. 12th October 2016, University of Warwick (NL).

    • VANSTEELANT W. 2016. Mastering migration: revealing the ontogeny of individual Honey Buzzard migration routes. Invited Presentation. BOU conference: Advances in avian tracking and remote sensing: methods and applications. 12th October 2016, Peterborough (NL).

    • VANSTEELANT W. 2016. Mastering migration: revealing the ontogeny of individual Honey Buzzard migration routes. Presentation. UvA-BiTS Symposium, University of Amsterdam (NL).
    • VANSTEELANT W. 2016. Mastering migration: revealing the ontogeny of individual Honey Buzzard migration routes. Presentation. Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting 2016, 10th February 2016, Lunteren (NL).
    • VANSTEELANT W. 2015. There and back again: weather and the ontogeny of migration routes in immature European Honey Buzzards. Presentation. 10th Conference of the European Ornithological Union. 24st August – 28nd August 2015, Badajoz (Spain).
    • VANSTEELANT W. 2014. How migrating Honey Buzzards modulate fine-scale flight behaviour as a function of weather conditions encountered en route. Presentation. Netherlands Annual Ecology Meeting 2014, 12th February 2014, Lunteren (NL).
    • VANSTEELANT W., J. SHAMOUN-BARANES, J. VAN DIERMEN AND W. BOUTEN. 2013. From thermal to flyway: understanding soaring migration performance at multiple scales. Presentation. UvA-BiTS Symposium, University of Amsterdam (NL).

    POSTERS AND OTHER CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTIONS:

    • HARRINGTON K., W VANSTEELANT, S. POLE-EVANS, D. BARBER & K. BILDSTEIN. 2017 Seasonal inter-island movements of an aggressive scavenger on the Falkland Islands. Presentation. Raptor Research Foundation Conference. 7th – 12th November 2017, Salt Lake City (USA).
    • MEYBURG B. & W. VANSTEELANT. 2017. Survival and migratory development of Lesser Spotted Eagles (Aquila pomarina): insights from translocation and lifelong tracking. Poster. International Biologging Symposium. 25th – 29th September 2017, Max Planck Institute, Konstanz (GE).
    • VANSTEELANT W. 2015 From thermal to flyway with European Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus: the role of weather during long-distance soaring migration. Talking Poster. Birds in time and space: avian tracking and remote sensing. 31st March – 2nd April 2015, University of Leicester (UK).
    • WEHRMANN J., B. VERHELST, A. LINDÉN AND W. VANSTEELANT. 2013. Bypassing or Accumulation? Impact of Regional Weather Conditions on Migration of Raptors at the Batumi Bottleneck, Republic of Georgia. Presentation. 1st Worldwide Raptor Conference, October 2013, Bariloche (AR).
    • VANSTEELANT W.M.G., W. BOUTEN, R.H.G. KLAASSEN, B. KOKS, A. SCHLAICH, J. SHAMOUN-BARANES, J. VAN DIERMEN, E.E. VAN LOON AND W. VAN MANEN. 2013. Weather explains most patterns in soaring migration performance. Poster. 9th Conference of the European Ornithological Union, 28th-30th August 2013, Norwich (UK).
    • VERHELST B., J. JANSEN AND W. VANSTEELANT. 2010. Batumi Raptor Count: 3 years of monitoring and conservation of migratory raptors at the eastern Black Sea coast of Georgia. Poster. 2nd Conference on Bird Migration and Global Change, March 2010, Algeciras (Spain).

    popular science communication

      • VANSTEELANT W. 2016. Mastering migration: a bird’s eye view of bird migration. Public Seminar. This Teeming World, 3rd expedition, Getting there: tales of migratory journeys. December 12th 2015, Artis Library, Amsterdam (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W. 2016. Mastering migration: a bird’s eye view of bird migration. Public Seminar. Kiek’n Gors volunteer weekend. June 4th 2016, Hélécine (BE).
      • VANSTEELANT W. 2016. Batumi Raptor Count: 8 jaar onderzoek en bescherming van roofvogeltrek in Georgie. Public Seminar. Avondlezing Vogelwerkgroep Uden, February 18th 2016, Uden (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W.. Mastering migration: using GPS tracking to understand individual birds develop migration. Public Seminar. BTO Annual Conference, Dec 5th 2015, Swanwick (UK).
      • VANSTEELANT W.. Van de Veluwe naar de Congo op de rug van een Wespendief. Public Seminar. Avondlezing Vogelwerkgroep Uden, March 17th 2015, Uden (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W.. Van de Veluwe naar de Congo op de rug van een Wespendief. Public Seminar. Ledenavond Vogelwerkgroep Amsterdam, October 22nd 2014, Amsterdam (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W.. Vogel het Uit! Over ecologisch onderzoek met GPS-rugzakjes. Public Seminar. August 17th 2014, Lowlands University (NL). [Watch online: http://vimeo.com/103643830]
      • VANSTEELANT W., J. Shamoun-Baranes & W. Bouten 2014. Vogelonderzoek in beweging: over de opmars van GPS-rugzakjes, en de kansen die dit schept voor vogelaars en onderzoekers. Public Seminar. Wat NOU? Een b(l)oeiende toekomst van de NOU. March 29th 2014, Utrecht (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W. 2014. Van de Veluwe naar de Congo: door weer en wind op de rug van een Wespendief. Public Seminar. Broodje Kennis – Academisch Cultureel Centrum Amsterdam: SPUI 25, March 18th 2014, Amsterdam (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W. 2013. Op de wieken met de Wespendief. Master Class. SOVON Jongerendag. April 22nd 2013, Beek-Ubbergen (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W., B. Verhelst, J. Jansen and J. Wehrmann. 2013. Batumi Raptor Count: Enabling a sustainable future for an important migration bottleneck. Public Seminar. Annual Meeting of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East, July 8th 2013, Thetford (UK).
      • VANSTEELANT W. 2013. Batumi Raptor Count: naar een duurzame toekomst voor een belangrijke trekroute voor Euraziatische roofvogels. Public Seminar. Roofvogelweekend, March 16th 2013, Zelzate (BE).
      • VANSTEELANT W., B. Verhelst, J. Jansen and J. Wehrmann. 2013. Batumi Raptor Count: Enabling a sustainable future for an important migration bottleneck. Public Seminar. Dutch Birding Day 2013, February 2nd 2013, Lunteren (NL).
      • VANSTEELANT W., and J. Jansen. 2010. ‘Batumi Raptor Count’: over de ontdekking en beschrijving van de grootste Euraziatische trechter voor roofvogeltrek. Public Seminar. Landelijke Roofvogeldag, February 13th, Meppel (NL).