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, Sweden and 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 has moved from Windhoek where he was part of the Biodiversity Programme for 14 years, specializing on the conservation of endemic 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 spanned 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 10-yr ecological and satellite-tagging study of endemic Black Harriers. His studies of climate change effects on birds include vultures, and fynbos-endemics and he is initiating 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 Namibian Red Data birds, due for publication in 2009. He watches peregrines, whales and cats from Glencairn with his wife and two daughters.

Research programmes

Current  students

Doctoral

Justine Braby: The conservation and biology of the Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum in Namibia (Supervisors: Les Underhill and 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)

Honours Students

Koebraa Peters: Tracking domestic cats: movement patterns and prey catches of cats in Glencairn, Cape Town. (Supervisors: Rob Simmons, Justin O'Riain)

Kirsten Retief: The influence of weather and mouse activity on the hunting patterns of raptors in Jakkalsfontein Nature Reserve, South Africa (Supervisor: Rob Simmons)

Recent peer-reviewed publications

2012

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

Jenkins, J., Simmons, R.E., Curtis, O., Atyeo, M., Raimondo, D. & Jenkins, A.R. (in press). 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 1.138

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 1.106
 

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 1.229

Simmons, R.E. 2011. Greater Kestrel survives impact with power lines. Ostrich 82:75-76. IF 0.338

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