Colin Joseph Bibby (20 November 1948 – 7 August 2004) was a British

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

and conservationist. Bibby was born in the Wirral,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, the son of a

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

farmer. He was educated at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, and at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, graduating in natural sciences. He gained his PhD for a classic study on the ecology and conservation of

Dartford warbler The Dartford warbler (''Curruca undata'') is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is d ...

s.Unwin, Brian. (26 August 2004). Colin Bibby. Defending birds round the world. ''The Guardian''.Marren, Peter. (16 August 2004). Colin Bibby. Ornithologist and authority on bird censusing techniques. ''Independent''. Bibby was a research staff member for the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

from 1971 to 1986, and the head of Conservation Science from 1986 to 1991. In 1991, he moved to

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

, where he led their research team and a major research program, with projects in over 70 countries. In 2001 he became a self-employed environmental consultant. He was also a member of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, and the founding editor of the

British Trust for Ornithology The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles. The William, Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales has been patron since October 2020. History Beginning In 1931 Max Nicholson ...

journal ''Ringing and Migration''. His major contributions were in the development of quantitative approaches to the study of birds for research leading to conservation. He was also a frequent contributor to '' British Birds'' magazine. In 1994, he was awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences for his work with BirdLife International, and in June 2004, he received the RSPB Medal in recognition of his contribution to ornithology. He learned that he had an incurable

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in March 2004 and, on 7 August 2004 at the age of 55, died in his sleep. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, and three sons.

Memorials

A special supplement published with ''

Bird Conservation International ''Bird Conservation International'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International. The editor-in-chief is Phil Atkinson (British Trust for Ornithology). The journal trans ...

'' (Vol 18 No 3, September 2008) was dedicated to Bibby. In it, Mike Rands, BirdLife's Chief Executive, wrote: In 2017 a stained-glass painting of a

Dartford Warbler The Dartford warbler (''Curruca undata'') is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a small warbler with a long thin tail and a thin pointed bill. The adult male has grey-brown upperparts and is d ...

, in the style of Bibby's favourite artist, Eric Ennion, was added to a window at St Michael and All Angels Church, Caldecote, Cambridgeshire in Bibby's honour. Bibby had spent the months after his fatal diagnosis fundraising for the church windows' restoration. A service of dedication for the memorial painting, on 16 July 2017, led by the Archdeacon of Cambridge, Alex Hughes, was attended by over 100 people.

Selected publications

* * (pbk reprint of 1992 1st edition);

References

External links

BirdLife International obituary
* * Bibby, C., M. Jones and S. Marsden (2000) Expedition Field Techniques. Bird Surveys. BirdLife International
Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibby, Colin 1948 births 2004 deaths English ornithologists Deaths from cancer in England People from the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Royal Society for the Protection of Birds people 20th-century British zoologists People educated at Oundle School