About Raptor Aid.
The Board
Jimmi Hill
Role – Founder & Chair/General dogsbody
Favourite Bird of Prey – It changes weekly but….. Eurasian Hobby or Philippine Eagle
I’ve had a passion for birds of prey since a child and ended up feeding this passion by working with birds of prey in captivity from the young age of 13 during school holidays until it became a full-time career at 19. Whilst working with captive birds of prey I always had a keen interest in the conservation and education aspect of working with this group of birds.
I became active with my local Barn owl conservation group and eventually got my ringing licence with the British Trust for ornithology before focusing on monitoring other species of raptors for the last 10 years. I am now an active member of several raptor study groups and am fortunate to know and work with some incredible people monitoring many of Britain’s birds of prey.
I have a real passion for sharing knowledge and encouraging anyone with an interest to learn about birds of prey and the natural world and I hope Raptor Aid will help achieve this for many years to come.
Steve Watson
Role – Trustee & Brains/Treasurer
Favourite Bird of Prey – Peregrine falcon
Steve Watson has been fascinated by raptors all his life and has a particular interest In Peregrine Falcons and Goshawks which he has observed, monitored and studied since the early 1980's. He has delivered talks on both raptors for RSPB and Wildlife groups since 2008 and is a much sought-after public speaker.
He is an active member of the Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group CIO as well as a Committee member/ Treasurer of Southwest Peregrines.
He has recently published his first book as a co-author alongside Richard Sale on the Peregrine Falcon to critical acclaim. This book is now being widely regarded as the most up-to-date, complete piece of work on this species.
Blake Williams
Role – Trustee & Straight Talker
Favourite Bird of Prey – Bearded vulture
Blake studied accountancy and worked for a top 10 firm before pursuing a successful career in the snow sports world. Blake is now a ski coach with the British Paralympic ski team.
He originally met Jimmi in high school, and they've stayed friends ever since. Although he had no direct links to birds of prey and their conservation before joining Raptor Aid, he is fortunate to travel and ski in some of the best spots in the world to see amazing birds of prey & the charity has helped him understand some of the pressures these birds face.
Zoe Smith
Role – Trustee & Education/Conservation
Favourite Bird of Prey – Too hard to choose but if I had to the Peregrine falcon
Zoe has over fifteen years of experience working in raptor conservation in the UK and internationally. Currently, Zoe works as an Associate Ornithologist for the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation on the reintroduction of the White-tailed Eagle to England and other raptor work including Osprey conservation and research. She is also an elected member of the board of the Raptor Research Foundation.
Some of her career highlights in Eurasia have included working in Dadia National Park on Cinereous, Griffon and Egyptian vultures; raptor count supervisor at the Strait of Messina in Italy for Ornis Italica; and counting at raptor migration bottlenecks: Batumi Raptor Count in the Republic of Georgia and at Khoa Dinsor in Thailand. In the Americas, Zoe was a spring Intern at Hawk Mountain USA and has also been a raptor counter at Mexico’s Veracruz ‘River of Raptors’ projects, one of the biggest migration counts in the world.
In the UK her raptor work has included working for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), on Hen Harriers, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Hawk and Owl Trust on Urban Peregrines. Zoe is vice chairman of the Cromer Peregrine Project and is involved with the People for Peregrines group.
Zoe is enthusiastic and very passionate about understanding birds of prey ecology and inspiring the next generation to be involved in raptor conservation. She believes that collaborative initiatives are key to successful conservation projects.
Anna Clark
Role – Trustee & Marketing Guru
Favourite Bird of Prey – Barn owl or Snowy owl
Anna has spent the last 20 years working in and around the outdoor industry as a designer and marketeer. She has worked on many brands, ranging from international manufacturers to smaller bird conservation brands. This is what introduced Anna to Jimmi and the exceptional work that Raptor Aid does.
Although not an adept birder, she is developing her skills by working with Raptor Aid. She is applying her design and marketing expertise to the subject of bird conservation.
Her most memorable experience with birds of prey is paddling around 100s of bald eagles feeding their young on the beaches of Quadra Island, Canada.
