James Pay

Dr. James Pay is a Research Fellow in Conservation Biology at the School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania. His work focuses on the behavioral ecology and conservation of threatened avian species, particularly the endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax fleayi). He employs high-frequency GPS tracking and novel technologies to study flight behavior, habitat selection, and environmental contaminant impacts on top predators.

• Behavioral ecology of endangered raptors
• Spatial ecology and habitat use
• Environmental contaminant exposure (lead, rodenticides)
• Renewable energy mitigation strategies
• Population modeling for conservation

His research examines how anthropogenic activities like wind farms, power lines, and land-use changes affect predator-prey dynamics and ecosystem health. Current projects address:

• Collision risk modeling with renewable infrastructure
• Population estimation methods via citizen science and genetics
• Acoustic-GPS tracking for habitat and vocalization analysis
• Detection probability estimation in threatened species

James is actively involved in:

• Supervising doctoral research on wedge-tailed eagles and goshawks
• Collaborating with industry partners on eagle-safe wind farm planning
• Developing spatial risk models for infrastructure mitigation
• Leading field studies on predator response to human disturbance