Heather Coats has made a hugely important contribution to ornithology in Wales through ringing projects and training, involvement in BTO survey initiatives and local atlas projects and her long-term active involvement with Gower Ornithological Society. She has been involved in the BTO’s Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) initiative from its outset and was one of a number of ‘stars’ of BBS who was featured in the BTO’s LifeCycle magazine in 2024. She also actively involves herself in other initiatives including the Waterways Survey and most recently Cudyll Cymru. Heather is currently the President of Gower Ornithological Society (GOS), having performed various other committee roles for many years and been an active contributor to atlas work (including the 1987 West Glamorgan Bird Atlas). She is a long-time section writer of the GOS annual report ‘Gower Birds’ and contributes numerous records to inform it. She represents GOS at events, where her enthusiasm for birds and herreadiness to engage with people shine through. She has also been part of a committee that has more than doubled membership of GOS over the past 5 years, and which has seen typical attendances at talks and online events rise from less than ten to 30-50+. Under Heather’s leadership Gower Ringing Group (RG) has grown to become one of the largest in Wales, with over thirty active ringers and a steady production line of trainees.

Her projects include:

• A Recapture of Adults for Survival (RAS) project on Pied Flycatcher at Cwm Clydach (Swansea). This is the second oldest project of its type in the UK, and has helped inform academic studies critical to understanding how the species is responding to climatic change.
• Constant Effort (CES) studies including at WWT’s Llanelli centre, which she has run since 2000, and both winter and garden CES at her home in the Dulais Valley. She was also one of the regular attendees at the (now discontinued) Kenfig CES, regularly donning thigh-length waders to head out into the deep water, and once (memorably) sinking, and travels annually to support a CES site in Portugal.

Heather is very committed to training prospective ringers. Since 2015 she has helped add two ringing trainers, three A permit holders and 11 C Permit holders to Gower RG alone, and trained others who have become permitted and then relocated. This next generation of ornithological researchers and data gatherers are some of the people who will lead and inform future conservation action.

Heather has also been instrumental in the success of the Welsh Ringing Course, which has been hosted by Gower RG for over 10 years. In addition to being one of the assessors on the course, she leads on the domestic arrangements. The course has a Welsh focus; the number of ringers in Wales is relatively small and communication between ringing groups has been limited in the past. It has addressed this through having trainers from different groups involved in assessment and numerous Welsh ringers attending. Wider benefits such as a close relationship between Gower and Teifi RGs, allowing trainees more varied experience have ensued. Her energy in all of her ringing endeavours is hugely admirable, and despite an almost mythically fearsome reputation for not putting up with fools gladly, she is greatly admired and loved by her current and former trainees.

In addition to this award, Heather has been awarded the BTO Jubilee Medal for 2025.