Steffen Oppel is a research employee at the Swiss Ornithological Institute where he studies the population processes of Red Kites, Golden Eagles and Little Owls using a variety of data sources and modelling techniques. The Red Kite has recolonized large parts of Switzerland in recent decades, and Steffen contributes to understanding the factors driving this exceptional population increase. The positive population trend coincided with an increasing proportion of resident kites in Switzerland, and the gradual transition from a migratory to a resident species poses multiple interesting questions how climatic changes and anthropogenic influences may have contributed to the population increase. Steffen used to work for the RSPB / BirdLife International and still supports international conservation efforts revolving around raptors, seabirds, and islands.