Successes of 2009

Thanks to the continued support of our members and volunteers we have had some great successes in 2009 and these are a few of them:

Tawny Owl survey a big success
The response to the Tawny Owl survey has been fantastic. Over 8,500 observations have been logged so far, filling in lots of the gaps in our knowledge of the distribution of this enigmatic bird of the night. See just how much of a difference the BTO/Autumnwatch survey has made. We are still collecting records, and as the weather gets colder and frostier Tawny Owls can be easier to hear, so you can still submit your observations here.

New longevity records just published (taken from the 2008 report on bird ringing)
Bar-tailed Godwit (33 years 11 months) - European record
Ringed in Norfolk and recaught locally by ringers
Grey Plover (25 years 1 month)
Ringed in Norfolk and recaught locally by ringers (2004)
Common Gull (25 years)
Ringed in Co Mayo and ring read in Co Sligo
Great Black-backed Gull (24 years 11 months)
Ringed in Orkney and found dead locally
Red-throated Diver (23 years 7 months)
Ringed in Orkney and found dead locally
Turnstone (22 years 3 months) – European record
Ringed in Clywd and found dead in Co Louth (2005)
Hobby (14 years 10 months) – European record
Ringed in Northamptonshire and found dead in Cambridgeshire (2007)
Goldeneye (12 years)
Ringed in Highland and shot locally
Red-necked Phalarope (11 years 10 months) – European record
Ringed in Shetland and rings read locally
Cetti’s Warbler (9 years 3 months) – European record
Ringed in Avon and recaught locally by ringers
Lesser Whitethroat (9 years) – European record
Ringed in Norfolk and recaught locally by ringers
Bearded Tit (7 years) – European record
Ringed in Lancashire and recaught locally by ringers (1999)
Rock Pipit (5 years 11 months)
Ringed in Northumberland and recaught locally by ringers

Best breeding season ever
Preliminary results, from the Constant Effort Site scheme, show that for many of our songbirds, 2009 was one of the best breeding seasons in the last 25 years.

The CES scheme monitors the fortunes of 25 songbird species. Over the 2009 season, productivity was significantly higher than normal for 15 of these and at its highest ever level for Reed Warbler and Chaffinch. It appears that the drier, warmer spring and summer in southern Britain allowed birds to successfully raise more chicks. Those doing best included some of the finches, with Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Linnet all with productivity 70% higher than the long term average. Scroll down to 'Winners in 2009' for more information.

Cracking Year for Members and Volunteers
2009 has been a record breaking year for the BTO, our volunteer base expanded to more than 37,000 active volunteer birdwatchers and we enjoyed a 25% increase in the number of new members joining the Trust. The Atlas is creating a wave of new volunteers and members and now enjoys the support of more than 16,000 registered surveyors, who have contributed an amazing 2 million records to the project. Earlier this year we estimated the financial contribution of volunteers to the BTO to be an incredible 36 million pounds annually, a truly staggering number.

Media Wildlife Champions Honoured
In November, members of TV, press, radio and new media gathered at the House of Lords to honour six from their ranks, with the presentation of the UK’s newest wildlife award, the British Trust for Ornithology’s, Dilys Breese Medal. Dilys was a stalwart of the BBC Natural History Unit and a life-long supporter of the BTO.

The Medal is awarded for excellence in communicating the work of the BTO to a wider audience, and raising the profile of bird conservation both nationally and internationally. Presented by Baroness Barbara Young, President of the BTO, the first recipients of the award are; TV Producer and Wildlife Writer, Stephen Moss - Radio Presenter and Producer, Brett Westwood – Journalist and Environment Editor, Stuart Winter - TV Presenter, Writer and Wildlife Stalwart, Tony Soper - New Media guru, Fiona Barclay. Highland Journalist, Ray Collier was the sixth medalist but was unable to be at the Awards Ceremony.

BTO volunteers honoured for their work with the Trust
Ron Hoblyn, from Santon Downham, Suffolk, received the BTO Bernard Tucker Medal ‘for outstanding service to the Trust’ at the BTO annual conference in December. Ron has been studying the birds of Thetford Forest and the Breckland region of Norfolk and Suffolk for almost 40 years. His bird recording has focused on a range of rare and threatened species including Red-backed Shrike, Woodlark and Nightjar.

At the same conference, Norman Elkins, from Fife, received the BTO Jubilee Medal ‘for committed devotion to the Trust. Norman has been the BTO Regional Representative for Fife since 1987, and has organised several surveys in the region, including the Atlas, Breeding Bird Survey, Wetland Breeding Bird Survey, and the BTO’s longest running survey, Heronries; this survey began in 1929. Norman has served on BTO Council and the Regional Network Committee, where his experience of fieldwork and organising surveys always shone out. Both medals were presented by Baroness Barbara Young.

Regional Representatives long-service recognised
At our annual regional network meeting here at the Nunnery in November, we celebrated six of our regional representatives reaching a milestone in their work for the Trust. Muriel Cadwallander (Northumberland), Bob Proctor (Moray & Nairn), Hugh Insley (Inverness-shire), Vince Matthews (Norfolk SW), Allan Dawes (Shropshire) & John Lloyd (Brecknock) were all awarded medals for long-service as BTO regional representatives. They have all been instrumental in organising and promoting the work of the BTO in their regions for over a decade. To find out who your local BTO regional representative is, click here.

All year party for bird ringing
The centenary year of ringing in Britain and Ireland is coming to a close, and what a year it has been, with events across the country and lots of press, radio and television coverage. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in promoting this throughout 2009. See a film of BTO staff ringing in and around the Nunnery courtesy of the BBC's Inside Out.

BTO year of honours
In March the BTO announced the winners of the BTO - British Energy Business Bird Challenge 2008 the competition to find the countrys best industrial and commercial sites for birds.