http://www.bto.org/news/index.htm Press Releases from the British Trust for Ornithology http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/nnbw.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/nnbw.htm 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and people all over the world are being encouraged to look at ways to safeguard the variety of plants and animals on their doorstep. So why not take part in this year's National Nest Box Week and lend a hand to nesting birds in your garden or local green space? National Nest Box Week, which is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and founding sponsor Jacobi Jayne and Company, runs from 14th to 21st February and is this year being promoted by Simon King. http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/least_favourite_birds.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/least_favourite_birds.htm Since September 2007, the British Trust for Ornithology has been looking for companies, wildlife groups and people to sponsor Britain’s birds. They have already found 121 species champions, and interest has been expressed in 47 more but that still leaves fifty species including the royal icon – the Mute Swan. Money raised is supporting Bird Atlas 2007-11, the biggest stock-take of British and Irish birds ever carried out. http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/birds_seek_refuge.html http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/birds_seek_refuge.html The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) show Britain’s birds are flooding into gardens, as food in the countryside becomes harder to find under the blanket of snow and ice. http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/friendly_neighbours.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2010/friendly_neighbours.htm Snow that is sweeping the country is not only causing havoc for humans…it could be impacting birds too! A blanket of snow and ice is making it hard for birds to find natural foods. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/work_wonders_with_wagtails.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/work_wonders_with_wagtails.htm If you are not sure how to age, sex or identify wagtails, then a new guide produced by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) may be just what you need. The guide is available free from GBW WAGTAILS, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/boxing_clever.html http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/boxing_clever.html Spring might seem a long way off but some birds will soon be prospecting for nest sites. The British Trust for Ornithology is urging people to put up a new nest box now and, by doing so, increase the chances of it being used come the spring. The Garden Ecology Team has produced a new leaflet, providing expert advice on how to build a nest box, where to erect it and how to look after it. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/media_wildlife_champions.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/media_wildlife_champions.htm Members of TV, press, radio and new media gathered at the House of Lords yesterday 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 http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/where's_brown_owl.html http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/novdec/where's_brown_owl.html This is the question that the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the BBC Autumnwatch team are hoping to answer, by appealing to members of the public to listen out for Tawny Owls and report them to the Trust. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/sepoct/run_for_britain%27s_birds.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/sepoct/run_for_britain%27s_birds.htm If you are concerned by the worrying decline in our House Sparrows, or the absence of the call of the iconic Cuckoo, you can help by running for the British Trust for Ornithology in the UK’s newest marathon and help secure a better future for Britain’s birds and their habitats. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/sepoct/uk_researchers_fly_south.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/sepoct/uk_researchers_fly_south.htm The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the RSPB, have joined forces to mount the largest research project of its type to understand more about our birds that spend the winter south of the Sahara desert. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/sepoct/organic_farming_good_for_birds.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/sepoct/organic_farming_good_for_birds.htm The latest research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) sheds new light on the benefits of organic farming for birds. Published today in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters, the results from the latest research suggest that organic farming might not hold all the answers when it comes to reversing the declines shown by some farmland birds. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/the_race_to_save_birds.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/the_race_to_save_birds.htm The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is delighted to announce today that it is becoming a BirdLife Species Champion to help prevent the extinction of globally threatened birds. This is one of a number of initiatives being taken by the BTO this year to celebrate 100 years of bird ringing in Britain. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/bird_science.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/bird_science.htm The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) will mark a new partnership with BirdGuides Ltd at the 2009 British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water. BirdGuides are releasing two new interactive reference works produced in association with the BTO. This software documents the nesting habitats of over 700 species from across Europe, and includes data from the BTO's Nest Record Scheme. They will also be announcing the appointment of a jointly funded bird-news manager. ‘Better birding through technology' from BirdGuides combined with high-quality bird science from the BTO will deliver powerful and accessible new resources for birders. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/atlas_half_way.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/atlas_half_way.htm The biggest ever stocktake of Britain’s birds reaches the halfway mark on Friday 31 July. Over three million observations for the Bird Atlas have been collected so far. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/urban_birds.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/urban_birds.htm Results of a study, just published by the British Trust for Ornithology’s Garden Ecology Team, have revealed that urban birds are lazy, arriving to feed at bird tables later in the morning than their rural counterparts. BTO researchers lay the blame for this behaviour on the waste heat that escapes from buildings and factories and warms up our urban areas by several degrees. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/europes_oldest_puffin.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/europes_oldest_puffin.htm BTO bird ringers on an expedition to a remote island off the west coast of Scotland have found the two oldest Puffins in Britain. One of these OAPs (Old Age Puffins), at 34 years of age, is also the oldest currently known in Europe. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/little_birds_go_big.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/little_birds_go_big.htm Little birds go big! Latest results from the Breeding Bird Survey published by the British Trust for Ornithology show that Britain's smallest bird just hit the big time. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/mixed_fortunes.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/mixed_fortunes.htm The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology show that the red-listed Lapwing has increased in Scotland, whilst Golden Plover numbers have reached an all time low. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/wales_best.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/wales_best.htm The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) show that Cuckoos are increasing in Wales. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/northern_ireland_strikes_gold.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/julyaug/northern_ireland_strikes_gold.htm The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology show that Goldcrest, the UK’s smallest bird, has increased more in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK. http://www.bto.org/home/housemartins.htm http://www.bto.org/home/housemartins.htm Where are our House Martins? That’s the question being asked by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/mayjun/world_migratory_bird_day.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/mayjun/world_migratory_bird_day.htm As an estimated 16 million migrant birds make their way to Britain, people across the world will be celebrating World Migratory Bird Day 2009, to mark the incredible journeys that many of these birds make as they migrate to their summer breeding grounds. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/mayjun/bird_ringing_100_today.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/mayjun/bird_ringing_100_today.htm The British Trust for Ornithology and Aberdeen University will be celebrating the 100th Birthday of bird ringing in Britain and Ireland this weekend. http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/marapr/secretive_family.htm http://www.bto.org/news/news2009/marapr/secretive_family.htm Tawny, Barn and Little Owls belong to one of the most secretive of Britain’s bird families, and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) needs help in finding them for the largest ever survey of the distribution of birds in Britain and Ireland.