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The BTO blog offers comment and perspective from a wide range of BTO staff and supporters, giving context and inviting discussion on various aspects of BTO's work. Read our series of posts by Young Birders and our seasonal migration blog posts. Don't forget to visit the Demography Blog (Demog Blog) for Ringing and Nest Recording stories, and following our Cuckoo Blogs (part of our Cuckoo Tracking Project).

Whoopers Swans, Edmund Fellowes

Scott Mayson

Featured blog post

Migration blog (25 September – 1st October)

24 Sep 2020

The next few weeks see the peak in autumn migration with greater diversity and numbers of birds on the move than any other time of year. As with all migration, the intensity is very dependent on the weather, wind direction, cloud cover, rain and fog. They all play their part in the timings of birds migrating and deciding which species turn up where, and when.

Blog Series

Migration blog (18th – 24th September)

The next four weeks see the peak in autumn migration with greater diversity and numbers of birds on the move than any other time of year. As with all migration, the intensity is very dependent on the weather, wind direction, cloud cover, rain and fog. They all play their part in the timings of birds migrating and deciding which species turn up where and when.

17 Sep 2020

Pripyat river. © Daniel Rosengren / Frankfurt Zoological Society

BTO in Belarus: the Polesia project

Adham Ashton-Butt explains how BTO is involved in a cross-organisational project in Polesia, one of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe.

11 Sep 2020

Migration Blog (11th – 17th September)

Migration is without doubt in full flow, with birds arriving and departing across Britain and Ireland. The week ahead looks like it could provide a wide range of species arriving from all points of the compass. No matter where you live, you should be able to witness migration at some level.

10 Sep 2020

Stonechat - Neil Calbrade

Migration blog (4th – 10th September)

Migration blog for the 4th-10th September.

03 Sep 2020

Migration blog (August – September)

It's starting to get exciting! Birds are on the move again; for some species, the summer is over, breeding has finished and it's time to head back towards their wintering grounds.

13 Aug 2020

YAP in February

International Youth Day

This International Youth Day, get to know some of our Youth Advisory Panel.

11 Aug 2020

Mya Bambrick

Where are the young women in birding?

As we continue to work on making birding more inclusive, how do young women perceive birding? Five young birders share their experiences.

05 Aug 2020

Migration blog (July – August)

As we progress through late summer and our gardens and surrounding countryside are filled with the young from this year's breeding season, it seems odd that for some birds autumn migration is already underway.

22 Jul 2020

Jamey in Suffolk

Diversity in birding: why it matters

BTO's Jamey Redway reflects on diversity in birding, and how organisations like BTO play a role in making birding more inclusive.

29 Jun 2020

Migration blog (June – July)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last month and what we can expect in early July.

25 Jun 2020

River Cam, Andy Clements.

Leading through a crisis

BTO's CEO, Andy Clements, reflects on how the organisation is adapting to life under lockdown.

21 May 2020

Migration blog (14th May - 20th May)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

14 May 2020

Migration blog (7th May - 13th May)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

06 May 2020

Goldfinch on feeder - Steven Whitcher / stock.adobe.com

Garden BirdWatch - 25 years of monitoring garden birds

We have been collecting garden bird lists for 25 years, but why does this matter? Kate Risely explains what we can learn from GBW data.

01 May 2020

Migration blog (30th April - 6th May)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

29 Apr 2020

Migration Blog (23rd April – 29th April)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

22 Apr 2020

Migration Blog (16th April – 22nd April)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

15 Apr 2020

Migration Blog (9th April – 15th April)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

08 Apr 2020

Migration Blog (2nd April - 8th April)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

01 Apr 2020

Migration Blog (26th March - 1st April)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species are on the move over the coming week and how the weather could affect their migration.

25 Mar 2020

Pages

Our future - in your hands

Our future - in your hands

We are developing our youth engagement programme to find and nurture our surveyors of the future. With your help we can provide resources to educate, engage and empower.

Blogs on specific topics

Demography Blog

Our Demog blog features latest news and stories from the BTO’s Ringing and Nest Recording teams, along with some fascinating contributions from blog followers.

Migration Blog

Spring and autumn are exciting times of year as migrant birds arrive in and depart from Britain. In the Migration Blog, we make predictions about when to expect interesting migrant arrivals.

Young Birder Blog

A series of blogs were we invite young birders to share their experiences of birding and participating in BTO surveys.

Related content

Chaffinch and Greenfinch. Edmund Fellowes

What we can learn from 25 years of watching gardens

Exploring the value of a complete quarter-century of weekly garden bird observations from BTO's Garden BirdWatch covering the length and breadth of the country.

Tagged Lesser Black-backed Gull. Gary Clewley

Bird tracking - a masterclass

Phil Atkinson explains the technology behind tracking.

Mya Bambrick

Where are the young women in birding?

As we continue to work on making birding more inclusive, how do young women perceive birding? Five young birders share their experiences.