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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 follow our Cuckoo Blogs (part of our Cuckoo Tracking Project).

Blogs on specific topics

Demography Blog

BirdTrack Migration Blog

Young Birder Blog

Whooper Swan. Sarah Kelman / BTO

Steve Willis

Featured blog post

Scotland's winter visitors: why and how do they migrate?

22 Nov 2022

From geese and swans to thrushes and warblers, discover the secrets of our winter birds' migration.

Blog Series

BirdTrack migration blog (November–December)

With November upon us, the focus for many birdwatchers shifts away from autumn migration and towards winter birding.

04 Nov 2022

The southern shores of Lough Neagh, Oxford Island. Sorrel Lyall

Introducing Ripple NI: BTO's community-based engagement project

Sorrel Lyall's story with BTO - from young birder, ringer and Youth Advisory Panel member to BTO Project Officer - has recently taken her to Northern Ireland, to deliver our ambitious new Ripple Project. Read her journey into conservation and discover our exciting pilot engagement scheme.

02 Nov 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (28th October - 3rd November)

As the nights draw in and trees take on the colours of autumn, the pace of migration slows and fewer species are on the move. Late October is still a great time to look for migrant birds, however, and for some species, this is the prime time of year to see them.

26 Oct 2022

Youth in Nature Summit

Why we built the Youth in Nature Summit

BTO Youth discuss the environmental sector's failure to consistently engage with young people, and set out their goals for the first ever BTO Youth in Nature Summit.

25 Oct 2022

Fieldfare. Liz Cutting / BTO

BirdTrack migration blog (21st-27th October)

With a switch to easterly winds, a flood of migrants was seen along the East coast, much to the delight of those able to get out and witness it.

20 Oct 2022

BirdTrack Migration Blog (14th - 20th October)

With birds arriving from all points of the compass, the last week continued where the previous week left off: a mix of ultra-rare species and scarcer migrants arriving alongside more commoner species.

13 Oct 2022

Greater Mouse-eared Bat. Sergey Ryzhkov / stock.adobe.com

BTO goes batty: how our Acoustic Pipeline project is contributing to bat conservation in some of Europe’s most threatened landscapes

Through the Endangered Landscapes Programme, scientists using the BTO Acoustic Pipeline to support biodiversity monitoring are making some amazing discoveries.

10 Oct 2022

Snow Bunting. Paul Hillion / BTO

BirdTrack migration blog (7th - 13th October)

Migration continues at a pace with some exciting rarities on our shores alongside our commoner species moving en masse to their wintering grounds.

06 Oct 2022

Into the Red. BTO

The Making of Into the Red

When 140 artists and writers come together, united by a common goal: to raise funds for the UK's most vulnerable birds.

04 Oct 2022

Redwing, Edmund Fellowes

BirdTrack migration blog (30th September - 6th October)

As we reach the peak of Autumn migration many millions of birds are on the move across the globe.

30 Sep 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (23rd-29th September)

Given the seemingly unfavourable conditions over the past week, it has been a pleasant surprise to see such a diverse range of species on the move.

21 Sep 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (16th-22nd September)

As we reach mid-September, the pace of migration has certainly intensified: summer visitors, passage migrants, and winter visitors have been seen far and wide across Britain and Ireland.

14 Sep 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (9th-15th September)

A week dominated by easterlies certainly had an exciting effect on migration with a good mix of species seen up and down the country.

07 Sep 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (2nd-8th September)

With Swallows gathering on the wires and the nights drawing in, summer has come to an end - but the delights of autumn still await.

01 Sep 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (26th August - 1st September)

With the start of September almost upon us, the pace of migration will increase as more of our summer visitors head off to their wintering areas.

25 Aug 2022

Golden Plover. Paul Hillion / BTO

Identifying, understanding and solving conservation issues: BTO data in action

BTO's CEO Juliet explains how we use our data to drive positive change for the UK's birds.

24 Aug 2022

BirdTrack migration blog (19th-25th August)

You don’t need us to tell you that August has been very hot and dry with drought conditions across many parts of Britain and Ireland.

16 Aug 2022

Large Red and Azure Damselflies. Tony / stock.adobe.com

How and why to record dragonflies in August

Many dragonflies and damselflies are on the wing in mid and late summer. BTO’s Rob Jaques writes about watching, recording, and supporting these beautiful insects.

12 Aug 2022

Mountain walk. Andy Wilson / BTO

Not all career paths are paved equally

Why is BTO certified Disability Confident Committed? Jenna Woodford, BTO's Social Media Officer, reflects on their experience as an applicant and as an employee.

28 Jul 2022

A colony of breeding Guillemots.

Tackling the challenge of avian influenza

Director of Science James Pearce-Higgins discusses Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and BTO's role in the response to the current outbreak.

13 Jul 2022

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Related content

Whooper Swan. Sarah Kelman / BTO

Scotland's winter visitors: why and how do they migrate?

From geese and swans to thrushes and warblers, discover the secrets of our winter birds' migration.

Tagged Lesser Black-backed Gull. Gary Clewley

Bird tracking — a masterclass

Phil Atkinson explains the technology behind tracking.

Barnacle Geese. Sebastian / stock.adobe.com

Avian Influenza

BTO is dedicated to tackling the challenge of avian influenza. Learn about the disease, its impact on our wild birds and BTO's efforts to mitigate its impacts.