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RSS BTO Blog

Our blog offers specialist insight and unique perspective from a wide range of BTO staff, volunteers and guest writers, giving context and inviting discussion on various aspects of our work. It includes:

A series of important posts by BTO Youth.
Updates on how the latest tagged cuckoos are faring as they migrate to and from Africa.
How our latest strategy plays a crucial role in tackling the twin biodiversity and climate crises.
Reflections on our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusivity.

Blogs on specific topics

Demography Blog

The Demog blog covers all things realting to the study of the characteristics of populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics.

BirdTrack Migration Blog

During the months when migration is at its peak, the migblog will predict which species you may see in the coming week and where best to look for migrant birds.

BTO Youth Blog

The Youth blog gives a voice to the young people we work and engage with across the UK, covering programmes of work, events, opinion pieces and interviews.

Eric Simms display at the Nunnery, by Cressida Hay

Cressida Hay

Featured blog post

Getting to know Eric Simms at the BTO Archives

29 Nov 2024

BTO volunteer Cressida Hay recounts her time gaining work experience in the BTO Archives.

Blog Series

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

How our Acoustic Pipeline project is contributing to bat conservation in Europe’s most threatened landscapes.

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

Juliet Vickery.

How BTO data are driving positive change for UK birds

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

Pink-footed Goose. Chris Knights

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

BirdTrack migration blog (mid-July - mid-August)

As we progress through the summer towards early autumn we are still a few weeks away from any large-scale migration. However, the next month will give us a hint of what is to come later in the year.

12 Jul 2022

Tree Pipit. Graham Catley / BTO

Songbird migration across the Sahara

Mark Wilson, BTO Research Ecologist, reflects on his work tagging songbirds to collect data about their migration routes and their breeding grounds in the UK.

11 Jul 2022

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