Bird Songs & Calls and BTO Surveys- Lochaber

This outdoor training session will aim to reinforce aspects of the recent online training events and aims to build the confidence of volunteers keen to find out more about BTO surveys and schemes.

Join Steve Willis for an informal session practising our bird ID skills and learning more about BTO surveys and schemes. During this small-group event we will enjoy watching and listening to the birds in both woodland and open habitats, and there will be plenty of time to ask questions and pick up ID tips from your trainer and other participants. We'll particularly focus on improving our recognition of bird songs and calls. We'll discuss how to use BirdTrack to record birds around you and we'll introduce the methods for the Breeding Bird Survey, and then put them into practice in small groups. As we go about we'll try and keep our eyes peeled for any key signs of breeding behaviour too. 

This event is suitable for folk who are getting more familair with identifying songs and calls, as well as anyone considering taking part in surveys like the Breeding Bird Survey. Anyone who has done BBS a few times but wants to build confidence and ask questions about the finer points of the survey would also be very welcome.

We'll base the training in Glen Nevis, near Fort William. It offers a nice range of woodland and open habitats with uplands all around us! We need to charge a small amount (£10) for these sessions to help cover our costs. We are running these at reduced cost in areas of Scotland where we currently have relatively few volunteers in the hope of encouraging more people to attend, as an investment in future bird monitoring capacity

Bring your own binoculars, bird guide, and notebook plus your own food and drink. Please make sure you wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.    

Further information about the meeting place, car parking, and toilets etc will be emailed to registered participants.