The BTO Regional Network

Volunteers sit at the very heart of BTO, contributing thousands of hours to our work every year. Our Regional Network volunteers represent BTO at a regional level, whilst also acting as the first point of contact for their local volunteer surveyors. We have 125 BTO regions, and within each region, we are keen to develop a local passionate BTO community.

Regional Representatives

A Regional Representative (RR) is our local leader for BTO in their region, and a key point of contact for other local members and volunteers. The role is largely administrative, supporting survey volunteers and taking overall responsibility for the coordination and leadership of the team in their region.

To find the Regional Representative for your area, browse the map or visit our Regional Representative Directory for a full list of our Regional Representatives and their contact details.

Regional Organisers

While all the outcomes we’d want in a region can be achieved by the Regional Representative on their own, in some cases, a team approach works really well. Regional Organisers (ROs) help us achieve great regional coverage for individual surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey. There can be a different RO for each of the key surveys, each working closely with the RR.

Local Organisers

Local Organisers are solely responsible for coordinating the Wetlands Bird Survey (WeBS) and report to the WeBS team at BTO HQ. They organise the survey to WeBS regions, different to BTO regions, and range from either counties (or similar) to specific, complex sites. WeBS regions may cross multiple BTO regions so LOs may work closely with more than one RR to gain the best coverage for the survey.

Regional Ambassadors

BTO Regional Ambassadors (RAs) focus on engagement and promotional work to help raise the profile of BTO locally, and provide opportunities for people to get together.

Find your Regional Representative

Please note: the counties on the map don’t always correspond directly to the regions. Some regions might overlap multiple counties.

Become a Regional Network volunteer

If you’re interested in becoming a Regional Network volunteer, we’d love to hear from you! We have several vacant positions across the UK, including Regional Representative and Local Organiser roles.

Browse Regional Representative vacancies below, or contact dawn.balmer [at] bto.org for more information about Local Organiser vacancies.

Regional Representative vacancies

Get in touch with dawn.balmer [at] bto.org for more information or to apply.

England

  • Buckinghamshire
  • Derbyshire (South)
  • Huntingdon and Peterborough
  • Lancashire (North-west)
  • Merseyside
  • Northamptonshire
  • Yorkshire (Central)
  • Yorkshire (Leeds and Wakefield)
  • Yorkshire (North-west)
  • Yorkshire (Richmond)

Wales

  • Carmarthenshire
  • Glamorgan (West)
  • Montgomery

Scotland

  • Angus
  • Benbecula and the Uists
  • Orkney
  • Shetland
  • Wigtown

What does our Regional Network achieve?

Key outcomes

  • Good coverage for our surveys in the region through recruitment and support of volunteers
  • A welcoming environment for new supporters
  • A vibrant community engaged and kept up to date with news and feedback of the results of their collective effort
  • A community integrated into the local bird scene, with links to local birds clubs or similar groups and with other neighbouring BTO communities.

Additional outcomes

  • An increase in BTO members in the region
  • Periodic conferences and other opportunities for people to meet
  • Local training/mentoring opportunities
  • A greater awareness of our work through talks, a presence at events or on social media

The Regional Network Committee

The Regional Network Committee supervises the volunteer surveys at BTO, supporting survey workers and monitoring survey planning and evaluation. The Committee appoints Regional Representatives and liaises with the Surveys Team in supervising Regional and Country Representatives.

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