BTO Blog | Page 4 | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology

Skip to main content

RSS BTO Blog

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

BTO Youth Blog

Equity vs Equality

Juliet Vickery

Featured blog post

Equality vs equity: a crucial distinction in BTO’s work around diversity and inclusion

01 Jun 2023

BTO's CEO Juliet discusses a shift in our focus, from working towards Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, to aiming for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Blog Series

Hen Harrier. Alicia Hayden

Exploring Birds through Art

Alicia Hayden, BTO Youth Advisory Panel member, writes about her love of birds and art, and how they coalesce in her growing portfolio.

21 Mar 2022

Cetti's Warbler. Tony Cox

26 Years as a BBS Volunteer

As 2022's BBS approaches, volunteer John Gibson reflects on his journey into BTO and the 26 years of BBS at his local patch in Wigan which followed.

14 Mar 2022

Tajo Figuras. Reproduced from Breuil & Burkitt (1929 Rock Paintings of Southern Andalusia. Oxford University Press)

A Word with Tim Birkhead

BTO Youth Rep Jasmine Canham sits down with Tim Birkhead to talk about the inspiration and ideas behind his new book, Birds and Us.

01 Mar 2022

Sunflowers. Nicholas Watts

Six Decades of Farming for Nature

Our CEO Juliet sits down with Vine House Farm founder Nicholas Watts to unpack his passionate support for wildlife-friendly farming.

25 Feb 2022

Marsh Harrier. Photograph by Sarah Kelman (Bird Photographer of the Year image)

Birding 101 challenges young people to explore birds through written art

BTO Youth’s online training programme Birding 101 is a series of free, virtual sessions for young people to learn all about birding in the UK. It has been a huge success so far, with over 100 young people from across the UK engaging in multiple sessions. These sessions have provided a safe space for young people to celebrate their passion for birds, share their experiences and develop their knowledge and skills.

25 Feb 2022

Seawatching on the Isle of May. Steve Willis

A Haar Day's Month: Gull Tracking on the Isle of May

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a seabird ecologist? BTO scientist Daniel Johnston shares his first experience catching and tagging gulls to collect valuable data about their behaviour.

21 Feb 2022

A kingfisher perched on a branch

My Patch: A Lockdown Gift

One year on from the third national lockdown, BTO volunteer Harriet Day writes about discovering the joy of birding closer to home during times of restricted travel.

25 Jan 2022

Gethin walking along a snowy riverbank

Out in the Field

BTO Youth Rep Gethin Jenkins-Jones shares his experience surveying the River Usk to collect data on Cormorant and Goosander populations.

20 Jan 2022

Migration blog review of 2021

Whilst 2021 was a stop start year for many of us the same could be said for migrating birds, but for very different reasons.

16 Dec 2021

Migration blog – Winter

As we get ever closer to the end of autumn the pace of migration steadily slows, and as the daylight hours shorten so does the variety of birds on the move.

12 Nov 2021

Long-tailed Tit on feeder. Tommy Holden

Supplementary bird feeding – a conservation balance

Dr Kate Plummer and colleagues discuss the delicate conservation balance of providing additional food for birds.

09 Nov 2021

Migration blog (22nd – 28th October)

Many bird watchers have been lamenting on what a poor autumn it has been so far for migration, with numbers of common, scarce, and expected rare species down on what would normally be expected.

22 Oct 2021

Long-eared Owl. Edmund Fellowes

Migration blog (15th – 21st October)

Changeable winds over the coming week could herald the first big arrival of Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

15 Oct 2021

Spurn Young Leaders course 2021. Faye Vogely

Spurn Young Leaders Course 2021

Attendees of BTO's Young Leaders Course 2021 reflect on what they learned at Spurn.

12 Oct 2021

Whooper Swans. Tom Cadwallender

Migration blog (8th – 14th October)

Heading towards the middle of October, focus shifts to some of our winter visitors.

08 Oct 2021

Migration blog (1st – 7th October)

October is for many birdwatchers their favourite month of the year, with a real mix of common migrants, winter visitors and the occasional mega rarity thrown in for good measure.

01 Oct 2021

Migration blog (24th – 30th September)

No sooner had I pressed the button to publish the last migration blog, the weather forecast for the week changed completely – the expected easterlies were replaced by westerlies and as a result reports of many of the common migrants fell away.

24 Sep 2021

Migration blog (17th - 23rd September)

Many of our summer visitors will be well on their way by now with Swallow, Willow Warbler, and Swift sightings rapidly falling in the last couple of weeks. Whilst some species such as House Martin will be around for a bit longer, over the next week these too will depart en masse before the cooler conditions of autumn really start to take affect.

18 Sep 2021

Create Blog _ BTO - British Trust for Ornithology.html

Migration blog (10th – 16th September)

With the past week seeing a rise in temperatures across much of Britain and Ireland the pace of migration continued to grow, with the settled conditions providing migrant birds with clear skies and favourable winds.

10 Sep 2021

Migration blog (3rd – 9th September)

With the first days of Autumn upon us and the breeding season over for many species, the focus is now on preparing for the coming winter months. Whilst some species will remain within Britain and Ireland, others will be leaving or passing through en route to wintering grounds further south.

02 Sep 2021

Pages

Related content

A pair of gannets

Avian influenza

From symptoms and outbreaks to impacts and mitigation, learn more about avian flu and our dedication to tackling it.

Bewick's Swan. Chris Knights

BTO Data Reports

Our reports provide rigorous scientific information to inform Environmental Impact Assessments in the UK.

Tagged Lesser Black-backed Gull. Gary Clewley

Bird tracking — a masterclass

Phil Atkinson explains the technology behind tracking.