Develop your skills

Birdwatching in a wood, by David Tipling / BTO

Sharpen your birding and surveying skills

Become a better birder with our guides on basic birding and surveying skills, and browse our range of training courses and bird identification videos. 

Explore our range of training courses

We run a wide variety of training courses for birders of all skill levels, budding volunteer surveyors and conservation professionals: online and in-person.

Find a course today

Improve your skills, knowledge and understanding

Birding basics

Stumped on what binoculars you need or which bird guide to choose? Take a look at our advice on birding basics.

Survey essentials

Resources and general guidance for volunteer surveyors about preparing for and carrying out fieldwork, and where to find help.

Bird identification

Build confidence with our breakdown of the principles and techniques of identification, and tackle confusion species in our bird ID videos.

Articles about fieldcraft

Dive into our articles about developing your birding skills, each packed with ideas and information to help you progress.

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