The BTO/CRP Wader Monitoring Scheme (WaMS) pilot trials a new approach to summarising wader breeding success across local projects. Local wader projects or anyone monitoring breeding waders are welcome to take part.
Time, skill and support
Before spring, you will need to familiarise yourself with WaMS and the information we are asking for. In late summer or early autumn, you will need to enter wader breeding records using the data entry options provided.
You will need to be able to locate and monitor breeding waders. You only need to be able to recognise and identify breeding attempts in the wader species you are monitoring.
A Wader Behaviour Guide and several other project resources are available.
About the BTO/CRP Wader Monitoring Scheme (WaMS) pilot
Our wader populations are declining, in large part because their eggs and chicks have lower chances of surviving than in the past. It is vital that we better understand the threats to waders, and the solutions to these threats. The BTO/CRP Wader Monitoring Scheme pilot is trialling a new approach to summarising records of breeding waders and wader breeding attempts across the UK. The project uses a standardised format that will allow meaningful comparisons between records, to better inform wader conservation.
Who can take part?
WaMS is open to anyone who monitors waders in a way that will generate breeding records, including individuals and local wader projects.
- Please read the What to record guidance, to see if you can collect the data we are asking for.
- Even if you can only collect some, but not all, of the data, please consider submitting data to the pilot.
Why take part?
Individual wader projects have collected lots of evidence informing conservation. However, this evidence often goes unpublished, measures breeding success in different ways, and, in some cases, is less readily accepted due to perceived bias or lack of rigorous analyses.
The WaMS project is an opportunity for local wader projects to work together more effectively to collect evidence for wader conservation. By engaging with the WaMS pilot, you will help shape the project’s future and contribute to improved wader-relevant policy and management. As the project develops, we also hope to offer more help to individual projects in summarising and reporting on their data.
- Find out how to take part.
Register your interest
Project team
Leads
Contact
- waders@bto.org
Project timeline
- February 2026 The WaMS pilot launches and is open for participants to view project webpages, register interest and contact waders@bto.org.
- March to July 2026 Wader breeding record collection takes place
- July to October 2026 The main window for data submission.
- 16 October 2026 Data submission window closes.
- Late winter 2026/27 WaMS pilot results published in an open-access report.
How to take part
1. Register your interest
Enter your details on the Wader Monitoring Scheme pilot sign-up form to register your interest. This is not a commitment to contribute to the scheme, but means you will receive communications about the project.
2. Familiarise yourself with WaMS (February to March)
Please read through the What to record guidance to familiarise yourself with the information we are asking for. We do not ask you to adopt new monitoring methods, but you may be able to tweak your methods to help collect the information we ask for.
- You only need to be able to recognise and identify breeding attempts in the wader species you are monitoring.
If you are only able to collect some of the information required, this is still useful data which can be submitted to the project – we are grateful for any breeding records, whatever information you can provide.
3. Collect breeding wader records (March to July)
For each wader breeding pair that you monitor during the pilot year, we are asking for information about the breeding pair, nesting attempts they made, and chick-rearing attempts they made. We will also ask for information about the monitoring methods used, and any relevant farm or conservation management.
The records we ask for include:
- Breeding Pair records: information about an apparent, or known, wader breeding pair. You may collect breeding pair records during unstructured fieldwork or a structured bird survey.
- Nest records: information gathered while monitoring any nesting attempts from a wader breeding pair, such as the maximum egg count, nest outcome, reasons for failure, and relevant farm management.
- Brood records: information about a breeding pair you monitored that made a chick-rearing attempt. This does not require you to have found a nest. You may collect brood records during unstructured fieldwork or a structured bird survey.
Please see our full guidance about what to record for detailed information about collecting breeding wader data for WaMS.
4. Send us your breeding wader records (July to October)
Please submit your wader breeding records using the online Wader Breeding Record Form or the downloadable spreadsheet. We will summarise information submitted by either method equally, and are interested to hear which you prefer using and why.
Code of conduct
Volunteers must follow BTO’s Code of Conduct. This code applies to our staff, our members, and volunteers, including surveyors and participants in the Ringing and Nest Record Schemes. It applies to all BTO activities, whether online (including meetings and events, telephone, letter, and email) or offline (any face-to-face interaction).
We've also written some guidance for volunteer fieldworkers, which will help beginners in particular.
