Take part in a project

Make your birding count - volunteer and support BTO surveys, schemes and projects
From expert ringers and ecologists, to patch birders, garden enthusiasts and Cuckoo sponsors - we have a range of projects to suit your skills and time available.
View all current projects or view the list of completed projects.

Garden BirdWatch
Help with research into garden wildlife by joining our Garden BirdWatch community
Time / skill needed:

BirdTrack
BirdTrack is a free and convenient way of storing your bird records online. BirdTrack lets you keep up to date with what others are seeing, view the latest trends, and contribute your data to BTO science.
Time / skill needed:

Wetland Bird Survey
The Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) monitors non-breeding waterbirds in the UK.
Time / skill needed:

Heronries Census
Annual survey of all Grey Herons, Little Egrets, Cormorants and scarcer herons nesting in the UK
Time / skill needed:

Cuckoo Tracking Project
Help us follow Cuckoos on migration and discover why they are in decline.
Time / skill needed:

Bird Ringing Scheme
Bird ringing generates information on the survival, productivity and movements of birds, helping us to understand why populations are changing.
Time / skill needed:

Breeding Bird Survey
BBS monitors the population changes of 117 breeding bird species across the UK thanks to the dedication of almost 3,000 volunteers who survey their randomly selected 1-km square each spring.
Time / skill needed:

Waterways Breeding Bird Survey
The Waterways Breeding Bird Survey is an annual survey of breeding birds along rivers and canals.
Time / skill needed:

Nest Record Scheme
The Nest Record Scheme gathers vital information on the breeding success of Britain's birds by asking volunteers to find and follow the progress of individual birds' nests.
Time / skill needed:

Nesting Neighbours
Do you think you might have birds nesting in your garden? Could you take a closer look and find out? By monitoring nests through the breeding season you could gather hugely valuable information.
Time / skill needed:

Time / skill needed:

Garden Wildlife Health
Tell us about sick and diseased wildlife found in your garden. Garden BirdWatch participants can also add observations when entering their usual GBW counts.
Time / skill needed:

Garden Bird Feeding Survey
Existing Garden BirdWatchers can help reveal how the food we provide affects the birds visiting our gardens
Time / skill needed:

Norfolk Bat Survey
Norfolk Bat Survey offers anyone in Norfolk the opportunity to borrow automated equipment to record bats in the local area.
Time / skill needed:

Polesia: Wilderness without borders
BTO is participating in species research and monitoring that is underpinning a landscape restoration project in Belarus and Ukraine, aimed at protecting and restoring the wetland wilderness of Polesia.

Northern Ireland Lowland Breeding Wader Survey
Investigating whether Northern Irish lowland grasslands are supporting breeding waders.
Time / skill needed:

Our future - in your hands
We are developing our youth engagement programme to find and nurture our surveyors of the future. With your help we can provide resources to educate, engage and empower.
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