Annual Report & Accounts 2020/21

The pandemic saw BTO adapt swiftly to staff working from home; the adoption of virtual opportunities made events such as our Annual General Meeting and celebration of 20 years in Scotland more accessi

Rapid adaptive modelling for policy support towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals: Brexit and the livestock sector in Wales

Upward elevational shift by breeding Whinchat Saxicola rubetra in response to cessation of grazing in upland grassland

Whinchats move upwards when grazing stops

Changes in land use cause breeding Whinchat to head for higher ground.

Foraging habitat selection by breeding Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) from a declining coastal colony in the United Kingdom

Herring Gulls aren't after your chips

New BTO research using GPS tracking reveals that declining Herring Gulls are more likely to be foraging on Mussels than pilfering chips.

Identifying and Mapping Groups of Protected Area Visitors by Environmental Awareness

Assessing movements of Lesser Black-backed Gulls using GPS tracking devices in relation to the Walney Extension and Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farms

Offshore wind farm developments form a major part of the UK government’s commitment to obtain 15% of the UK’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. However, there is concern over the potential detrimental effects that offshore developments may have on bird populations.

Additional analysis to inform SNCB recommendations regarding collision risk modelling

The Shetland Bird Survey: Population trends for widespead breeding birds 2002-2019

The Shetland Bird Survey: Population trends

Population trends are estimated for the first time for twelve species based on Shetland Breeding Bird Survey data collected between 2002 and 2019.

Engaging schools with long-term monitoring of nature

Sensitivities to land use change by breeding Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) in Britain

Populations of Short-eared Owls are declining across many parts of their range, including here in Britain, where their breeding range contracted between 1990 and 2010.

Designing effective survey and sampling protocols for passive acoustic monitoring as part of the national bat monitoring

When speed matters: The importance of flight speed in an avian collision risk model

LifeCycle issue 10, Spring 2021

This edition also includes feature articles on catching corvids, nesting in your garden and finding Blackcap nests, provides an update on the Garden CES trial, introduces readers to the wonderful w

Recovering the Eurasian Curlew in the UK and Ireland: progress since 2015 and looking ahead

Temperature and density influence survival in a rapidly declining migratory shorebird

Raising Curlew chicks is key to their survival

By studying data from over 15,000 ringed Curlew, researchers have determined that conservation efforts for this declining species should focus on increasing breeding success.

The Breeding Bird Survey 2020

A tale of two warblers

Fortunes of Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers revealed in the latest BTO/JNCC/RSPB 2020 Breeding Bird Birvey report.

Dynamic space use of Andalusian rice fields by Lesser Black-Backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) is driven by flooding

GPS tracking of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in Spain reveals birds moving between rice fields and landfill, leading to the possibility of contimation of land used for food production.of to possiby

Nocturnal flight calling behaviour of thrushes in relation to artificial light at night

Nocturnal thrushes affected by artificial light

New research from BTO has investigated the effect of artificial light at night on birds, indicating that nocturnal migrants are attracted to more brightly lit areas.

Evaluating the potential effects of capturing and handling on subsequent observations of a migratory passerine through individual acoustic monitoring

Individual Tree Pipits identified by song

Acoustic monitoring is shown to be a valuable non-intrusive method of identifying individual birds in this new research.

Climate change exposure of waterbird species in the African-Eurasian flyways

Future of waterbirds predicted by new international study

Taking action to protect waterbirds against climate change will require a unified approach