New partnership to deliver a step change in the evidence base for bird conservation in Britain and Ireland

The entertainment world ‘Awards Season’ may be drawing to a close but for UK birdwatchers, one of the main events of the year is just about to get underway

As Valentine’s Day approaches and the nations’ love birds are busy making amorous plans, the celebrated Saint’s day also marks the start of National Nest Box Week. Mid February is when many wild birds start to pair up and seek out suitable sites for the coming breeding season, so now is a great time to put up new nest boxes, says the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

Birdwatchers across the UK have been charting the rise and rise of the very distinctive Little Egret for decades, but scientists have been unable to accurately calculate the breeding population of this relative newcomer. Now, research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), published in the journal British Birds, sheds new light on both the numbers, and geographical spread of this small and elegant all-white heron.

A new report published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveals glimmers of hope as 2025 proved successful for many of the UK’s favourite breeding songbirds.