One of the UK’s most popular songbirds is in rapid decline, and garden owners are being encouraged to share their sightings with researchers. When Paul McCartney recorded the famous Beatles song ‘Blackbird’ at Abbey Road Studios, the distinctive sound of a singing male Blackbird was added to the final mix, courtesy of the studio’s vast collection of sound effects. This particular Blackbird had been recorded three years earlier, in a west London garden. Sadly, that most familiar of sounds has become an increasingly scarce one in and around the English capital’s green spaces in recent years, following worrying declines. In 2024, The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) launched a pioneering survey to try to map this rate of decline in London’s Blackbirds, and to see whether similar population slumps were occurring elsewhere across the UK. Initial results from that first year certainly show something of a north-south divide, with signs that Blackbirds are doing better in the north, and particularly north-west England, while they continue to struggle in London, and to a lesser extent the wider south-east. Researchers from BTO are hoping to encourage yet more members of the public to get involved in 2025, especially in our larger towns and cities, so that they can try to identify any further notable changes. The decline of London’s Blackbirds has been linked to the recent appearance of a mosquito-borne virus which was first detected in England in the summer of 2020. Usutu virus can be fatal to Blackbirds and concerns are growing as the virus appears to be spreading across south-east England. First identified in South Africa, the virus has been present in mainland Europe for around three decades. Its spread has been linked to climate change, and native UK mosquitoes can transmit the virus during warmer times of the year. Scientists are trying to better understand the spread of Usutu virus and what the potential impacts might be on the UK’s Blackbirds, whose numbers were already decreasing slightly in Greater London even before the arrival of the disease. BTO researchers are keen to see if anything similar is happening in other large cities across the UK, and how this compares to smaller urban and rural areas. The Blackbirds in Gardens survey will help BTO scientists better understand how Blackbirds’ use of different garden types varies, to help understand disease transmission risk, and how successfully young are raised, especially at different levels of urbanisation, from rural to urban gardens. Usutu is typically spread by bird-biting mosquitoes, which rarely bite humans. When it does occur, human infection is often asymptomatic, and there have been no human cases of Usutu detected in the UK to date. Although the risk to humans from Usutu virus is extremely low, this is the first time in modern history that a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis (a disease which can be transmitted from animals to humans) has emerged in the UK. This BTO survey is part of a wider partnership project, being run in conjunction with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The project, Vector-Borne RADAR, is funded by UK Research and Innovation and Defra to understand the emergence and transmission of mosquito-borne viruses of wild birds in the UK, which are expected to increase as a result of climate change. Hugh Hanmer, Senior Research Ecologist with BTO, said, “Blackbird numbers have been noted to be decreasing in Greater London for some time. However, from 2020 they started declining more strongly, which coincided with the detection of Usutu virus, which can be fatal for these familiar birds. There is now evidence of a wider decline in Southern England, not seen in other UK regions. This survey seeks to understand why this change is happening and if it is linked to the spread of Usutu, by better understanding how Blackbirds use our gardens.” Dr Arran Folly, senior scientist with APHA and Vector-Borne RADAR project lead said, “With Usutu virus now endemic in southeast England, outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases are expected to grow in the UK, especially as temperatures rise due to climate change. Through our Vector-Borne RADAR project, we are working to gain a clearer picture of emerging mosquito-borne viruses. The insights from BTO's Blackbirds In Gardens survey will be essential for understanding how this virus might be impacting blackbird populations. I encourage all garden owners to get involved and help us track this virus.” BTO is asking for anyone with access to a garden to take part in the survey. The official start date is Sunday 13 April and runs through until September. Simply sign up online at www.bto.org/blackbirds. Here you will find further information, a simple Blackbird identification guide, and full instructions on how to take part.

Goshawks are among our most impressive, elusive, and least understood birds of prey. New research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) uncovers how these scarce raptors are slowly spreading and adapting to potential new habitats. Once a widespread bird of British forests, the mighty Goshawk was almost completely wiped out in the UK by the start of the 1900s. However, small numbers managed to cling on despite extensive deforestation and relentless persecution. Adding to the bird’s fragile plight was the fate suffered by most other birds of prey in the mid-20th century, the deadly impacts of the pesticide DDT. Since the banning of this highly toxic chemical, Goshawks have slowly recovered, along with other raptors, despite unwanted attention from egg-collectors, falconers, and game managers. Today, although far from common, Goshawks are showing signs of continued population growth and range expansion and are now thought to number around 1,200 pairs across the UK. To better understand the dispersal and habits of young birds in their first winter, researchers at BTO carried out studies in two contrasting areas of lowland England: Norfolk/Suffolk and Gloucestershire. Scientists attached state-of-the-art tracking devices to 29 individual Goshawk chicks at their nests, under special license. This allowed the researchers to map the movements of the juvenile birds as they headed out into the world after fledging. Would the youngsters move large distances in search of suitable woodland habitats, similar to where they had been raised, but uninhabited by other Goshawks? Or might they simply go the shortest distance from the nest site that would take them outside of their parents’ territory? Or would they do something else altogether? Remarkably, having left their nest area, most of the fledged hawks moved a similar distance of around 10 km, to spend their first winter as independent birds. Each young Goshawk, on average, then established a winter home range of just under 5 km by 5 km. One major difference between adults and first year birds was the use of habitat. Whereas adults and juvenile females were mainly associated with dense forest-dominated environments, the smaller males showed a preference for much more open farmland landscapes, interspersed with blocks of tree cover. This may be related to the different prey types and hunting styles use by the differently sized birds, with more open habitats providing a greater density of the small to medium sized birds, favoured as food by the males. After the first complete year, young Goshawks matured and became inclined back towards denser forests where they would establish territories, like their parents, all year round. Given the slow pace at which the species is increasing across the UK, and the relatively short dispersal distances covered by young birds, it may be some time before we see Goshawks nesting in urban parks, as they do in several other European countries. Ian Henderson, Senior Research Ecologist at BTO, says, “The tracking devices really helped underline the adaptability of this species to use habitats outside the expected large forests, suggesting that range expansion is highly probable. With reduced persecution and continued access to key prey such as Grey Squirrel and Woodpigeon, the future of these dynamic hunters as breeding British birds looks assured.” Read the Goshawk dispersal and settlement paper

New research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) indicates that many highly migratory bird species are lacking consistency in protection as they move through Europe, between their northern breeding grounds and their wintering quarters in Africa. As countries across the globe strive to meet agreed targets to ensure protected areas for nature, how can we be sure that protected sites are ‘joined-up’ to provide quality habitats in every stage of a species’ lifecycle? Many species of migratory birds have been declining in recent decades. The UK’s Turtle Dove population, for example, has plummeted by 98% while such iconic birds as Cuckoo, Swift and Nightingale are returning to the UK from Africa each spring in ever-diminishing numbers. We may be aware of some of the challenges faced by these long-distance travellers, but each species face their own set of obstacles as they cover vast distances from north to south and back again. One of the many issues facing declining species, is the poor condition or loss of habitat at some, or all, of the stages of their lifecycle. For migratory birds especially, this can be particularly problematic as they rely on different areas at different life cycle stages. Researchers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), in collaboration with the University of Durham and others, have been looking into the migratory routes of 30 different species of bird to see how much of their life cycles are spent in areas that provide adequate protection and quality habitat. What if their breeding areas are protected and in good condition, but their wintering grounds are not? What about those for whom the essential feeding and resting areas on their migratory routes are seriously denuded, resulting in key stop-over destinations being in far-from optimal condition? Habitat destruction, pollution, hunting, and climate change are all contributing to declining populations of multiple bird species. Protected areas may provide productive, safe habitats at certain points in the birds’ year, but there are critical periods where the landscapes they inhabit are of poor quality, or pose potential threats. In December 2022, Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity agreed a global target to conserve 30% of Earth's land and seas by 2030. This initiative is known as ‘30x30’ and seeks to ensure that countries are proactive in securing protected areas that not only meet the requirements on paper, but also deliver effectively for nature. Providing effective protection for migratory bird species can be difficult when they pass through several nations, and ensuring protected areas along the entirety of a bird’s flyway is rarely an achievable task. But by better understanding the peaks of movement in certain areas, temporary conservation measures such as seasonal hunting bans, or changes to livestock grazing regimes in specific places could help significantly. It is hoped that by using this study’s analytical method to identify specific weeks of the year when key migratory species are most vulnerable, due to a lack of protected area cover, conservationists can then focus on protecting primary sites at those particular times. For example, we have recently seen that seasonal hunting bans significantly benefited the declining Turtle Dove across areas of Europe. This approach could guide planning for new protected sites being designated under the 30x30 target. In this way we can help to ensure migratory species are adequately covered by protected areas in the future and hopefully help to halt or reverse their declines. Jennifer Border, Senior Research Ecologist at BTO, says, “Many migratory birds are lacking effective protection or access to protected areas, when it matters most. By better understanding each migratory species’ requirements at all stages of their lifecycle, we can hope to implement practical protection for key sites, at peak periods of their journey. This study provides important new evidence that protected areas make an important contribution to the conservation of migratory bird species, as the species whose distributions overlap the least with protected areas have declined the most. Increasing protected area coverage, in line with internationally agreed targets, should therefore make an important contribution to the future conservation of these declining migratory birds that have so much cultural significance across Europe.” Read the full paper on Nature Communications

How are Wales’ birds of prey faring? That is a question that The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) hopes to answer, following the launch of its new citizen science project Cudyll Cymru aimed at enhancing our understanding of these dynamic birds of prey across the country. As top predators, birds of prey, or raptors, are essential components of a healthy ecosystem. Due to their sensitivity to changes in habitat, prey availability and climate, they are often early indicators of shifts in our environment. For these reasons, their abundance and distribution can offer essential insights into the well-being of the wider landscape. Since the launch of a new raptor monitoring project, Cudyll Cymru in autumn 2024, the response has been remarkable, with hundreds of volunteers across Wales signing up to take part. With the 2025 breeding season upon us, the first surveys will commence in earnest this spring. This new long-term initiative is focused on four familiar and widespread raptor species: Buzzard, Kestrel, Red Kite, and Sparrowhawk, plus Raven — which while not technically a bird of prey, exhibits many similar traits. BTO researchers are seeking yet more volunteers to help fill in some the gaps around the Welsh countryside. Participants only need to identify at least one of the key species and count the birds, nests, or territories in a chosen ‘patch.’ If required, training will be provided through bird identification videos, written guides, and 1-on-1 mentoring. Volunteers can contribute as little as three hours a month, making it accessible to many people who may wish to get involved but have limited time. Charlotte Griffiths, Welsh Raptor Monitoring Coordinator – Project Lead, said, “The five species we're focusing on are significantly under-reported, and the huge number of people who have registered will provide crucial data on their breeding populations across Wales. We are thrilled to be supporting this future network of new volunteers: they will be instrumental in helping us secure the success of Welsh raptors.” For further information and to sign up, visit the project webpage at: Cudyll Cymru (English) Cudyll Cymru (Cymraeg)

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) seeks your help in finding local birdwatchers, ornithologists and regional bird clubs who deserve to be recognised for their contributions in furthering knowledge of the UK’s birds. Do you know a particular individual who has spent countless hours, tirelessly surveying or ringing birds in your local area? Has your bird club produced an atlas of the birds of your region that will inform future generations? Do you know an outstanding young birder who is making significant contributions to ornithology? BTO is asking all birders to nominate worthy potential winners of the 2025 Marsh Awards! There are three main categories where you can propose nominees for consideration. Collectively, these are known as the Marsh Awards and are supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust and presented by BTO at the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) Natural Eye exhibition at London’s Mall Galleries in the autumn. The categories are: Marsh Award for Ornithology - This is awarded to an individual or group who has had or is likely to have a significant impact in science, policy, practice, innovation, communication or engagement in the field of ornithology and particularly in relation to the UK’s birds. Marsh Award for Local Ornithology - Awarded to a bird club or group that publishes a book, completes a study, or conducts any other exceptional activity in the preceding calendar year that advances knowledge about birds or actively connects communities to local birdlife. Marsh Award for Young Ornithologist - Awarded to an individual (or group of people) under the age of 21 who has / have made a significant contribution to BTO either by contributing to BTO’s bird monitoring schemes or by spreading awareness of BTO with their peers, or both. Along with these awards, BTO also recognises individuals who have made notable contributions to ornithology. These include the Dilys Breese Medal, which acknowledges outstanding communication of BTO activities to a wide audience, along with the Bernard Tucker Medal and Jubilee Medal which both celebrate service and devotion to the Trust. Past winners of these awards include Mary Colwell, Chris Packham, Stephen Moss, Dominic Couzens, Megan McCubbin, Harriet Mead, and the late Tony Soper. Ieuan Evans, Director of Engagement at BTO, said, “Here in the UK we are fortunate to have a long tradition of birdwatching, but too many people making significant contributions to our knowledge and understanding of birds go unrecognised. Through the Marsh Awards for Ornithology, BTO seeks to celebrate some of the professional scientists, local groups and young birdwatchers who are making a significant contribution to our understanding and appreciation of birds. We need help to identify the individuals and groups who you think deserve to be celebrated for the contribution they make to birdwatching and ornithology.” BTO welcomes nominations from anyone, via a form on their webpage (nominations are now open and will close on 31 May). To find out more, visit www.bto.org/awards