As demand for new energy infrastructure is growing, international collaborative research involving BTO has identified areas in Europe and North Africa where the construction of new wind turbines or power lines could pose a risk to migrating birds.

Researchers used ringing data collected from over 300 sites across Europe to assess variation in the breeding productivity and survival of 26 passerine species across space and time. The results suggest that targeting factors affecting breeding site productivity will result in more effective conservation outcomes than attempts to address variation in annual survival rates.

The first quantitative global assessment of biodiversity conservation interventions for climate change adaptation has been undertaken, led by BTO researchers.

Can gaps in our knowledge about the occurrence and activity of UK bats be addressed through the use of a citizen science approach? Can we use such an approach to support effective decision-making during the planning process, with opportunity and risk maps that can guide planning decisions and the location of mitigation measures?

GPS tracking is a valuable tool for increasing our understanding of bird behaviour. In this study, researchers used tracking technology to investigate movements of Amber-listed Lesser Black-backed Gulls around offshore wind farms. Their results reveal a detailed picture of both avoidance of and attraction towards turbines in this species, which may be used to inform future collision risk assessments.

New research involving BTO has confirmed the theory the migratory birds use different strategies at different points on their migratory journeys, speeding up when passing through inhospitable regions and slowing down where conditions are more favourable. Using GPS and data loggers, researchers tracked Nightjars breeding in the UK, Belgium and Mongolia as they travelled to their wintering grounds. Birds were found to adopt a 'rush' tactic when passing through ecological barriers, such as the Saharan and Arabian Deserts. This tactic involved a high daily travel speed and flight altitude, and a high migration probability at dusk and at night. By contrast, in semi-open, hospitable habitats, birds travelled at lower speeds and had a lower migration probability at dusk. The likely reflected birds slowing down to forage and refuel before the rest of their journey.

New collaborative BTO research has used GPS to provide insights into the movements and habitat needs of Herring Gulls outside the breeding season. Researcher fixed GPS tags to 20 Herring Gulls breeding at four colonies in southwest Scotland (Oronsay, Islay, Pladda and Lady Isle) and one colony in northwest England (Walney) to better understand this Red-listed species of conservation concern. During the non-breeding season, Herring Gulls used a range of habitats as would be expected for this opportunistic generalist species, that can survive on a wide variety of different foods. However, habitats were not used randomly based on their availability, with habitat selection differing between geographical regions and between individuals in the same region. Although Herring Gulls showed a preference for intertidal habitat in all regions, a mix of foraging habitats, including grassland and farmland, were important over the course of the non-breeding season. Although several individuals stayed close to their breeding colony, most migrated in a south-easterly direction (up to 190 km from their colony) and kept moving to different areas through the non-breeding season. Individuals also differed in the habitats they selected, with moderate habitat specialisation, indicating that resource use was flexible across time and space. This level of habitat and spatial segregation, as well as each individual gull’s distribution over a broad range of habitats and space, may help reduce competition for limited resources and buffer populations from localised anthropogenic pressures (for example, coastal development) during the non-breeding season. The results also highlight that the habitat preferences and movement patterns of generalist species cannot in fact be generalised, even between nearby regions, which has implications for appropriate regional-specific spatial planning and conservation management.