BTO publishes various reports, from those covering the annual results of core surveys, through scientific studies, and on to those produced in partnership with other organisations. Many of these are published as BTO Research Reports. You can access all of our reports from here, though note that we are currently updating the reports section, working backwards through time to bring all of the report pages into a consistent format. You can read our Annual Report and Accounts in the Governance section.
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Silvopasture Biodiversity – Beetles and Bats: providing the infrastructure and protocols that farmers can follow to participate in biodiversity monitoring using passive acoustic monitoring
Author: Newson, S.E. & Gray, A.
Published: 2024
Working with the Devon silvopasture network, a survey and sampling protocol was devised that allowed farmers to deploy static acoustic bat detectors over a seven month survey season to provide baseline data for bats. This report provides an overview of the survey coverage and main results from 2023, to highlight what can be delivered now using passive acoustic monitoring, whilst providing the next steps and a vision for the future.
01.06.24
Research reports Research reports
The Breeding Bird Survey 2023
Author: Heywood, J.J.N., Massimino, D., Balmer, D.E., Kelly, L., Marion, S., Noble, D.G., Pearce-Higgins, J.W., White, D.M., Woodcock, P., Wotton, S. and Gillings, S.
Published: Spring 2024
This is the 29th annual report of the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Waterways Breeding Bird Survey (WBBS), documenting the population trends of widespread UK breeding bird species during the periods 1994–2023 and 1998–2023 respectively.These are the main schemes for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s widespread breeding birds, providing an important indicator of the health of the countryside.The results are published annually as Official Statistics and used widely by Defra and the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs, e.g. Natural England and NatureScot) to set priorities and to inform conservation action, and as the evidence base against which the UK’s biodiversity targets are measured.BBS data are also routinely used in research, with recent examples including peer-reviewed papers published in 2022 and 2024 which measured the efficacy of the UK’s network of protected areas in supporting wildlife.The 2023 Breeding Bird Survey Report celebrates the 30-year anniversary of fieldwork for the scheme, in particular the amazing commitment and dedication of its volunteers.It is a mixed picture for birds: Swift and Swallow show widespread decline, whereas some species are faring better, particularly in Scotland where species of scrub and woodland are doing better than in England.Download the 2023 report >Browse all editions of the Breeding Bird Survey Report >Press releasesUKNorthern IrelandScotlandWales
16.05.24
Reports BBS Report
Waterbirds in the UK 2022/23
Author: Woodward, I.D., Calbrade, N.A., Birtles, G.A., Feather, A., Peck, K., Wotton, S.R., Shaw, J.M., Balmer, D.E. & Frost, T.M.
Published: Winter 2024
It provides a single, comprehensive source of information on the current status and distribution of waterbirds in the UK for those interested in the conservation of the populations of these species and the wetland sites they use.Data from this edition of Waterbirds in the UK provide further evidence that wintering ducks, geese, swans and waders are adapting to climate change by altering their migration.
25.04.24
Reports Waterbirds in the UK
Seabird population and demographic monitoring in the UK: a review and recommendations for future sampling
Author: O’Hanlon, N.J., Harris, S.J., Thaxter, C.B., Boersch-Supan, P.H., Robinson, R.A., Balmer, D.E. & Burton, N.H.K.
Published: 2024
The Seabird Monitoring Programme, funded by the British Trust for Ornithology and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), in association with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, aims to ensure that sample data on seabird breeding numbers and breeding productivity are collected both regionally and nationally, for 25 species of seabird that regularly breed in Britain and Ireland, to enable their conservation status to be assessed.
18.04.24
Research reports Research reports
Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2023
Author: Booth, K.J. & El Haddad, H.
Published: 2024
The report includes detailed information about the population trends and breeding success of seabirds in Northern Ireland, over the 2023 breeding season. Notably, Fulmar and Kittiwake populations are reported to be experiencing continued declines, while Guillemot, Common Gull and Herring Gull populations show increases at most breeding sites.
15.04.24
Reports Northern Ireland Seabird Report
