Press releases
Scotland’s upland birds need outdoor enthusiasts
June 2013
We need the help of hill walkers, estate workers and other outdoor folk in order to monitor upland birds...
Follow that Cuckoo
June 2013
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has just launched the Cuckoo class of 2013, as part of their exciting research into the decline of this iconic bird...
Woodpeckers produce more youngsters when given extra food
June 2013
Providing extra food in early spring led to earlier egg laying and increased productivity for the Great Spotted Woodpecker...
Help find Britain’s martins
May 2013
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is appealing for help in finding one of our closest summer neighbours, the House Martin...
Where on Earth do British House Martins go?
May 2013
It is one of ornithology’s greatest mysteries but also one that the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) hopes to answer using the very latest that technology has to offer...
Hedgehogs slow to get going this spring
March 2013
Latest results from the BTO Garden BirdWatch survey have revealed that British Hedgehogs are emerging from hibernation very late this spring...
How did the 2012 downpours affect nesting in garden birds and what will 2013 hold?
April 2013
After contending with an exceptionally wet spring and summer, in most parts of the UK last year, how will birds nesting in our gardens fare in 2013? Help the BTO find out by taking part in the Nest Box Challenge (NBC)...
Another one bites the crust: struggling birds turn to feeders
March 2013
Thousands of birds are homing in on garden feeding stations as Arctic conditions persist...
Garden birdwatchers are seeing red
March 2013
The delicate Lesser Redpoll is sweeping into a record number of gardens this spring, thrilling householders as it goes...
Garden birds indicate widespread failure in seed crops
February 2013
Annual results from the weekly BTO Garden BirdWatch, which have just been published, reveal a significant movement of Jay, Nuthatch and Coal Tit into gardens during Autumn 2012, suggestive of a widespread failure in the seed crops of various trees...
Green gauge: finches go to seed
February 2013
Twice as many Siskins as normal are currently visiting the nation’s gardens...
Give a bird a home - National Nest Box Week 14-21 February 2013
February 2013
Valentine’s Day 2013 will see the start of the sixteenth annual National Nest Box Week (NNBW), organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and sponsored by Jacobi Jayne, during which people across the UK are being asked to put up nest boxes for our birds...
Farming in the tropics: how can both food production and biodiversity be maximised?
February 2013
Increases in human population and food consumption are likely to lead to greatly increased agricultural demand in coming decades...
Citizen Scientists reveal how snow brings birds into gardens
January 2013
Participants in the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) weekly Garden BirdWatch survey have revealed just how big an impact the recent spell of snowy weather has had on our feathered friends...
Industrious bird ringers monitor industrial Waxwings
January 2013
When it comes to birdwatching hotspots, industrial estates might not be the first sites that spring to mind...
‘Angry birds’ spotted in gardens
January 2013
Thousands of Blackcaps, migrant warblers from central Europe, are ruffling feathers in British and Irish gardens...
What's red, brown and white all over?
December 2012
Santa Robin! This remarkable bird has been spotted through the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Abnormal Plumage Survey...
Rain stopped play: 2012 breeding season worst on record for many nesting birds
November 2012
The legacy of the atrocious summer weather on Britian & Ireland’s human population is still very much in evidence, and reports of reductions in invertebrate numbers, from bees to butterflies have been rife; but how did birds fare? Thanks to British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) volunteers, who braved the elements throughout the 2012 breeding season to collect the data summarised below, we have been able to construct a very accurate picture of one of the worst breeding seasons on record...
New strain of bird virus sweeps across Britain
November 2012
A new strain of avian pox is taking its toll on garden birds in Britain, reports new research published this week in PLOS ONE...
Woodland birds charge into gardens
November 2012
Woodland birds are pouring into gardens amidst reports of patchy seed and nut availability in the countryside...
Squirrels are surging into gardens
October 2012
The last few weeks have seen Grey Squirrels pile into gardens...
Clock in with garden beauty
October 2012
New results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden Bird Feeding Survey (GBFS) – the longest-running survey of garden birds in the world – show that record numbers of the resplendent Bullfinch are using garden feeding stations...
Thetford’s Nunnery Lakes Nature Reserve finds friends
October 2012
One of Thetford's best kept wildlife secrets is to get a helping hand from some new friends...
Immigrants put strain on scant resources
October 2012
Reports from across Britain indicate that fruit and seed crops are poor this autumn, suggesting that many birds will face tough times over the months ahead...
Mixed fortunes for wintering waterbirds
October 2012
The latest figures collected by Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) volunteers illustrate the importance of the UK’s wetlands for wintering waterbirds – particularly so during harsh winters such as 2010/11, the coldest across the UK for 35 years...
Wales internationally important for wintering waterbirds
October 2012
Latest counts collected by Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) volunteers reaffirm the importance of the Severn Estuary and other sites for wintering waterbirds in Wales...
Oystercatchers down at Scotland's important estuaries
October 2012
The latest figures collected by Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) volunteers illustrate the importance of Scotland’s diverse communities of wintering waterbirds...
Ducks down in Northern Ireland
October 2012
The latest counts collected by Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) volunteers reveal a further decline in the number of ducks wintering in Northern Ireland...
Waterbirds in England respond to cold winter
October 2012
Latest counts collected by Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) volunteers show the internationally important numbers of wildfowl and waders that use English wetlands in winter...
