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The BTO blog offers comment and perspective from a wide range of BTO staff and supporters, giving context and inviting discussion on various aspects of BTO's work. Read our series of posts by Young Birders and our seasonal migration blog posts. Don't forget to visit the Demography Blog (Demog Blog) for Ringing and Nest Recording stories, and following our Cuckoo Blogs (part of our Cuckoo Tracking Project).

Scott Mayson

Featured blog post

Migration Blog (2nd April - 8th April)

01 Apr 2020

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

Blog Series

Migration Blog (26th March - 1st April)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson reveals what species are on the move over the coming week and how the weather could affect their migration.

25 Mar 2020

IWD Women

The women who inspire

Four women from across BTO share their stories of the women who inspire them for International Women's Day 2020.

05 Mar 2020

View westwards from the Clift Hills, South Mainland, Shetland

Citizen Science in Shetland

BTO volunteer Hugh Tooby shares his journey through Shetland as part of the Upland Rovers scheme.

25 Feb 2020

Turtle Dove - mzphoto11 / stock.adobe.com

BirdTrack - a Swiss army knife in BTO’s toolkit?

BTO’s Ecological Statistician Philipp Boersch-Supan explains the insights BirdTrack records can provide.

13 Feb 2020

Attendees and staff of the 2019 Bardsey Young Birders’ Week - Steve Stansfield

Volunteering at a Bird Observatory

Louis Driver shares his experiences of volunteering at Bardsey Bird Observatory, supported by the Young Bird Observatory Volunteer programme.

29 Jan 2020

Short-eared Owl tagging. Chris Wernham

Tracking Short-eared Owls: Notes from the field

Why would anyone choose to spend a winter’s night out on a cold Orkney moor? Ben Darvill gives an insight into the dedication of Short-eared Owl fieldworkers, and their amazing discoveries.

28 Jan 2020

Andy Clements birding. Bruce Miller

Widening BTO's appeal

Andy Clements, BTO's Chief Executive, looks at how BTO can engage new audiences.

20 Dec 2019

Meadow. Luke Hawkins

The British Patch

Luke Hawkins introduces us to his patch and explains why he loves patch birding.

11 Dec 2019

Redwings. Jonathan Heath

Nocmig: A beginner's guide

Jonathan Heath explains how nocmigging is changing the way he views the birds around him.

08 Nov 2019

Whinchats at Kilnsea. Arjun Dutta

BTO's Young Leaders Course

The attendees of BTO's Young Leaders Course reflect on what they learned at Spurn.

05 Aug 2019

Young Leaders Course at Spurn. Jonnie Fisk

Gen Z and the BTO

Amy Hall discusses how BTO can better provide opportunities for the next generation of ornithologists.

22 Nov 2019

Nightingale. Edmund Fellowes

Unlocking the science to reveal the state of nature

David Noble takes a sober look at the latest State of Nature Report.

02 Oct 2019

Blue Tit. Peter@ stock.adobe.com

Garden birds: to feed or not to feed?

Almost half of the households in the UK feed their garden birds. But should we? Dr Kate Plummer explores the effects of feeding on bird populations.

20 Sep 2019

Kentish Plover (by vinx83 / Adobe Stock)

A new president, a renewed purpose?

As BTO's new president, Frank talks about his birding background and what he values about BTO

12 Aug 2019

Buzzard. Dave M Hunt (adobe stock)

What effect might annual releases of non-native gamebirds be having on native biodiversity?

Henrietta Pringle reveals the work behind a recent paper on gamebirds and predation.

02 Jul 2019

Jay. Sarah Kelman

General licences and BTO

Andy Clements, BTO Chief Executive, sets out BTO’s position regarding the current debate about wildlife licensing.

03 May 2019

BBS volunteers. David Tipling

Promoting BTO science — walking the line

Can we move and inspire people with passionate, powerful communications without compromising our impartiality and scientific credentials?

01 May 2019

Blogs on specific topics

Demography Blog

Our Demog blog features latest news and stories from the BTO’s Ringing and Nest Recording teams, along with some fascinating contributions from blog followers.

Migration Blog

Spring and autumn are exciting times of year as migrant birds arrive in and depart from Britain. In the Migration Blog, we make predictions about when to expect interesting migrant arrivals.

Young Birder Blog

A series of blogs were we invite young birders to share their experiences of birding and participating in BTO surveys.

Related content

Tagged Lesser Black-backed Gull. Gary Clewley

Bird tracking - a masterclass

Phil Atkinson explains the technology behind tracking.

View westwards from the Clift Hills, South Mainland, Shetland

Citizen Science in Shetland

BTO volunteer Hugh Tooby shares his journey through Shetland as part of the Upland Rovers scheme.

Black Kite. Jill Pakenham

Climate change in a warming world

BTO science contributes to our understanding of future scenarios, and informing policies and conservation management strategies to help species adapt.