BTO Blog

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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).

Aerial photo of Thetford, Simon Gillings
Gavin Siriwardena
Featured blog post

The urban sprawl

20 Nov 2020

BTO's Head and Principal Ecologist, Gavin Siriwardena, explains how the urban landscape is affecting our wild bird populations. 

Blog Series

2019-b04-liz_cutting-3514_17_web.jpg
BLOG

Migration Blog (mid-November to mid-December)

BirdTrack organiser, Scott Mayson, and Media Manager, Paul Stancliffe, reveal what species have been on the move during the last month and what we can expect over the month ahead.

19 Nov 2020

BTO Podcast episode 2 - Greg Palmer, Juliet Vickery and Andy Clements
BLOG

Meet the CEOs: in conversation with Juliet Vickery and Andy Clements

Youth Advisory Panel member Greg Palmer talks to Juliet and Andy, new and outgoing BTO Chief Executive Officers respectively, about their careers, ideas and plans for the future.

02 Nov 2020

Starling, Harriet Day
BLOG

Free as a bird through lockdown

On World Mental Health Day, BTO volunteer Harriet reflects how even an urban environment can provide opportunities to connect with nature and improve our wellbeing during periods of isolation.

10 Oct 2020

Pripyat river. © Daniel Rosengren / Frankfurt Zoological Society
BLOG

BTO in Belarus: the Polesia project

Adham Ashton-Butt explains how BTO is involved in a cross-organisational project in Polesia, one of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe.

11 Sep 2020

YAP in February
BLOG

International Youth Day

This International Youth Day, get to know some of our Youth Advisory Panel.

11 Aug 2020

Mya Bambrick
BLOG

Where are the young women in birding?

As we continue to work on making birding more inclusive, how do young women perceive birding? Five young birders share their experiences.

05 Aug 2020

Jamey in Suffolk
BLOG

Diversity in birding: why it matters

BTO's Jamey Redway reflects on diversity in birding, and how organisations like BTO play a role in making birding more inclusive.

29 Jun 2020

River Cam, Andy Clements.
BLOG

Leading through a crisis

BTO's CEO, Andy Clements, reflects on how the organisation is adapting to life under lockdown.

21 May 2020

Goldfinch on feeder - Steven Whitcher / stock.adobe.com
BLOG

Garden BirdWatch - 25 years of monitoring garden birds

We have been collecting garden bird lists for 25 years, but why does this matter? Kate Risely explains what we can learn from GBW data.

01 May 2020

IWD Women
BLOG

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
BLOG

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
BLOG

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
BLOG

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
BLOG

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
BLOG

Widening BTO's appeal

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

20 Dec 2019

Meadow. Luke Hawkins
BLOG

The British Patch

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

11 Dec 2019

Redwings. Jonathan Heath
BLOG

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
BLOG

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
BLOG

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
BLOG

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

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Our future - in your hands

Our future - in your hands

We are developing our youth engagement programme to find and nurture our surveyors of the future. With your help we can provide resources to educate, engage and empower.

Find out more

Blogs on specific topics

Related content

Tagged Short-eared Owl. Anne Carrington-Cotton
Event

BTO Conference: Session 1 - Tracking

19:00 Tracking Short-eared Owls - John Calladine Unusual amongst predatory birds, the numbers of breeding Short-eared Owls have declined markedly over recent decades. The talk will describe recent attempts to better...
Aerial photo of Thetford, Simon Gillings
Blog

The urban sprawl

BTO's Head and Principal Ecologist, Gavin Siriwardena, explains how the urban landscape is affecting our wild bird populations. 
Chaffinch and Greenfinch. Edmund Fellowes
Case Study

What we can learn from 25 years of watching gardens

Exploring the value of a complete quarter-century of weekly garden bird observations from BTO's Garden BirdWatch covering the length and breadth of the country.