Highlights of 2010

2010 has been a year of epic proportions for BTO, its staff, members and volunteers. Here are some of our highlights:

 

Atlas funding and coverage

Way back in February we continued our mission to raise funds for Bird Atlas 2007-11 with an auction to find sponsors for all remaining species. In total, 97 species were up for auction with every one of them receiving bids, raising an additional £50,200 for the Atlas. Over £267,000 has been raised through species sponsorship over the last two years.

Volunteer contributions to BirdAtlas 2007-11 soared to new heights in 2010 with over 158million records of over 560 species clocked up. Winter coverage was nearing 99% of the minimum coverage required and breeding season coverage stood at a healthy 94%.

JNCC/BTO partnership

Also in February, BTO renewed its longstanding partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) under which surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) and the Ringing Scheme are supported. The new six year science programme aims to track the changes in bird populations across the UK, and to investigate the causes of recent declines. The information that will be collected by the partnership’s volunteers over the next six years is estimated to be worth in the region of £49 million. It will be used to shape environmental policy and assess targets set by Government. Contract income represents an important component of BTO’s work and contributes vital funds to our income.

100 million birds in the bank

We reached a famous milestone the same month with our databank hitting 100 million bird records,  making it the most important bird resource in the country. The record-breaking submission, a Coal Tit in South Wales, was submitted to the BirdTrack survey.  We continued with our mission of making our science accessible to all with a series of regional conferences, talks and training events around the country.

 
Trichomonosis

During the course of the year we were given a timely reminder about why engaging people in citizen science projects is so important. Using information sent in by BTO volunteers, scientists from the Garden Bird Health initiative (GBHi) discovered that trichomonosis, an emerging infectious disease of garden birds led to dramatic declines in Greenfinch populations across much of England. The findings of their study are described in a paper published in the journal PLoS.

40 years of GBFS

2010 saw the Garden Bird Feeding Survey (GBFS) celebrate its 40th Birthday. The GBFS was launched during the 1970/71 winter to examine the increasingly popular activity of providing food for birds in gardens during the winter months. Forty years later it is the longest running survey of its kind in the world providing wonderful insights into the development of the relationship between birds and garden birdwatchers.

 
Tracking Nightingales

Marking, ringing and tagging birds continues to provide us with amazing new discoveries about some of our most familiar species. With the development of new technologies, it is now possible to track even very small passerines which weigh less than 20g. If we are going to understand why migrant populations are changing, it is essential to have a good understanding of migrant stopover sites and where birds spend the winter. August saw the mystery of at least one Nightingale unlocked when data from a geolocator it had carried to Africa and back was analysed by our colleagues at the Swiss Ornithological Institute. This has given a fascinating insight into this bird's life. The next step is to repeat this with more individuals and to try and identify important staging areas where we can focus our research effort.

BTO working in Africa

 

During 2010, BTO continued fieldwork in Ghana and Burkina Faso, in collaboration with the RSPB, The Ghana Wildlife Society and Naturama, in response to declining numbers of many migrant species like the Cuckoo and Turtle Dove. Habitats ranging from the arid Sahel in Burkina Faso to the humid rainforests in Ghana, are being monitored to understand the wintering and stop-over ecology of migrants and how changes in land use and climate are impacting their populations. This work continues to reveal surprising results as we continue with the second year of fieldwork. Read updates on the 'Migrants in Africa' blog.

A2B in support of 'Out of Africa'

Last spring we launched an awareness campaign to raise more funds to support the research work required to understand the alarming declines we are witnessing in some of our African migrant populations. The Africa to Britain (A2B) Migrant Arrival Calendar drew support from a whole raft of celebrities and scientists who signed up with enthusiasm to talk about their favourite summer migrants and why it is important to support the 'Out of Africa' appeal. Video diaries from Chris Packham, David Lindo, Miranda Krestovnikoff, Stuart Winter, Andy Clements and more are still available to view.

Chris Packham becomes BTO Vice President

We welcomed Chris Packham as the Trust’s Vice President. Chris, famous for his appearances on the Springwatch and Autumnwatch programmes, has shown that nature, people and science go hand in hand, something the Trust has promoted since its formation in 1933. Chris has a unique talent for showcasing cutting-edge science in the most accessible way and his position as the front man of one of our most popular TV shows has provided us with excellent opportunities to showcase BTO’s work to a much wider audience.

BTO Membership grows

We are delighted to report that more people joined the BTO during 2010 than during any other year since 1990. We also enjoyed an excellent retention rate with more than 9 out of every 10 members renewing their membership. Our membership has now grown to over 14,500, and in 2010 we learnt some important lessons about our successes and failures from a market research study of our members and volunteers. This work paved the way for an exciting image change, a brand new website and plans for better, clearer and more regular communications with all of our supporters.

Million Pounds from Gardman

The BTO/Gardman partnership continues to go from strength-to-strength. During summer 2010 the BTO was presented with a cheque for £1,000,000, representing the total raised from the sales of Gardman birdcare products since 1997.

 
GBW Ambassadors all in place

Late summer saw the appointment of the fifteenth and final Garden BirdWatch Ambassador Team. Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Garden BirdWatch (GBW) ambassadors have been appointed in 15 regions of the UK, culminating with the appointment in Shropshire.

Awards

The Tucker Medal was awarded to Hugh Insley, who has undertaken and organised a huge amount of BTO survey work over the years.

Chris Thorne received the Jubilee Medal in recognition of the support he has given generations of trainee ringers at Wicken Fen.

Chris Packham accepted the Dilys Breese Medal as an excellent communicator of the work of the BTO and its science.

Two new awards, the Marsh Award for Ornithology and the Marsh local Ornithology Award, went to Dr Jennifer Gill, for her considerable scientific contribution to British Ornithology and the Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society for their benchmark atlas.

Long-service awards were presented to members of the Regional Network who have served their local volunteers and the Trust for fifteen years. These were awarded to, Neil Bielby (Central Scotland), Steve Coney (Hereford) and Judith Knight (Bedfordshire).
 

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