From increasing your confidence when counting large flocks to understanding how weather influences migration, there are many ways you can add to your birding skill set.
Featured article
Bird survey skills
Joining a bird survey can be a great way of developing your skills and contributing vital data to our conservation efforts.
Browse all our articles
Get started with seawatching
Seawatching can be thrilling, particularly during peak migration when thousands of birds are flying along our coastline.
Accurately counting winter flocks
Increase your confidence counting large flocks, a key survey skill which gives us vital information about our bird populations.
How to record bird age and sex
Recording age and sex ratios in flocks provides valuable information about breeding success and survival. Here are the skills you need.
Monitoring and recording nests
Monitoring and recording nests is rewarding and provides valuable data. Learn how to begin.
Collecting breeding evidence
What, why and how should you record when you notice evidence that birds are breeding?
Identifying unfamiliar birds
Learn how to identify unfamiliar or unusual species, and why it pays to prepare for the unexpected …
Learn about visible migration: ‘vismig’
If you know when and where to look and listen, experiencing visible bird migration or ‘vismig’ can be a spectacular experience.
Learn about nocturnal migration: ‘nocmig’
Nocturnal migration, or ‘nocmig’, can be hugely exciting and full of surprises. Learn how to tune in to the birds flying overhead at night.
How to use timing when birding
Timing is an often-overlooked clue to finding certain species, and provides powerful supporting evidence for (or against) a confident ID.
Learn more with BTO News
Our Field Craft articles are extracts from our members’ magazine, BTO News.
Join BTO today and receive your quarterly copy of BTO News with exclusive birdwatching, opinion, and masterclass articles.
