Publications

Publications

BTO create and publish a variety of important articles, papers, journals and other publications, independently and with our partners, for organisations, government and the private sector. Some of our publications (books, guides and atlases) are also available to buy in our online shop.

Search settings

Order by
Partners
Region
Science topic
Type
Publication Group

Trialling farmer wader counts and bioacoustics to aid agri-environment scheme evaluation

Author:

Published: 2026

The primary tool by which wader conservation is delivered in farmed landscapes is agri-environment schemes, whereby payments incentivise land managers to conduct beneficial management for species or habitats. Assessments of the effectiveness of such schemes have been based on infrequent, large-scale surveys which do not produce landscape- or intervention-specific evidence to facilitate local adaptations to the design of agri-environment schemes. This report details work carried out at 10 participating farms in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where we trialled two methods that could help to evaluate the effectiveness of scheme measures at regional scales.

27.03.26

BTO Research Reports

Download PDF 8 MB

Northern Ireland Seabird Report 2025

Author:

Published: 2026

This report is the published outcome of the work of the Northern Ireland Seabird Network — a network of volunteers, researchers and organisations — coordinated by the BTO Seabird Coordinator, and funded by NIEA. It contains detailed species accounts for the 22 breeding seabird species in Northern Ireland, as well as articles on a range of topics: Manx Shearwaters nesting on Rathlin Rathlin Island Breeding Seabird Census 2025 Tracking Lesser Black-backed Gulls on Lough Neagh Puffins return to Isle of Muck Outer Ards: 2025 Seabird Nesting Report Strangford Lough: 2025 Seabird Nesting Report Forthcoming seabird research work: ACCLIMATISE project

26.03.26

Reports Northern Ireland Seabird Report

Download file

Connecting Constable and Gainsborough Country: baselining for landscape recovery using multi-taxa passive acoustic monitoring

Author:

Published: 2026

Connecting Constable and Gainsborough Country is a DEFRA-funded Landscape Recovery project. This report describes the use of passive acoustic monitoring to assess the status and distribution of birds, bats, terrestrial small mammals, and bush-crickets across the Stour, Brett, and Box valleys in south Suffolk. The project supports habitat restoration and woodland connectivity, with a focus on rare or declining species of conservation concern, including the Hazel Dormouse, informed by robust monitoring.

25.03.26

BTO Research Reports

Read Online

Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986–2024

Author:

Published: 2026

The annual report of the Seabird Monitoring Programme View and download the report Read the report online This report presents the latest seabird population trends in breeding abundance and productivity using data from the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP). It documents changes in the abundance and productivity of breeding seabird species in Britain and Ireland from 1986 to 2024. This report includes both inland and coastal populations and trends from the Channel Islands, England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, which are presented where sufficient data are available. The results from this report are used more broadly to assess the health of the wider environment, to inform policy and for conservation action.

19.03.26

Reports SMP Report

Read Online View Online

Wild Neroche a multi-taxa, baseline passive acoustic monitoring survey 2025

Author:

Published: 2026

This report summarises results from the first year of Passive Acoustic Monitoring undertaken at Wild Neroche during spring and summer 2025. The intention is to establish a baseline dataset that will inform future assessments of how active management influences biodiversity across the Neroche area. This report summarises results from the first year of Passive Acoustic Monitoring undertaken at Wild Neroche during spring and summer 2025. Wild Neroche is one of four of Forestry England’s Wilder Forests, and is located in south-west England.The intention is to establish a baseline dataset that will inform future assessments of how active management influences biodiversity across the Neroche area. Bird communities were surveyed at 10 sites using autonomous recording devices operating in the audible range. During the initial deployment period, audible recordings were collected continuously during both day and night. The same devices were also operated in ultrasonic mode at nine of these sites to monitor bats, small mammals, and bush-crickets; ultrasonic recordings were restricted to night-time only. Audible recordings were collected on 140 days between April and September, while ultrasonic recordings were obtained on 67 nights between June and August. Devices were placed to survey a range of habitats including mixed deciduous woodland, coniferous woodland, heathland, and mesotrophic grassland. Analysis of ultrasonic data identified 13 species of bat, including the regionally important Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) and Bechstein’s Bat (Myotis bechsteinii), both of which are included on the red list of British Mammals. In addition, three terrestrial small mammal species, four bush-cricket species, and two audible moth species were confirmed. One standout result of the ultrasonic survey was the exceptional number of detections of Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), with 4,418 triggered recordings across six sites. Dormouse acoustic activity peaked in late July. In total, 73 species of birds were confirmed, including 35 species listed as Amber or Red on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern list. The repeated detection of Goshawk (Astur gentilis) across the survey area is also of particular interest.

09.03.26

BTO Research Reports

Read Online