BTO Blog

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).

Featured blog post

Where are the young women in birding?

05 Aug 2020

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

Blog Series

BLOG

Migration blog (July – August)

As we progress through late summer and our gardens and surrounding countryside are filled with the young from this year's breeding season, it seems odd that for some birds autumn migration is already underway. Indeed for the next eight or so weeks, both the number of birds and diversity of species migrating will increase before falling away in late autumn.

22 Jul 2020

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

BLOG

Migration blog (June – July)

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 in early July.

25 Jun 2020

BLOG

Leading through a crisis

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

21 May 2020

BLOG

Migration blog (14th May - 20th May)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

14 May 2020

BLOG

Migration blog (7th May - 13th May)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

06 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

BLOG

Migration blog (30th April - 6th May)

Birdtrack organiser Scott Mayson and media manager Paul Stancliffe reveal what species have been on the move during the last week and what we can expect over the weekend and into next week.

29 Apr 2020

BLOG

Migration Blog (23rd April – 29th April)

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.

22 Apr 2020

BLOG

Migration Blog (16th April – 22nd April)

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.

15 Apr 2020

BLOG

Migration Blog (9th April – 15th April)

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.

08 Apr 2020

BLOG

Migration Blog (2nd April - 8th April)

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.

01 Apr 2020

BLOG

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

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

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

BLOG

Widening BTO's appeal

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

20 Dec 2019

BLOG

The British Patch

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

11 Dec 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.

Scottish Birdwatchers' Conference

Every year the Scottish Ornithologist's Club arrange a one-day Scottish Birdwatchers’ Conference, organised by a local branch of the SOC, in conjunction with BTO Scotland.

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.

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.

Where are the young women in birding?