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Our blog offers specialist insight and unique perspective from a wide range of BTO staff, volunteers and guest writers, giving context and inviting discussion on various aspects of our work. It includes:

A series of important posts by BTO Youth.
Updates on how the latest tagged cuckoos are faring as they migrate to and from Africa.
How our latest strategy plays a crucial role in tackling the twin biodiversity and climate crises.
Reflections on our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusivity.

Blogs on specific topics

Demography Blog

The Demog blog covers all things realting to the study of the characteristics of populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics.

BirdTrack Migration Blog

During the months when migration is at its peak, the migblog will predict which species you may see in the coming week and where best to look for migrant birds.

BTO Youth Blog

The Youth blog gives a voice to the young people we work and engage with across the UK, covering programmes of work, events, opinion pieces and interviews.

A blog for World Wetlands Day 2024, on 2 February.

World Wetlands Day blog authors

Featured blog post

The value of wetlands for our mental health

02 Feb 2024

With so many stories about the climate and biodiversity crises, immersing ourselves in nature gives us a sense of optimism and hope, and helps us to continue our work to help secure the future of birds in the UK.

Blog Series

A kingfisher perched on a branch

My Patch: A Lockdown Gift

One year on from the third national lockdown, BTO volunteer Harriet Day writes about discovering the joy of birding closer to home during times of restricted travel.

25 Jan 2022

Gethin walking along a snowy riverbank

Out in the Field

BTO Youth Rep Gethin Jenkins-Jones shares his experience surveying the River Usk to collect data on Cormorant and Goosander populations.

20 Jan 2022

Migration blog review of 2021

Whilst 2021 was a stop start year for many of us the same could be said for migrating birds, but for very different reasons.

16 Dec 2021

Migration blog – Winter

As we get ever closer to the end of autumn the pace of migration steadily slows, and as the daylight hours shorten so does the variety of birds on the move.

12 Nov 2021

Long-tailed Tit on feeder. Tommy Holden

Supplementary bird feeding – a conservation balance

Dr Kate Plummer and colleagues discuss the delicate conservation balance of providing additional food for birds.

09 Nov 2021

Migration blog (22nd – 28th October)

Many bird watchers have been lamenting on what a poor autumn it has been so far for migration, with numbers of common, scarce, and expected rare species down on what would normally be expected.

22 Oct 2021

Long-eared Owl. Edmund Fellowes

Migration blog (15th – 21st October)

Changeable winds over the coming week could herald the first big arrival of Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

15 Oct 2021

Spurn Young Leaders course 2021. Faye Vogely

Spurn Young Leaders Course 2021

Attendees of BTO's Young Leaders Course 2021 reflect on what they learned at Spurn.

12 Oct 2021

Whooper Swans. Tom Cadwallender

Migration blog (8th – 14th October)

Heading towards the middle of October, focus shifts to some of our winter visitors.

08 Oct 2021

Migration blog (1st – 7th October)

October is for many birdwatchers their favourite month of the year, with a real mix of common migrants, winter visitors and the occasional mega rarity thrown in for good measure.

01 Oct 2021

Migration blog (24th – 30th September)

No sooner had I pressed the button to publish the last migration blog, the weather forecast for the week changed completely – the expected easterlies were replaced by westerlies and as a result reports of many of the common migrants fell away.

24 Sep 2021

Migration blog (17th - 23rd September)

Many of our summer visitors will be well on their way by now with Swallow, Willow Warbler, and Swift sightings rapidly falling in the last couple of weeks. Whilst some species such as House Martin will be around for a bit longer, over the next week these too will depart en masse before the cooler conditions of autumn really start to take affect.

18 Sep 2021

Create Blog _ BTO - British Trust for Ornithology.html

Migration blog (10th – 16th September)

With the past week seeing a rise in temperatures across much of Britain and Ireland the pace of migration continued to grow, with the settled conditions providing migrant birds with clear skies and favourable winds.

10 Sep 2021

Migration blog (3rd – 9th September)

With the first days of Autumn upon us and the breeding season over for many species, the focus is now on preparing for the coming winter months. Whilst some species will remain within Britain and Ireland, others will be leaving or passing through en route to wintering grounds further south.

02 Sep 2021

Migration blog (27th August – 2nd September)

With autumn almost upon us, migration during the last week moved up a gear with numbers of common migrants and the ocassional scarce species seen across Britian and Ireland.

27 Aug 2021

Migration blog (20th – 26th August)

August is the time of year when many summer migrants begin to head to their wintering grounds. For this year's offspring it will be their first time migrating.

20 Aug 2021

Agricultural land, Cambridgeshire. Ailidh Barnes

The importance of habitat data

Habitat information is vital for understanding how birds use their environment. BTO's Ailidh Barnes explains why in this blog post.

07 Aug 2021

Migration blog (mid July - early August)

With migration slowing to a trickle during midsummer, we now turn our thoughts to late summer and the first hints of autumn migration.

16 Jul 2021

Short-eared Owl. Frank Gardner

Tips for photographing birds

BTO's president shares his suggestions for improving your chances of getting that perfect shot.

01 Jun 2021

Migration blog (21st May – mid-June)

It is certainly turning out to be a poor spring with consistently colder than average temperatures, showers and even strong winds for the time of year, all having a huge affect on migration.

21 May 2021

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Related content

BirdTrack migration blog (end of October to mid November)

Even as we reach the beginning of November, autumn migration is still very evident. Birds continue to arrive in the UK from more northerly regions to spend the next few months here in our warmer winters, before...

Tagged Lesser Black-backed Gull. Gary Clewley

Bird tracking

Phil Atkinson explains the technology behind tracking.

Paper call for special HPAI issue

We are putting together a special issue of the BTO journal Bird Study to bring together research documenting the HPAI outbreak and its impacts on wild birds.