BTO - British Trust for Ornithology - England

A BTO Bird Camp bonanza

WEBSITEEDITOR — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:31:41 +0000

Following a great summer of Bird Camps, our campers, Youth volunteers and BTO staff share their experiences and thanks with the wider public.

Bird Camp staff, volunteers and campers

SOC/BTO Scottish Bird Camp

Buoyed by the success of the first-ever Scottish Bird Camp in 2022, the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) and BTO were excited to launch Bird Camp 2023, which took place over the weekend of 26–28 May.

Once again, we based the camp in East Lothian, and campers began to arrive late on Friday afternoon – all tooled up with binoculars, scopes and cameras (so many cameras!) – to get settled into the accommodation.

Perhaps miraculously, we enjoyed superb weather for the whole weekend and all the planned activities could go ahead! It was an action-packed weekend which included moth trapping, arts and crafts, nest monitoring, a boat trip to Bass Rock, building bird boxes, a ringing demonstration and a nature walk at the coast.

Our huge thanks go to the group of amazing young people who joined us for the weekend. They did everything with great enthusiasm and were always keen to learn more. They were great company and we’re sure we’ll be seeing them again in the future!

Thanks also to all our volunteer leaders, and everyone who helped make it such a special weekend.

Steve Willis – Scottish Bird Camp lead for BTO Scotland

Read more about the SOC/BTO Bird Camp 2023 on the SOC Blog.

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The SOC/BTO Bird Camp was made possible by the generous support of our funders:

The family of Ronald Guild - teacher, environmental activist, lifelong lover of nature and of all things East Lothian
The Cameron Bespolka Trust
The British Birds Charitable Trust
Anonymous SOC Lothian Branch members

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Bird Camp Wales

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On 16–18 June, I attended BTO Bird Camp Wales for the second year in a row, in Pembrokeshire. There were a lot of old faces and friends there, but also some new people who came. It was lovely to see everyone again in person because I have only been in contact via WhatsApp since last year. My friends at school don’t have the same interests as me so I love bird camp because it lets me make friends with people who do.

I loved every minute of bird camp but here are my favourite bits:

The places: Some of these are amazing! We went to places like Skomer Island and Stack Rocks. At these places, we saw some of the star species like Puffins, Guillemots, Peregrines and Manx Shearwaters.

The food: There was lovely food back at camp that the volunteers had made for dinner and lunch. My favourite food was the chilli on the first night there.

I loved bird camp with all my heart and hope to go again next year. Thank you to all the staff for making it a blast for me and everyone else.

The staff: The volunteers working with us were beyond wonderful and I learnt so much from them. I hope to work with them in the future again. Faye and Chris (BTO Youth staff) who ran the camp were as wonderful as the volunteers and I hope to meet them again next year.

I would talk about the bad bits of bird camp – but there are none! I loved bird camp with all my heart and hope to go again next year. Thank you to all the staff for making it a blast for me and everyone else.

Henry (12) – Bird Camp Wales camper

Read more about Bird Camp Wales 2023 >

Bird Camp England

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Summarising the Bird Camp experience is as difficult as resisting the temptation to raise your binoculars when you’re there. I had an incredible experience as a camper in 2022, and this was mirrored for me in 2023, when I found myself on the other side of the experience as a youth volunteer. I loved seeing lifelong memories being made and new friendships forming, just as I had experienced the year prior.

We had fifteen enthusiastic and knowledgeable campers who each had their own creative flair. I particularly enjoyed seeing the campers working on exhibition pieces for parents and guardians to see at the end of the weekend. These included paintings of habitats, nature journalling, and even acrostic poems! Our base of operations was the classroom at Flatford Mill in Suffolk where exhibition pieces (and sightings lists!) were worked on between wildlife-watching trips.

One of the many highlights of the weekend was the boat trip from Harwich Harbour. The coastal air added Little Terns, Cormorants, seals and more to the sightings lists, following on from the day before, which included the excitement of seeing Turtle Doves!

Seeing the fantastic young people all having a blast reminded me of the importance of these camps. No matter your birding knowledge or confidence level, for those two nights, Bird Camp is your home.

As well as the boat trip, campers were given insights into how to contribute to BTO science – bird ringing and point count surveys – and taking part in moth trapping and pollinator surveys. And of course, the healthy competition of the bioblitz and relaxation from the mindfulness session brought campers closer together too.

I was hugely grateful for the England Bird Camp after I attended as a camper last year, for the way it opened up the world of birdwatching for me. This year, seeing the fantastic young people all having a blast reminded me of the importance of these camps. No matter your birding knowledge or confidence level, for those two nights, Bird Camp is your home.

Adam (16) – Bird Camp England 2023 Volunteer and Youth Advisory Panel Member

Read more about Bird Camp England 2023 >

Bird Camp Northern Ireland

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Where do I start? How about with the weather? I would say it rained for about 75% of the weekend. But despite this not once did I hear a young person complain. Instead, they put on their coats, grabbed their binoculars and marched out into the rain. This is the second year BTO has run a camp in Northern Ireland, and in both years I have been so inspired by the knowledge, curiosity and enthusiasm the young people have for the natural world and everything it brings.

For me, the highlights of this camp include the bioblitz in Davagh Forest, archery at Gortin Activity Centre and the bird ringing demonstration run by Stephen, Sorrel and Emma. After the disappointment of having no birds at last year’s ringing demonstration, it was amazing to catch 22 birds this year. The team was amazing and kept all the young people interested and getting to release a goldcrest is an experience I will never forget.

Bird Camp also happened to fall on my birthday this year. A 5:30 wake up, a titanic cake decoration, 14 young people singing happy birthday, and spending 3 hours in the rain sums up one of the stranger birthdays I’ve had, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

I have been so inspired by the knowledge, curiosity and enthusiasm the young people have for the natural world and everything it brings.

Each year, I’ve taken something different away from Bird Camp. Last year I learned never to treat a bird as if it’s boring. Doesn’t matter how common you think it is, to someone else it could be the most exciting bird they’ve seen all year.

This year, I learnt how to adapt to changing circumstances and be flexible and how to prepare for and run a session of my own. Most of all, I learned that there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing. Oh, and I’m also apparently amazing at archery!

Benjamin – Bird Camp Northern Ireland 2023 volunteer, Youth Representative for Northern Ireland and Mental Health & Mindfulness (MMH) project participant

Read more about Bird Camp Northern Ireland 2023 >

BTO Bird Camps in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are made possible thanks to the support of the Cameron Bespolka Trust.

Young people are the future of BTO

With your help, we can reach more young people through events like Bird Camp.

Donate to the BTO Youth Appeal today

2 August 2023

Following a great summer of Bird Camps, our campers, Youth volunteers and BTO staff share their experiences and thanks with the wider public.

BTO Youth Appeal 24 Aug 2023

Finding my place(ment): taking a break from a PhD

WEBSITEEDITOR — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 10:31:36 +0000

PhD student Fionnuala McCully reflects on her placement with the BTO Communications Team, and the benefits she experienced while stepping back from her studies.

Fionnuala McCully BTO Comms Placement Student Fionnuala is an ACCE DTP PhD candidate in the Seabird Ecology Group University of Liverpool (SEGUL). She is a behavioural ecologist, studying the impacts of animal personality on Wandering Albatross and Kittiwake parental care strategies.

While writing this blog post, I have been wracking my brains, trying to decide if it is ever a bad idea to try something new. I don’t think it is: If you love ‘the new thing’, the doors which may open to you could be life-changing, and even if you hate it, well, sometimes being able to definitively classify something as ‘not-for-me’ can be a blessing.

When you are in the middle of a PhD, it can be easy to forget that ‘other things’ (in terms of both career and downtime) exist. The road is long, and because PhD research requires you to be a jack-of-all-trades (writing, coding, presenting, fieldwork – you have to do it all!), you may find yourself forgetting which activities you actually enjoy the most. Taking a break can help you remember.

After nearly three years of working on my project on parental care in seabirds, I needed a change of scenery.

Taking a step back: planning a placement

After nearly three years of working on my project on parental care in seabirds at the University of Liverpool, I needed a change of scenery.

My doctoral training partnership, ACCE, provides their PhD candidates with an opportunity to apply for three months extra funding to do something different: a placement working on something outside the confines of their PhD. This is an invaluable opportunity for early career researchers to get experience in the workplace, gain new skills and discover – or perhaps rule out! – a potential career path.

Fionnuala releasing a Kittiwake during her PhD fieldwork in Svalbard, Arctic Circle.

Fionnuala examining a Puffin while helping the Norwegian polar Institute with their population monitoring schemes in Svalbard, Arctic Circle.

From the very beginning of my time at Liverpool, I wanted to complete one of these placements. By 2022, the major constraints imposed by COVID-19 had been dissolved (so no placement-ing from home, which was not appealing to me), and I had (temporarily) had enough of quantitative data analysis. I wanted to have a go at a form of work which came more naturally to me.

Having previously been a higher education lecturer, I have always had an interest in science communication – but I didn’t want to revisit old ground via teaching. I also didn’t want to stray too far away from birds. I like birds… and I can’t really see a future where my work doesn’t involve them in some capacity.

So where could I go to complete my placement?

BTO was an obvious choice, and I was thrilled when they agreed to host. Specifically, I reached out to their Communications Team. I hoped that this department would be able to get me involved in my target activities, like writing for different audiences and gaining media experience. BTO’s dedication to science would also prevent me from straying too far from the research skills which I have spent the last 12 years developing.

Of course, I would work for my keep: in exchange for all these valuable opportunities, I would complete a project for BTO, evaluating their science communication strategies. Are BTO messages getting through to their target audiences? Between September and December 2022, it was my job to find out.

Fionnuala at the BTO Youth in Nature Summit (front left). Alicia Hayden

Joining the BTO Comms Team in Thetford

So, having departed Liverpool for a residency in Thetford, my placement began.

The Comms Team put me to work writing for BTO’s various publishing media, helping out with events such as BBC Autumnwatch and the BTO Youth in Nature Summit, and contributing to BTO’s social media. I was even given a small spot on BBC Radio Suffolk, during which I geeked out about seabirds.

In addition to her work on her Communications project, Fionnuala was able to take part in activities such as ringing.

Almost immediately, I enjoyed working for BTO. I felt right at home in a world of varying topics, fast deadlines and cooperative projects. These were working conditions I had experienced in previous employment, and which I’d missed during the singularly focussed, long-term and occasionally solitary project which is my PhD.

What is more, the organisation itself is full of the friendliest, most welcoming people you are ever likely to meet. Even before my placement had started, Head of Communications Mike Toms and Science Communications Manager Viola Ross-Smith provided me with heaps of support as I developed my placement proposal. Once I got there, they (as well as employees from every other team you can think of) did all they could to make sure I felt welcomed and valued. Plus, they all know a lot about birds and I love learning new things about birds!

In between the day-to-day jobs of the department, I chipped away at my placement project, interviewing representatives of BTO’s target audiences: wind farm developers, government agency workers, BTO Regional and Youth Representatives, museum curators, landowners, academics… Speaking with such a wide range of people was one of the best parts of my placement. I learned huge amounts about lots of different industries, engaged in some valuable networking, and also got an insight into the range of jobs available out there in the world. All of this might come in handy when I finish my PhD…

Speaking with such a wide range of people was one of the best parts of my placement – I learned huge amounts about lots of different industries.

Fionnuala attended the prestigious Marsh Awards during her placement, writing BTO’s news piece about the event.

Developing an action plan for BTO’s science communications

After I had asked my questions and collated the interviewees’ answers, it was time to translate all those conversations into something tangible that BTO can use to improve their communication strategy. As a behavioural ecologist, I will grudgingly admit that producing outputs with high applied value is not something I get to do very often. It was therefore refreshing for me to produce an action plan based on my findings, which could be put into practice immediately.

It was also a pleasure to reassure my new BTO colleagues that all the wonderful work they do is appreciated by their audience. All my interviewees had many positive things to say about BTO and the work they produce. In particular, it was clear that BTO’s evidence-based approach and the expertise of BTO staff were key selling points. There is work to do, particularly concerning the refinement of messaging and reaching key audience members, but I hope that my action plan leaves BTO in a strong position to move forward.

My placement with BTO helped me see what might lie beyond my studies. Life will continue, and when I finish, I am confident that I will be considered skilled and employable.

Taking my placement experience forwards into my PhD

In what felt like a blink of an eye, my placement was over and it was time to go back to Liverpool. My PhD was waiting for me, and it wasn’t going to finish itself – but I returned refreshed and ready to take on the new challenges it might send my way. On top of this, I could rest easy in the knowledge that I had benefited hugely from ‘trying something new’.

Opportunities at BTO

Visit our Vacancies page to explore opportunities to work, volunteer or study with us.

Vacancies and opportunities

You can also contact people [at] bto.org for more information and advice.

I am looking forward to the rest of my PhD, but my placement with BTO helped me see what might lie beyond my studies. Life will continue, and when I finish, I am confident that I will be considered skilled and employable.

If you are a student, and you think you might benefit from a break or a placement, I strongly encourage you to examine your options. If your programme offers a placement scheme, investigate it. If not, make a plan and discuss it with your supervisor and your funding body. Alternatively, reach out to other PhD students who have done something similar – the vast majority of them will be happy to advise.

I also thoroughly recommend BTO as a placement provider! The experience was second to none. When I left BTO, I was leaving with a portfolio of articles, considerable work experience and many, many new friends. Crucially, my placement reaffirmed my belief that trying something new is rarely a bad idea. In fact, it might be exactly what you need to carry you through this life stage and into the next.

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to the ACCE Doctoral training partnership for providing additional funding so that I could undertake this placement. Thanks also go to Dr Samantha Patrick for her support.
I massively appreciate the support of everyone at the BTO and thank them for being so welcoming. In particular, I thank everyone in the Science Communication Team, especially Mike Toms and Viola Ross-Smith, for all their hard work before, during and after my placement.

2 January 2023

PhD student Fionnuala McCully completed a three-month placement with the BTO Comms Team in December last year. She reflects on her time with the organisation and the benefits she experienced while stepping back from her studies.

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