We’re saddened to hear the news of the passing of Jim Flegg. As well as being a former BTO Director, Jim was a passionate ornithologist, author and TV presenter, but it was his kind-hearted, helpful nature that made him a valued colleague and friend. Jim will be greatly missed…

We're thrilled to be hosting the Wild Weekend again this year!

Join us on Saturday 8th June for a day filled with birds and exploring the beautiful Oxford Island Nature Reserve.

Visit bit.ly/WildWeekend24 to book your spot!

If you fancy a challenge, why not consider taking on an Upland Rovers square this year? There is still time to sign up for a 'Late' visit to a square. Most vacant squares are in Scotland, but there are also some elsewhere in the UK. More info here: bto.org/our-science/pr…

NEW BLOG: a brief review of our 50th anniversary activities last year and, more importantly, our British Wildlife Mag paper is now available open access rbbp.org.uk/2024/05/08/202… BTO RSPB Science JNCC

Had a great start to the day yesterday doing our Breeding Bird Surveys. Despite being in a residential area, we had blackcaps, chiffchaffs, and the highlights... swifts! Birds really are everywhere if you look for them. Finished the survey with a pastry before work 😋
BTO
RSPB England

Our wonderful Breeding Bird Survey volunteers do encounter some lovely skies, as well as some lovely bird species when surveying their squares! Thanks very much to Adam Saunders #StopRosebank for sharing this lovely image and his sightings with us. That square sounds great to survey!

Top Tip: make sure you’ve got something like this waiting for you after you’ve completed your BTO Breeding Bird Surveys Breeding Bird Survey. It turns an already enjoyable morning into an absolutely fabulous one! 😋

Our friend Bucktonbirder was asking about numbers of Whitethroats this spring. The BirdTrack reporting rate from complete lists shows Whitethroat a bit behind the 2023 and the historical reporting rate. Hopefully more to arrive yet.

Did my Breeding Bird Surveys first visit this morning, Whitethroats everywhere, funny little things. Now sitting with coffee in the garden watching Swifts overhead ❤️

To improve the collection of more representative and robust #seabird data, we have published a new Seabird Monitoring Programme sampling strategy - bit.ly/SMP_samplingst…

@BTO JNCC @RSPBscience Defra UK

See 🧵⬇️

Breeding Bird Surveys stunning morning on my square.
Nothing out of the ordinary, but just lush to be out, doing my bit.

A new study, following on from the Protected Areas work from Dec22 - x.com/_bto/status/16…. Here, BTO JNCC show that quality makes a difference too. All using Breeding Bird Surveys data - thanks to all those volunteers who made this possible!

First early Breeding Bird Surveys survey of the year done. Chuffed to find two Firecrest territories at the exact same sites as last year. Then home to spy a Peregrine with prey pass high over the garden! Spring has definitely sprung. ☀️🪶🪺

Tues was a great morning for an early Breeding Bird Surveys visit. The BBS Organiser was once again in need of some waders for s1. There was even a coot nesting right on the route! Plenty of Water Vole signs too, with #MinkPolice in force. waterliferecoverytrust.org.uk/wrt-news/new-f…

Swifts are on the way! 😀 And you could see one in the next week as a mass arrival is on the cards in the current weather conditions🌥️ Discover species to look out for in this week’s BirdTrack migration blog 👉 bit.ly/44jRqll #ornithology #swifts

📷© Philip Croft / BTO

In 2016, I wrote an #Oystercatcher blog about the species' decline and its changing nesting habits:
wadertales.wordpress.com/2016/06/13/oys…
New Franz Löffler paper demonstrates benefits of nesting on urban roofs & feeding on playing fields:
nature.com/articles/s4159…
Graphic from 2016 👇

There are only a few days left to apply for the position of Youth Rep in NI!
This is a fantastic opportunity for you to inspire others while developing your own skills with the support of the BTO team, it's well worth getting involved!
Visit bit.ly/BTOYouth for more info