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btobirds.bsky.social
BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
@btobirds.bsky.social
11K followers 400 following 980 posts
BTO is the UK's leading Registered Charity working with volunteers to improve our knowledge of birds through monitoring and research. www.bto.org
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btobirds.bsky.social
New blog! 🐦 Read this touching story from BTO Youth’s Felix Adams about how his grandfather inspired his love for birds, and how he treasures their shared memories. 🪶

Read the blog ➡️ www.bto.org/our-work/new...
There’s a Cuckoo in here somewhere | BTO
There comes a time when those, often young people, with slightly less conventional hobbies question what it is about birding, trainspotting, unicycling or vintage knitwear that really gets them going....
www.bto.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
bto-ni.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who came along to the monthly Wildlife Wander in Victoria Park, Belfast last Sunday!

We were happy to see a variety of waders, seabirds and woodland birds, including a perched Kingfisher and four Black Guillemots.

Want to join us next time? 👇
bit.ly/4igeE2N

#ornithology
Photo of a sunlit path in Victoria Park, Belfast by Nia Potapova / BTO Two Black Guillemots seen in Victoria Park, Belfast. Photo by Nia Potapova / BTO A photo of a Black-tailed Godwit foraging in Victoria Park, Belfast by Nia Potapova / BTO View of the wooded islands in Victoria Park, Belfast. Photo by Nia Potapova / BTO
November 24, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
btoscotland.bsky.social
Hats off to the SOC @scottishbirding.bsky.social for a superb Annual Conference. Great speakers and nice to see so many folk out. We loved our walk at @rspbscotland.bsky.social Barons Haugh reserve. Green Sandpiper were the highlight of the 49 species we saw! #BirdingScotland
Green Sandpiper. Allan Drewitt/ BTO
November 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
✨ Meet our new Youth Advisory Panel members! ✨ We’re so excited to welcome Alysia, Anna, Bethan, Grace, Sonya and Zac to our team!

They’ll be helping shape the future of BTO Youth with their ideas, energy and love for birds and nature. 🐦💬🌿

Read more on our website ➡️ www.bto.org/about/how/go...
A collage of six images of new BTO Youth volunteers. Wording in the middle reads: BTO Youth. Meet our new YAP Members! Find out more about our team at bto.org/yap
November 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Congratulations to Joe Carroll, one of our BTO Youth Reps, who was joint winner of the @nbntrust.bsky.social Young Person’s Award 2025! 🎉

Joe is a volunteer for @bbs-birds.bsky.social and @webs-gsmp.bsky.social and shares his experience as a young birder at conferences and events. Thank you Joe!
NBN Award Recipients 2025 - National Biodiversity Network
The winners and highly commended recipients of the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2025 were announced at the SS Great … Continued
nbn.org.uk
November 24, 2025 at 9:56 AM
btobirds.bsky.social
A wonderful nature journal entry by Arrietty! So brilliant to see the next generation engaging with #Birds! Thank you for sharing @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social 😀

If you know any young people keen to learn more about birds and nature, check out our BTO Youth scheme: www.bto.org/our-work/youth
brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social Brigit Strawbridge @brigitstrawbridge.bsky.social · 2d
My granddaughter Arrietty’s Nature Journal. She comes once a week for nature studies (home ed). This week we learned about Jays, & their roles in spreading Oak trees. As chance would have it we saw (and heard) one close-up as it flew between the trees at our Allotment! @btobirds.bsky.social #birds
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 AM
btobirds.bsky.social
What’s green and defies gravity? 🤔 The Green Woodpecker of course!

The largest woodpecker species in the UK, this bird has a distinctive laughing call & forages for its favourite foots, ants, using its powerful beak & long, sticky tongue. ➡️ www.bto.org/learn/ab...

#Wicked #DefyingGravity 🪶
A Green Woodpecker on the side of a tree. The word green appears to the left with a green tick in a box next to it, and below that the words defies gravity with a green tick in a box next to them. A small image credit bottom right of the image reads: Green Woodpecker, by Liz Cutting / BTO.
November 23, 2025 at 8:00 AM
btobirds.bsky.social
A distinctive churring is often the first sign a Nightjar is near. This is why techniques like Acoustic Monitoring will be vital to improving our understanding of this incredible bird. Can you help support the development of Acoustic Monitoring?➡️ www.bto.org/acoustic... #bioacoustics #ornithology
Cut out image of a Nightjar on a green background alongside the wording: New insights unlocked with acoustic monitoring. Image credit bottom right of the image reads: Nightjar by Chris Knights / BTO.
November 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Looks like we’re not the only ones that think #DefyingGravity is cool with #Wicked For Good hitting cinemas!🧙✨ While Elphaba uses a broomstick, #Birds have impressive physical attributes, such as streamlined bodies & lightweight skeletons, so they can take to the sky. ➡️ www.bto.org/learn/ab...
A Rough-legged Buzzard in flight with wings outstretched. Wording reads: Talk about defying gravity. An image credit in the bottom right of the corner reads: Rough-legged Buzzard by Chris Knights / BTO.
November 21, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
webs-gsmp.bsky.social
1/ This weekend marks the final IGC count of the season, focusing on Greylag Goose counts, and Pink-footed Geese, at their roosts. Thank you to all of our #GSMP_UK volunteers and hope you enjoy your counts this weekend!

@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

#UKBirding
Picture of a Greylag Goose flying, with the words 'Icelandic-breeding Goose Census this weekend' on top and the date '22nd/23rd November' on the right hand side of the image. Photo credit: BTO/John Harding. For more information, visit www.bto.org/gsmp.
November 21, 2025 at 3:11 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Could Waxwings be on their way to the UK? Find out in this article from @stephenmossauthor.bsky.social in @theguardian.com ➡️ www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
A Waxwing perches on a tree branch with bright red berries on, the bird has one of these berries in its beak. Image credit by Chris Knights / BTO.
November 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
willrose.bsky.social
Very happy to be part of this project coming in 2026!🦅
btobirds.bsky.social BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 5d
Want a FREE resource pack with an ID guide to 30 species you’re likely to see in your local greenspace? 🐦🌳 Sign up to our Birds in #Greenspaces newsletter to receive one! ➡️ www.bto.org/greenspaces #Ornithology 🪶

Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 6:21 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Want a FREE resource pack with an ID guide to 30 species you’re likely to see in your local greenspace? 🐦🌳 Sign up to our Birds in #Greenspaces newsletter to receive one! ➡️ www.bto.org/greenspaces #Ornithology 🪶

Illustrations by @willrose.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 4:56 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Are the BTO Cuckoos still moving across Africa? Yes they are! ⬇️🌍

Cleeve has headed further south, leaving Cameroon and flying into the Republic of the Congo. He moved around 500 miles over five days! #Ornithology
Two headshot images of Cuckoos Cleeve and Frederic feature in a circular frame in the centre of the image. Underneath is their name and the words, tagged: Norfolk. Above in large writing are the words Cuckoo update. In the background is a half transparent map of the world showing BTO tagged Cuckoos locations in Africa.
November 19, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
bbs-birds.bsky.social
(1/) This week, it's a throwback to the summer months with Common Tern! This elegant species declined by 4% between 1995 and 2023. The 10 year trend for this species shows a 20% decline across the UK. @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social #Ornithology #CitizenScience
Common Tern and trend graph.
November 19, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
btoengland.bsky.social
Don't miss author James Parry's talk about Emma Turner at Norfolk Wildlife Trust Cley Marshes.

📅 Thu 20 Nov, 1-3pm. Book a space ➡️ www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/events/2025-...

From 10am to 12pm our BTO Archivist can show you original material from the Emma Turner archive too. #NorfolkBirding
James Parry - The life of bird photographer Emma Turner | Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Join Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the British Trust for Ornithology for a talk by James Parry, co-author with Jeremy Greenwood of the book Emma Turner - A life looking at birds.
www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
November 18, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
smp-seabirds.bsky.social
The Arctic Skua, one of two Skua species covered by the SMP.
Look out for the adult's prominent 'pointed tail spike' and their variable colour gradations, caused by mixed breeding pairs of pale and dark morph individuals! #seabirds #birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social
Graphic displays an amalgamated image of three Arctic Skuas by Alex Penn/BTO. On the left is a pale morph individual, in the centre a juvenile, and a dark morph individual on the right. In the top right hand corner is the SMP logo. The caption reads: 'The Arctic Skua, one of two Skua species covered by the SMP. Look out for the adult's prominent 'pointed tail spike' and their variable colour gradations, caused by mixed breeding pairs of pale and dark morph individuals! #seabirds #birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social'
November 18, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
webs-gsmp.bsky.social
The International Swan Census (ISC) is taking place on the weekend of 17th-18th January 2026 (WeBS January Core Count weekend), counting Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. Follow these simple steps to get involved 👇

@btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social

#UKBirding #Ornithology
November 18, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
penrhynbirder.bsky.social
Wild victims of bird flu increase - will it be the worst winter yet in Europe? @btobirds.bsky.social reminds birders we can play a role in monitoring #HPAI

Plus the week's #NorthWales sightings in @northwaleslive.bsky.social BirdNotes. 📷 Tony Pope. #BirdingWales

www.birdnotes.wales/blog/wild-vi...
Wild victims of bird flu on the rise
As ‘flockdown’ rules require keepers of birds to introduce strict biosecurity measures in Wales, increased deaths of wild birds have raised fears that it could be the worst winter yet for bird...
www.birdnotes.wales
November 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
btobirds.bsky.social
Hear from our Director of Science James Pearce-Higgins in this article from @theguardian.com looking at pesticide bans and bird population recovery ➡️ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
A male blackbird, with black plumage and orange bill with mud on, stands on grassy ground.
November 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
lesserspotnet.bsky.social
This is a brilliant initiative. Woodpecker Network is working with BTO to develop a passive acoustic monitoring module for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. Trials have proved successful in reliably detecting their drums and calls, revealing many new locations.
btobirds.bsky.social BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 8d
Birdsong is not only beautiful, it’s also full of information. This is where Acoustic Monitoring comes in. Will you support the development of this new and important work? Find out more and donate today ➡️ www.bto.org/acoustic... #bioacoustics #ornithology
A cut out image of a Curlew on a green background alongside the wording: Discover the power of Acoustic monitoring.
November 17, 2025 at 10:18 AM
btobirds.bsky.social
Birdsong is not only beautiful, it’s also full of information. This is where Acoustic Monitoring comes in. Will you support the development of this new and important work? Find out more and donate today ➡️ www.bto.org/acoustic... #bioacoustics #ornithology
A cut out image of a Curlew on a green background alongside the wording: Discover the power of Acoustic monitoring.
November 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
bbs-birds.bsky.social
This week, we are sharing the most widespread species recorded on BBS squares across the UK in 2024. They are all common and familiar species! Find out more about taking part in the survey here: www.bto.org/get-involved... @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social #Ornithology
Most widespread species for BBS in 2024.
November 13, 2025 at 7:14 AM
btobirds.bsky.social
Give the gift of nature this Christmas! 🎄🐦 With a BTO gift membership, your loved one can discover the curiosities of birds and their world with a full year of BTO membership, plus a book and a BTO beanie. 😀 Order today ➡️ www.bto.org/GiftMembership
Cut out images of BTO News magazine, Collins BTO Guide to British Birds book, a BTO 2026 Calendar and a BTO beanie hat layered together over a teal coloured background. Wording to the left reads: Give the gift of nature this Christmas with a BTO Gift Membership. Special Offer. Free BTO Calendar!
November 12, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by BTO | British Trust for Ornithology
durham.ac.uk
New research from our Biosciences Department and @btobirds.bsky.social shows that hotter European summers are reducing migratory birds’ ability to fuel up for their long journeys.

Read more: durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
#DUresearch
Hotter European summers put migratory birds at risk - Durham University
durham.ac.uk
November 11, 2025 at 12:32 PM