BTO Scotland

Long-tailed Tit and Bullfinch.

(1/) Two species that feature in the Woodland Wild Bird Indicators are Long-tailed Tit and Bullfinch. Whereas Long-tailed Tit has increased by 91% across the UK since 1970, Bullfinch has declined by 53% during the same time period. @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social

A bird watching a birdwatcher. A very cool photo here from St Kilda!

Guillemots together on the top of a rock face. Wording above reads: New Study. Opportunities and challenges for new technologies in seabird population monitoring. www.bto.org/new-tech-seabird-monitoring

1/ New study! #Seabirds are among the most threatened groups of birds globally, and a new study looked at how emerging technologies can be optimally harnessed in seabird monitoring. ➡️ www.bto.org/new-tech-seabird-monitoring #Ornithology

1.The Wild Bird Indicators are out! Each year these are published using @bbs-birds.bsky.social , @webs-gsmp.bsky.social & @smp-seabirds.bsky.social data & are one of the main metrics against which our UK Biodiversity targets are measured
👉 www.gov.uk/government/s...

AMAZING JOSH!!!! We're very chuffed for your Ptarmigan- they're a topper of a bird.

Tired of Ravens, tired of life. This is WONDERFUL!!!! Dial those speakers up to 11..... 🔊

A Wood Sandpiper stands in water amongst green foliage.

As the autumn wader passage builds, now is the perfect time to brush up on your ID skills! Try out this video by our expert team looking at Wood and Green Sandpipers. ➡️ bit.ly/WGSandpipers

See all our Bird ID Videos here ➡️ http://www.bto.org/a...

Yesterday's name-that-feather was from a Sparrowhawk. Well done to those that got it right! The feather was lying amongst a massive pile of Woodpigeon feathers, presumably lost in a battle which clearly went the Sparrowhawk's way in the end. Photo: Tom Streeter/ BTO

Feather quiz!!! Whose is this then? Found in a garden amongst a pile of another birds' feathers. Answer tomorrow!

This is a superb opportunity! More info below 👇

Fantastic Josh and fellow Bird Campers!!! 🙌

The second half of August will see the peak period for autumn migration of Tree Pipit. Usually detected when calling in flight, they can occur across a range of habitats on migration #ukbirding

Image of a Puffin by Sarah Kelman/BTO alongside wording over the image that reads: We're hiring. Senior Research Ecologist Bioacoustics. Research Ecologist Climate Change. Trusts and Foundations Fundraising Manager. Seabird Monitoring Programme Organiser. www.bto.org/jobs

Last chance to apply for our Research Ecologist roles in Bioacoustics and Climate Change. For all jobs and to apply visit www.bto.org/jobs #Ornithology #bioacoustics

We're getting another e-newsletter together that should be getting sent out in the next week or so. You'll get all sorts of updates from the BTO in sunny Scotland, plus details of training events this autumn. If you don't already subscribe you can sign up here: www.bto.org/about/where/...

Your latest Cuckoo fix. Go Norman!

More training opportunities folks! These online training course are excellent, and mind that BTO Scotland will be out delivering face-to-face training in the next couple of months. Details here: www.bto.org/about/where/...

The findings demonstrate the potential of GPS tracking to inform understanding of Goosander ecology and their interactions with fish populations, though improvements in attachment methods are needed for longer-term studies. Read more 📖 www.bto.org/TrackingGoos... #BTOScience

Female Goosander on water alongside the wording: New study. Tracking of Goosanders in Scotland. #BTOScience features in an orange box. Top right of the image is the BTO Scotland logo.

New Study! Goosanders were tracked using GPS tags in two Scottish river catchments. 🌊 Results showed birds ranged over significantly longer river stretches in the Forth than birds in the Tweed, with licensed shooting occurring in the latter. All birds showed greater movement during daylight hours. ☀️

What a spectacle!

Events Headquarters organises a programme of events throughout the year including Optics Days, Goosewatch events, Art Exhibitions and Bird ID Guided Walks out of Waterston House. Event details will be posted...

Finally the good folks at the Scottish Ornithologists Club run superb walks that will cover all this and more. Places fill up fast so get booked if you're keen! 3/3 @scottishbirding.bsky.social
www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/events

Then we're out-and-about delivering in-person training at various sites across Scotland between now and the end of October. There are some completely beginner-friendly sessions and some for folk who want to brush up on their skills for the Wetland Bird Survey. 2/3 www.bto.org/about/where/...

🧵 There's numerous training opportunities coming up if you want to improve your wader and waterbird ID. First up the @btobirds.bsky.social Training team have a load of online training on Wader ID starting next week. 1/3
www.bto.org/our-work/tra...

Wood Warbler perched on a branch. Wording over the top of the image reads We’re hiring. Trusts and Foundations Fundraising Manager, Research Ecologist – Climate Change, Senior Research Ecologist, Bioacoustics Support Officer, Seabird Monitoring Support Officer. www.bto.org/jobs

There are lots of opportunities to join us at BTO! Discover jobs and apply at www.bto.org/jobs #Ornithology

Free autumn waterbird ID events up online! Join us for these sessions to brush up on your skills and find out more about the Wetland Bird Survey (you can filter by 'Region' and find them quickly that way). #BirdingScotland
www.bto.org/our-work/eve...

Close up view of a Swift flying through the blue sky. Image by Philip Croft/BTO.

Discover what it's like completing a @bbs-birds.bsky.social survey in an urban area as Mary takes us through her site in Belfast for @theguardian.com Country Diary ➡️ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

One Scots name for Swifts is the 'Deil [Devil] bird', as they "scream like they've the Deil at their back"! 😈
How are they doing near you?

....and following our last post here's Madeleine @fabusovam.bsky.social out on Eilean nan Ròn as well. What a place, and what amazing birds!

Fantastic work @rebeccacheape97.bsky.social!!! What a place to visit, and it's wonderful to see the results.

Would you look at that! A young Nightjar- a spectacular find in Aberdeenshire- top work @alanknox.bsky.social and all the other volunteers out there doing incredible fieldwork. Monitoring, catching, and ringing is all done under license.

🚨⛰️Our intrepid team has been out on Scotland’s mountains, carrying out montane surveys that are completed around every 10 years. This time, we also deployed acoustic recording devices, recorded Mountain Hares and collected Ptarmigan feathers for possible genetic analysis!