Dawn Balmer

Consider the 10x32 too!

As screenshot of a web page promoting Dawn's talk. The text reads "Wednesday, 4 March, 2026 7:15 pm – (approx) 9:15 Rare Breeding Birds in the UK and Bird Atlas 2027-31 with Dawn Balmer with a short introductory talk on 50 Years of the Shropshire Rookeries Project by John Tucker Originally from Shropshire, Dawn is Head of Surveys at the BTO, Secretary of the European Bird Census Council and Chair of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel. Her many roles also include Director of British Birds and Editorial Board Member of British Birds and Trustee of the Eric Hosking Charitable Trust. Dawn is a member of the British Birds Rarities Committee and is a keen birdwatcher, ringer, general naturalist and enjoys photography. Dawn will be providing an update from the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, highlighting recent trends, key species developments, and the ongoing efforts to monitor and protect the UK’s rarest breeding birds. She will also introduce plans for the launch of the next Breeding Bird Atlas with data collection set to begin in 2027. This major national project aims to build on previous atlases by using new technologies, expanding volunteer participation, and delivering vital insights to support future bird conservation."

If you missed the BTO Conference today there's another chance to hear from BTO this Wednesday (4 March) when @debalmer.bsky.social will be talking about Rare Breeding Birds in the UK and Bird Atlas 2027-31, in Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury.
👉 www.shropshirebirds.com/index/indoor...
#ShropshireBirds

CHOUGH CRITICAL BREEDING PERIOD. Please avoid posting photos of the Choughs during the breeding season and divulging their location and nest sites from 1st March to 31st July. #Choughs #CornishChoughs #Palores #CornwallBirds #BirdsInCornwall #CBWPS #Bird #Birds #Birdwatching #ConnectWithNature

Rare and Sensitive Breeding Birds. Please avoid posting photos of rare and sensitive breeding birds and divulging their location and nest sites from 1st March to 31 July. #CornwallBirds #BirdsInCornwall #CBWPS #Bird #Birds #Birdwatching #ConnectWithNature #WildIsles #BritishWildlife #WildCornwall

Final call for any outstanding 2025 bird records. Please send to norfolkbirdrecs@gmail.com as soon as possible.

Not required if already submitted to Ebird/Birdtrack.

Thanks

It’s nearly March, spring is springing, and the Rare Breeding Birds Panel has emerged from hibernation again to encourage you to get out recording rare breeding birds #UKbirding #ornithology

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI, bird flu) virus infections have historically been most commonly associated with wild Eurasian waterfowl with...

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI)
A clear, timely overview of bird flu, outbreak history, and how we monitor its impacts on wild bird populations.
📰 Open access until the end of February!
🔗 britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...
📸 Common Crane, by David Tipling

Black-headed Gull Project summary 2,450Birds colour-marked 16,300Sightings received 2011Year project started Colour-marks used Blue leg ring, 4 white characters (2, letter, number, number) on one leg with BTO metal …

Have you popped the details in the app?
waterbirdcolourmarking.org/black-headed...

Not posted from East Wretham Heath for a while but been visiting regularly. 17 visits and 66 species recorded. Langmere is still dry (since August) but thrilled to see a Green Sandpiper on Ringmere this morning. Pleased to see NWT have cleared the Birch saplings too!
#NorfolkBirding

Final visit for the Winter Bird Survey on my square in Thetford Forest this morning. Nice to watch a pair of Crossbill with nesting material going into a tree. Yellowhammers have arrived back in the forest for the breeding season and singing
#NorfolkBirding
@bbs-birds.bsky.social

📢 Job Alert: Monitoring officer

I am looking for an experienced ornithological fieldworker to join the team this spring to lead on the monitoring of Black tailed godwits at WWT Welney.

Closing date: 6 March 2026

Apply ➡️

vacancies.wwt.org.uk/vacancies/77...

Thanks for the reminder! last visit planned for tomorrow - finally dry!

Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Winter Bird Survey on BBS squares across the UK over the last few months. We hope you have encountered a good variety of species. The survey season finishes at the end of this month, and please enter your data no later than 30 April. #Ornithology

Graphic displays three images of Great Black-backed Gulls, one standing on a rock, one with a large fish it has caught, and one in flight. Text and labels highlight the species' bulbous bill and black back, which contrast with their surrounding white feathers. Caption reads: With a wingspan up to 1.66 meters, Great Black-backed Gulls are the largest species of gull globally. They're also the most predatory, often eating crustaceans, fish, and birds. Head to the coast for the best chance of sightings! #seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

With a wingspan up to 1.66 meters, Great Black-backed Gulls are the largest species of gull globally. They're also the most predatory, often eating crustaceans, fish, and birds.

Head to the coast for the best chance of sightings!
#seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

📢 CLOSING ON FRIDAY!

BOU Committee nominations

➡️ Awards Nominations Committee
➡️ Engagement Committee
➡️ IBIS Management Committee
➡️ Meetings Committee
➡️ Records Committee

Plus NEW Committee Shadowing Scheme

Full details: bou.org.uk/about-the...

#ornithology 🪶

A deceased Puffin lies on its back on the ground. Wording above reads: Please report sightings of all dead birds. A graphic showing an exclamation mark in a triangle features.

⚠️ We've had reports of seabirds washing up. Please report ALL species of dead birds ⬇️

📍 In England, Wales & Scotland: www.gov.uk/guidance/...
📍 In Northern Ireland: www.daera-ni.gov.uk/...
📍 In Republic of Ireland: aviancheck.apps.serv...

#UKBirding #BirdingWales #BirdingScotland

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI, bird flu) virus infections have historically been most commonly associated with wild Eurasian waterfowl with...

Our article, a birder’s guide to HPAI, was published today in @britishbirds.bsky.social - it’s open access this month.

We explain how bird-flu infected seabirds in 2021/22 and the importance of citizen science to montoring future outbreaks in the wild. 🪶🧪

britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

Using data from the International Swan Census, the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme, and recent GPS-tracking, this paper examines the subset of the Iceland/UK & Ireland population that winters at the Ouse Washes

britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

Delighted to see this Sparrowhawk photo on the front cover of @britishbirds.bsky.social February 2026 issue. Photo taken at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen from the Fen Hide on the 2nd October 2025. Incredibly lucky to get an in-focus photo, as it sped past the hide on a hunting mission.

Western Olivaceous Warbler on Whalsay, Shetland: new to Britain Britain’s first Western Olivaceous Warbler Iduna opaca was discovered on Whalsay, Shetland, on 20th October 2023. It remained on 21st October, when...

Britain’s first Western Olivaceous Warbler Iduna opaca was discovered on Whalsay, Shetland, on 20th October 2023. It remained on 21st October, when it was trapped and ringed.

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI, bird flu) virus infections have historically been most commonly associated with wild Eurasian waterfowl with...

Get a taste for British Birds in this month's Open Access paper:

BB eye: A birder’s guide to High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza

britishbirds.co.uk/journal/arti...

Maps of Wales show all sites for which records were submitted to BirdTrack and eBird in 2024 (left) and 2025 (right), using the central grid reference of each user's site

Taking a dive into the wealth of data produced by users of @birdtrack.bsky.social and @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social eBird in Wales in 2025 for @birdsinwales.bsky.social Report.

Number of users, records and time spent were up almost 20% on 2024. Thank you @btobirds.bsky.social for the data pack.

A poster showing a Red Grouse and a Curlew. Text reads: New helpers are wanted for two bird surveys on Long Mynd, and another survey by 10 Community Wildlife Groups covering west and south Shropshire, please. If you did any of them in 2025, you will be contacted directly. If you’ve not done any of them before, or you’re interested in joining another survey, please contact the named person at their email address. Red Grouse Survey Red Grouse breed on the upper heathland plateau. Most Grouse territories are within sight and hearing distance of the road along the top, between the Gliding Station and the Shooting Box car park. The display flight is noisy, conspicuous and unmistakeable, and can be observed over long distances, so this is a suitable project for anyone interested in birds or conservation. No special knowledge or skills are needed. Counts will take place on the Long Mynd every Thursday evening between 2nd April and 14th May. You go to a designated watchpoint, and stay there from 90 minutes before sunset until 15 minutes after it. You don’t need to come on them all. Come as often as you like. Please volunteer even if Thursdays are difficult, as counts are often cancelled because of forecast bad weather, and re-arranged for a Monday or Tuesday. A Project Briefing meeting will be held for new participants on Thursday, 26th March, at 7.30pm at the National Trust Tearoom in Cardingmill Valley, and there will be a practical on-the-job training session, explaining how to go about the survey, and record what you see, on the first date, 2nd April, for people who want to come. If you’re interested in helping, get further information (and a Participants form) from shropscwgs.org.uk/strettons-area-wildlife-group/long-mynd-red-grouse-project/ or Joe Gomme (joegommegrouse@gmail.com) Community Wildlife Group Curlew and other birds survey These Community Wildlife Group surveys look for Lapwing and Curlew. All 10 Groups need more helpers, please. If you can recognise…

A poster showing a Whinchat. Text reads: Long Mynd Breeding Bird Survey Surveyors attempt to record all of the main upland species (including Snipe, Curlew, Grey Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Wheatear and Reed Bunting). Maps are provided, and surveyors mark on them the location of all of each of the target species seen, and a code (similar to Bird Atlas codes) indicating the activity and level of breeding evidence observed. Previous bird surveys have been carried out in 1994-98, 2006-09, and 2021-23. Surveys were also attempted in 2024 and 2025, but coverage was inadequate to get good results from all valleys. More surveyors are needed for 2026 and 2027. Habitat changes are having an important effect, as bracken and gorse are both increasing and moving up the valley sides and onto the heathland plateau, probably driven by climate change, and sheep grazing also appears to be having an impact on the heather-bilberry mosaic which is important for several species, including Grouse and Whinchats. Each surveyor takes on all or part of one of the main valleys and the immediately adjacent plateau, and covers it thoroughly at least three, preferably five, times between the very beginning of May and the end of June. Good ID skills are needed of all the target species, and to separate females from males if the sexes are different. It also involves walking on sheep tracks on the steep valley sides, as well as footpaths, so a good level of fitness is needed. People interested in helping should contact Leo Smith (leo@leosmith.org.uk). Further Information Anyone else interested in participating should contact Leo Smith (leo@leosmith.org.uk).

Details of three worthwhile surveys in S Shropshire.

Two are suitable for anyone (all welcome!) but the Long Mynd Breeding Bird Survey needs good ID skills and fitness, as it involves coverage of steep upper valleys, largely on sheep tracks.

More info: tinyurl.com/BTOShropshire

#ShropshireBirds

Thank you for the rapid feedback on the colour-ring resighting. I love reading colour-rings and hearing about the fascinating movements.

If you find a dead bird, please report to Defra/Deara for possible collection and testing, and also to @birdtrack.bsky.social for monitoring purposes (really easy one the phone app). Note that records to BirdTrack don't feed through to Defra/Deara but really important to collect info for monitoring.

A map of a vacant BBS square in West Lincolnshire, plus a cut out image of a Corn Bunting.

(1/) This week’s featured square is in Lincolnshire. Grey Partridge, Corn Bunting and Turtle Dove have all been recorded in it over the years! Other vacant squares are available. @btobirds.bsky.social JNCC RSPB Science Lincs Birding #LincsBirding

Just been watching them in Scotland and they are very smart but doesn't beat a Mediterranean Gull for me :-)

The graphic displays a fact file for a Black Guillemot, with arrows pointing to its scarlet legs, distinct white wing patch, and sleek black plumage. A fact box reveals more facts: their weight range (360g-480g), average age (11 years), diet (fish), number of eggs laid (1-2), when to see in the UK (year-round), and number of pairs in the UK (20k). The caption reads: Where would you rank the appearance of Black Guillemots alongside other UK seabirds? Their distinct black, white, and scarlet features certainly catch the eye! More Black Guillemot facts in the post below ⬇️ #seabirds #birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Where would you rank the appearance of Black Guillemots amongst other UK seabirds? Their characteristic black, white, and scarlet features certainly catch the eye!

More Black Guillemot facts in the post below ⬇️
#seabirds #birds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Called in at WWT Martin Mere on the way home, first visit here. Jammed a Todd's Canada Goose with Pinks, found by Graham Clarkson. Ring-necked Duck, 27 Cattle Egret. Lots of ring reading!
#LancsBirding
#UKbirding

#BirdingScotland