BTO Scotland

15/10/2026

Can you help with this survey this winter? What better reason do you need to grab your boots and your binoculars? All you need to do is walk a bit of coast once and count the birds you find. Thanks!

Ever see these species at the coast? 👀 We’re looking for volunteers to take part in the Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey this winter. Sign up ➡️ https://www.bto.org/webs-news

What the survey involves 🤔
All you need to do is walk your chosen survey sector along the coastline once between 1 December and 31 January and count the birds you see.

Why it matters 📝
This project aims to monitor the population size and distribution of waders and other waterbirds along the non-estuarine coastline of the UK and Ireland. Every count helps improve our understanding of coastal habitats and the birds that depend on them.

Sign up to a survey sector online ➡️ https://www.bto.org/webs-news Thank you.

12/10/2026

Calling all our members and supporters in Ayrshire! We'll be giving a talk about the new Bird Atlas project to the local The Scottish Ornithologists' Club branch (see https://www.the-soc.org.uk/pages/local-branch/ayrshire) on Tuesday evening this week, then delivering a FREE walk about WeBS - The Wetland Bird Survey at Irvine on Wednesday. Multiple spaces for the walk have become available at short notice so please email [email protected] if you'd like to join us! Image: Curlew by Liz Cutting

05/10/2026

County bird reports often make for a superb read and various new reports have been published recently. There's a lot of work goes into them- well done to everyone involved!

01/10/2026

Have you seen a ringed Ptarmigan? Volunteer ringers from both Tay and Grampian Ringing Groups are now fitting small colour rings (under license) to Ptarmigan in the hills of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. If you see a bird with a black ring and two white letters please report it via the link below with all the details of date and location. https://cr-birding.org
The aim of the project is to try and better understand the movements of these iconic montane grouse. It's always a highlight of a hill day to bump into some Ptarmigan, and its now well worth giving them a closer look!

21/09/2026

We'd really appreciate help with this important survey here in Scotland. It's a one-off visit to a nice bit of coastline and counting the birds you find there. More info. in the link below. Thanks!

🔊 Registration is now open for The Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey (NEWS)! Sign up ➡️ https://www.bto.org/webs-news

NEWS monitors waterbirds along stretches of open coastline that aren't covered by estuary surveys, helping us build a more complete picture of wintering birds around the UK.

Whether you're new to NEWS or have taken part before, we'd love to have you involved. Every count helps improve our understanding of these important coastal habitats and the birds that depend on them.

If you have any questions, contact [email protected]

14/09/2026

Calling Editors & SciComms professionals! Dream job alert, apply here ➡️ https://www.bto.org/jobs 😀

We're looking for someone to be our next Editor of BTO News, and work with our science teams to share their incredible work, from Cuckoo tracking, to seabird science and wader research, with our members, supporters and those completely new to BTO.

📅 Full time, Permanent.
📝 £38,710.00 per annum.
📍 BTO HQ in Thetford, Norfolk (Hybrid working).

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 30 September 2026.

09/09/2026

Keep your eyes and ears open folks- it's that time of year when we eagerly anticipate the return of the geese from northern latitudes to over winter with us.

The geese are back! Todays morning cuppa was interrupted by the distinctive 'wink, wink' of pink-footed geese, freshly arrived from Iceland for the winter. So we all dashed outside like excitable kids to see them. Welcome back!

07/09/2026

We'll be delivering a talk all about Cuckoos to the Borders branch of The Scottish Ornithologists' Club next Monday. See some of you there!

We hadn't heard from Cuckoo Rob since July, when he was still in the Alps. But, a few days ago, his signal suddenly came back online, and we could see that he was on his way once more! 🙌 He has now crossed the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert and has arrived at Lake Chad, almost 4,000km from where he was when we last heard from his tag. 🌍

Most of our tagged Cuckoos are now recuperating after their epic journeys from their UK and Irish breeding grounds, in preparation for the next big move into the tropical rainforests of the Congo Basin.

Read our latest Cuckoo updates ➡️ https://www.bto.org/cuckoos

26/08/2026

Wow- big news from Aberdeenshire! This is a major northern leap for Little Egret breeding in the UK. This is a species that will show a massive change in distribution when the next Bird Atlas project kicks off in autumn 2027.

25/08/2026

The deadline for data entry for the 2026 Breeding Bird Survey is fast approaching!