Grasshopper Warbler singing in a bush

Wheatear at the top of a tree

Male Common Whitethroat

Nice session at Wilbraham Fen, Cambs, this morning; a brief Wheatear, 2 singing Grasshopper Warblers, Cuckoo, Whitethroats on territory and first Lesser Whitethroats of the year @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #BirdTrack

Best to park along Water Street/Fen Road before railway crossing (e.g. maps.app.goo.gl/oecLktx46Lea...) then cut through to river and walk east. View through gaps in hedge but don't enter fields

Male Ring Ouzel on grass field

Yesterday's Ring Ouzel on Chesterten Fen still present this morning and showing a bit better. Such smart-looking birds. When not on the ground is somehow completely disappears in a tiny Hawthorn bush #UKBirding @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Male Ring Ouzel on grass with twigs behind

Male Ring Ouzel on Chesterton Fen horse paddocks this afternoon. A long hoped for find, just over a mile from home. #UKBirding @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

A parabolic microphone pointed at a Gannet colony on a cliff

Sound recording Gannets at Bempton Cliffs today. Songbirds they ain't! xeno-canto.org/1094241 #UKBirding

Nothing beats birds… except FREE SHIPPING 🐦🔥

This weekend only — shop your favourite bird designs with delivery on us.

Ends Monday at midnight, so don’t hang about 👀

screen grab of the Bird Atlas Mapstore, showing Nuthatch distribution change

Interesting idea. Not animated, but all the maps are avalable here to browse: app.bto.org/mapstore/Sto... #Ornithology

Grand Designs, Mute Swan style

Spending a lot of work time thinking about Bird Atlas 2027–31, like how to collect breeding evidence. So it was nice this morning to see Mute Swans nest building and a pair of Treecreepers engaged in courtship feeding (never seen this before), both logged in #BirdTrack

design based on the patterning of a drake Mandarin duck

Seeing a bit of Mandarin appreciation on here reminded me of this design I did a while back. #MandarinSegment #BirdArt

A Whinchat perches on top of a plant showing its white eye stripe. Wording alongside reads: We're hiring! Training officer. www.bto.org/jobs. The BTO logo is top right of the image.

Are you a skilled birder and want to help others to improve their skills? 🐦 Apply for our Training Officer role via www.bto.org/jobs

The successful candidate will join the team at BTO HQ in Norfolk who deliver courses, both in person and online.

Application deadline: Sunday 5 April. #Ornithology

The image announces the publication of the Seabird Population Trends and Causes of Change: 1986-2024 report. The main image displays a pair of Kittiwakes and features the logos of the SMP, BTO, JNCC, and RSPB.

We’re pleased to announce the release of the 2024 Seabird Monitoring Programme report, in partnership with JNCC, in association with the RSPB.

Click here to read the report: www.bto.org/our-work/sci...

Read on for key findings ⬇️
#seabirds @btobirds.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

Dark-edged Bee-fly on Ivy

First Dark-edged Bee-fly of the year in garden today

Yes probably. Sorry I've never used that recorder so don't know precise settings to use

Difficult to diagnose remotely. I think the mic is a mono, not stereo, so you shouldn't be getting left/right differences. Maybe recorder not configured correctly for mono input? If you view files in Audacity are there 2 channels? And are they different? Should only be 1 channel I think.

Spectrogram of a Great Spotted Woodpecker drum, showing the accelerating tapping

Lots of Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming activity this morning. In this spectrogram you can clearly see how GSW drumming both speeds up and loses intensity: initial taps are 0.065 seconds apart, later ones 0.045. 14 taps in just 0.7 seconds. #UKBirding #bioacoustics

Spectrogram of a Firecrest song phrase

Drew a blank looking for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Cambs this morning, but 2 Firecrests (1 singing) were nice compensation. #UKBirding @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

XC1086062 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)

Back from a great @lesserspotnet.bsky.social weekend in Kent discussing the monitoring, ecology and conservation of our smallest woodpecker. Infectious enthusiasm and a wealth of skills and experience shared, topped off by actually seeing them! xeno-canto.org/1086062 #ornithology

I think a cheap mic would usually generate more hiss (white noise) rather than that electrical interference type sound. I usually get that sound if there's moisture in the cable contacts. Other thing to check is the mic is powered properly (batttery and/or plug-in-power from recorder).

Audio recorder in woodland

Out deploying audio recorders today in the hope of detecting Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers in Cambs. First singing Chiffchaff plus Comma and lots of Brimstones.

BirdWatch Ireland CEO Andrew Kelly & BTO CEO Juliet Vickery are sitting at a table outside smiling as they get ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

RSPB Chief Executive Beccy Speight & BTO CEO Juliet Vickery are sitting together at a table in the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge holding pens ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

BTO CEO Juliet Vickery & Scottish Ornithologists Club President Ruth Briggs are sitting at a table smiling and holding pens ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31.

BTO CEO Juliet Vickery & Welsh Ornithological Society Chair Anne Brenchley are sitting at a table together looking down and holding pens as they get ready to sign a partnership agreement for the Bird Atlas 2027–31. Wildlife and nature themed artwork hangs on the wall behind them.

1/ Five leading charities forge partnership for bird conservation for the Bird Atlas 2027–31! 🐦 But what is the Bird Atlas? ⬇️🧵 #Ornithology

@btobirds.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social @rspbscience.bsky.social @scottishbirding.bsky.social @birdsinwales.bsky.social

Letter to the editor concerning the paper “Attraction points: A new sampling design method to quantify common finches' populations” published by Marazuela Pinela et al. in Ecological Indicators, 171, ...

New 'letter to the editor' criticising a previous paper published in Ecological Indicators is well worth a read: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Includes this quote 'At least two of them (Marazuela Pinela and López Espí) are self-proclaimed silvestristas—the Spanish term for songbird trappers'

Free UK shipping of Alula Design if ordered before midnight Sunday 1st March

Ross's Gull mug, available from https://aluladesigns.co.uk/product/rosss-gull-in-flight-mug/

For a limited time only (until midnight Sunday), Sand Martins will be delivering all Alula Design products for free as they head north. Order now to avoid disappointment. aluladesigns.co.uk/ #BirdArt #UKBirding #Freepost

Birders encouraged to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers with passive recorders During the last two years, The Woodpecker Network has successfully used passive acoustic monitors to detect the calling and drumming of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. The group has now written guidance protocol for Song Meters to provide more of the practical details for using the method with the devices.

The Woodpecker Network is encouraging birders to detect Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers by using passive acoustic sound recorders:

Two Tundra Bean Geese and a Greylag Goose. Bill colour oddly pink in this video grab but clearly orange in the field

A nice surprise at work today when @arjuncdutta.bsky.social found these Tundra Bean Geese at @btobirds.bsky.social HQ. Instructive trying to age them with @sconebirding.bsky.social #UKBirding

Been working a lot on woodpeckers recently, which inspired this new design for @aluladesigns.bsky.social

We are receiving increased reports of dead auks, including Puffins, particularly in North East Scotland. It's quick and easy to report any dead or sick birds you find through the 'Deceased bird' function on the home page of the BirdTrack app

Photo: Puffin by Richard Selman / BTO

#ukbirding

Verification and quality assurance in Passive Acoustic Monitoring This survey explores how automated acoustic species identifications are verified and quality‑assured in practice, and how uncertainty is communicated and used. The survey takes approximately 20 minut...

1/ Survey! 📝 How are automated species identifications from passive acoustic monitoring verified and quality-assured in practice? #bioacoustics

Take part here ➡️ forms.gle/Ak3eYgZivUPa...

A Dunnock has its bill open in song as it perches on the top of a bush. Wording to the left reads: Bird Sound ID Training Course. When. Tuesdays at 7pm & Wednesdays at 10am or 7pm for set dates in March. Where. Two online sessions. www.bto.org/training. Image credit bottom right reads: Dunnock by Allan Drewitt / BTO.

Want to learn what birds are singing? Join our Bird Sound ID in Early Spring training course ➡️ www.bto.org/training #Ornithology

Freepost advert for Alula Designs, featuring Harriers hoodie and Woodpeckers tshirt

Free UK delivery on all Alula Designs clothing and mugs this weekend, from 9am Friday to midnight Sunday. Visit aluladesigns.co.uk/ for our latest designs #Birds #BirdArt #UKBirding

A Spotted Flycatcher perches on a piece of wood. White writing over the green background reads: Rivers vital for Spotted Flycatchers according to new research. Image credit bottom left reads: Spotted Flycatcher by Edmund Fellowes/BTO.

1/ Spotted Flycatchers are in trouble, declining by 92% in the UK between 1967 and 2020. New work led by @cateden91.bsky.social & involving BTO has revealed the importance of rivers for the survival of this Red-listed migratory species. ⬇️ #Ornithology

📖 www.bto.org/Spotted-Flyc...