FROM THE BTO — THE MARCH NEWSLETTER

The BTO logo – Birds Science People View this email in your web browser Enews lead image showing a Song Thrush, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO. Dear John, Welcome to the Members Edition of the March BTO newsletter. We started the month with our Annual Conference in Manchester and it was great to see around 200 BTO members and supporters there. Your March newsletter brings some welcome news for summer migrants and asks for your help in monitoring the breeding attempts of familiar birds. Plus, there's news of two new pieces of work on charismatic bird of prey species: Goshawk and Kestrel. Are you enjoying the first BTO News of the year? The latest issue of your member-exclusive magazine BTO News landed in early March and we hope you're enjoying reading through your copy, whether that's in print or online. If you'd like to revisit previous issues of BTO News, you can access the digital archive via your 'MyBTO' account on our website. And don't forget you can change your preferences at any time and choose whether you receive BTO News in print format or online only. Contact the Membership Team: email membership@bto.org or call 01842 750050. BTO News cover, showing a Yellow Wagtail Share your thoughts We'd love to hear your feedback on BTO News! Tag us on social media and tell us your thoughts on your favourite articles from the latest issue. Or, if you prefer, email us with your feedback. Email your feedback Supporting migrant birds better Our long-term datasets have revealed declines in many of our migrant bird populations. In addition to highlighting the problems migrants face, these datasets are also being used to identify conservation measures that might support their recovery. A new piece of research, led by BTO's Jennifer Border, provides good evidence of the role that Protected Areas can play for these species. The work emphasises the positive contribution that an informed expansion of the European Protected Area system could play for the future conservation of migratory birds. Find out more Ortolan Bunting, by Philip Croft / BTO Help us collect information on nesting attempts The breeding season has started for a good number of our resident birds, and it's likely that you'll see signs of breeding activity over the coming days if you haven't already. Whether that's a Blackbird carrying nesting material, a Great Tit checking out a nest site, or a Starling in full song, such observations provide valuable evidence of nesting attempts in progress or soon to follow. You can collect information on these nesting attempts across a number of BTO surveys, and we'd urge you to do this if you can. Perhaps you could add signs of breeding evidence to a BirdTrack record, or monitor a nesting attempt through either Nesting Neighbours or the Nest Record Scheme. Information on breeding success is a vital component of our research into why bird populations change, so please help if you can. Find out more Female Blackbird with nesting material, by Liz Cutting / BTO Global BirdFair BTO has taken the difficult decision to not return to Global BirdFair as an exhibitor this year. While we recognise that BirdFair provides an important opportunity to meet members and volunteers face to face, our continued investment in other ways to engage with supporters is proving to be a much more effective use of resources. The event has made a significant contribution to conservation and we are very grateful for the opportunities that it has provided us. BTO stand at Bird Fair / BTO New addition to the BTO Membership Team Hello! My name is Cailin and I recently joined the BTO's Membership Team. I’m really looking forward to getting to know you and your fellow members, and making sure we're delivering the best possible membership experience. I’m really keen to hear your feedback – I’ll send out a members’ survey soon, but if you'd like to share your thoughts in the meantime, I’d love hear from you. Get in touch New addition to the BTO Membership Team Latest News Goshawk dispersal GPS tracking devices, fitted to 29 Goshawk chicks from 22 nest sites in England, have provided vital new information on the dispersal, survival, habitat use and settlement patterns of this elusive bird of prey. Find out more Goshawk, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO Hen Harrier report published A new BTO report explores possible reasons for recent growth in the English Hen Harrier population, providing robust evidence to Government that can then be used to inform wider policy decisions relating to this rare breeding species. Read more Hen Harrier, by Liz Cutting / BTO Featured training courses & events Bird Sound ID in Summer (booking opens soon) We have had an amazing response to our Bird Sound ID in Early Spring course, with nearly 500 people registering, and it won't be long until booking opens for a new course on a similar subject. Keep an eye on our events pages for details of Bird Sound ID in Summer, or indeed for other courses and events that might be of interest to you. Thank you for your continued support! Happy birding, The BTO Membership Team DONATE VOLUNTEER British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU. www.bto.org | info@bto.org. Registered Charity no. 216652 (England & Wales) SC039193 (Scotland). Company Limited by Guarantee no. 357284 (England and Wales) Forward this email | Unsubscribe from the BTO e-newsletter