SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER FROM BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY

The BTO logo – Birds Science People View this email in your web browser Goldcrest, by Liz Cutting / BTO Dear John, Welcome to the Members' Edition of the September BTO newsletter. It is certainly feeling autumnal now, the summer migrants gone and the first of the winter visitors already here. Many of you have commented on just how quiet gardens and the countryside seem. It is that time of the year when things do go a little quiet, with some species less visible because they are moulting or because they are feeding elsewhere on an abundance of berries and seeds. Our core monitoring data will reveal if there is anything else going on this year – the spread of usutu virus in Blackbird populations, for example. It is also the time to look ahead to winter birding and fieldwork opportunities, and the upcoming Non-estuarine Waterbird Survey provides an opportunity to combine both of these, so do take a look at what's involved to see if you can help. NEWS – can you help? Every winter, thousands of volunteers take part in the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), counting waterbirds at wetland sites across the UK. Decades of surveys provide valuable evidence of population trends, changes in distribution and conservation needs. However, coastal WeBS counts mainly cover estuaries, leaving thousands of miles of rocky shores, sandy beaches and exposed coastlines poorly monitored. These habitats support important wintering waterbirds, including Purple Sandpiper, Sanderling, Curlew and Turnstone. Information on these populations comes from the Non-estuarine Waterbird Survey (NEWS), a periodic survey for which a new round of fieldwork is about to begin. If you can survey a stretch of coastline at low tide during December 2026 or January 2027, you can help ensure that regional and national population estimates are robust. Most sectors are about 2 km long and involve walking along the shore or coastline (and back again). During the last NEWS, such scarcities as King Eider, White-billed Diver, Sabine’s Gull and Little Auk were seen, so you never know what you might find! Find out more White-billed Diver, by Liz Cutting / BTO White-billed Diver, by Liz Cutting / BTO Help us learn from local wader monitoring UK breeding waders such as Curlew and Lapwing are declining sharply, largely due to poor breeding success. BTO and the Curlew Recovery Partnership are piloting a new Wader Monitoring Scheme (WaMS) to collate existing monitoring data from across the UK, aiming to reveal patterns in egg and chick losses that single studies can't. We are not asking wader projects to do anything differently – just to share the data they have already collected. Further details, including data guidance and submission options, are available on the project webpage. The deadline for this year's data is 16 October. Find out more Lapwing chick, by Liz Cutting / BTO Delivering vital data on pollinating insects Declines in pollinating insect populations are a cause for concern, yet understanding how their populations are changing remains difficult. This is because long-term monitoring schemes cover relatively few pollinating insect species. BTO is a partner in the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (POMS), and BTO volunteers contribute to the data being collected through the scheme. A scientific paper, published this week, delivers improved methods for tracking changes in insect abundance and diversity, while accounting for environmental variation and potential sources of bias. In addition to producing new trend information for different groups of pollinating insects, the paper demonstrates that POMS data can help to target conservation actions for these important species. Given the central role of pollinating insects in ecological foodwebs and the delivery of ecosystem services – such as pollinating our crops – this is good news for birds and for people. Find out more Hoverfly, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO Hoverfly, by Edmund Fellowes / BTO Pre-order The Birdwatcher's Yearbook 2027 You can now pre-order your copy of the 47th edition of The Birdwatcher's Yearbook! A comprehensive companion for British birdwatchers, the Yearbook features checklists, diary, fully revised County Directory, details of local clubs as well as 750 UK bird/nature reserves, and much more. Plus, today is the last chance to take advantage of their early-bird offer. Order today and save £3 on your copy! Click the link below or get in touch by phone or email: Email neildstratton@btinternet.com Call 01573 450695 or 07949 132990 Birdwatcher's Yearbook cover Pre-order your copy Latest News UK Cuckoos reach wintering area As the latest map updates reveal, our male Cuckoos are now entering their wintering quarters. The birds, which are part of an ongoing BTO project, have made incredible journeys south. Discover where they are wintering, and learn more about this important work. Cuckoo, by Moss Taylor / BTO Cuckoo, by Moss Taylor / BTO Identification feature With Little Egret and Great White Egret numbers continuing to increase, both species need to be considered if you catch sight of a large white 'heron'. This video, from our Bird ID Workshop series, provides some useful pointers for their identification. Little Egret & Great White Egret video / BTO Events and training opportunities BTO Annual Conference 2027 We're already looking forward to our next Annual Conference, taking place in Sheffield from Friday 5 to Saturday 6 March 2027! Our fantastic line-up of expert speakers will take you from gardens to coastal cliffs, through to farmland and urban environments, as they explore a range of key ornithological and conservation topics. Click below to explore the full programme! View the full programme Thank you for your continued support! Happy birding, The BTO Membership Team VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP 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) Unsubscribe from the BTO e-newsletter