‘Travel far, breed hard, die young’ – while this might sound like a hedonistic rock-and-roll lifestyle, a new study by researchers at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), with collaborators in Iceland and Spain, reveals this is how Short-eared Owls live their lives. Describing the incredible and surprising movements of Short-eared Owls across Europe and south into Africa, these new results underline a need to plan conservation action for this species at larger scales than previously considered. The Short-eared Owl, whose appearance and disappearance from regions has fascinated b ..read more

Palm Cockatoo © Shutterstock/Prabodha D Herath As the world teeters on the precipice of environmental devastation, BirdLife’s contribution to the 2023 IUCN Red List provides a stark reminder that we are losing birds at an unprecedented rate. However, the impact of local community conservation provides seeds of hope that we can save nature before it is too late. The 2023 IUCN Red List update has been released at a critical juncture for nature, as the world waits nervously for the outcomes of the climate COP28. However, this year’s update for birds reminds us just how impactful l ..read more

The important bird habitat might be saved with the new agreement to protect the wetland On their long-striving strolls through the wide wetlands of the Doñana, the flamingos can hopefully take their bath in peace again. The Spanish and Andalucian governments finally came to terms and signed a joint agreement to abolish destructive agriculture methods, as well as to invest 1.4 billion Euros to support sustainable farming in the region of Doñana. Most importantly the previous plans to expand irrigable land around the Doñana National Park will not move forward, and be removed from the agenda! Th ..read more

In July 1997, a Black Guillemot chick was ringed in Orkney. This bird successfully fledged from its nest and lived for nearly 25 years without being seen again. In May 2022, the bird was recaptured, still in Orkney, making it the oldest-known Black Guillemot in Britain and Ireland! This is one of the new records – see notes for editors for others – that has just been published in the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) latest ringing and nest recording report, charting the remarkable lives of our birds. Fitting uniquely numbered rings to chicks in the nest allows scientists to understa ..read more

Malawi has committed itself to restoring a further 4.5 million hectares under the Bonn Challenge and the AFR100 by 2030. Located eight kilometres from Blantyre City in Southern Malawi, Michiru Mountain covers 18 square kilometres. The Michiru Mountain Forest Reserve was established in 1970, covering an area of 3,004 ha. The reserve is home to a variety of wildlife such as leopards, porcupines, baboons, blue and velvet monkeys, bushbucks,  and birds including the African paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis), Heuglins Robin (Cossypha heuglini) and Red-throated Twinspot (Hypargos ..read more

The latest report by the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, published today, reveals four species of birds of prey, including Osprey, have reached record totals in the UK, as have several species of rare and colonising heron. However, two species of rare breeding bird failed to breed for the second year in succession. The report, which documents the status of 111 species and subspecies in 2021, brings together vital evidence for the rarest of our breeding birds, many of which are the subject of national and international conservation action. The annual report of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) c ..read more

In her own words, film-maker Olive Pascha speaks about her upcoming project and how she is raising funds to make it happen… Carrot Cake was born when I went to Lebanon last year. I was participating in a Director’s residency in Beirut and one day we visited Hammana, where a birdwatcher called Chadi Saad took us on a tour of the mountains. Chadi showed us his birdwatching spot and I was amazed at how personal it felt. I really understood in that moment the joy Chadi must feel whenever he goes there with his binoculars and his camera. I had never acknowledged the act of birdwatching or birding u ..read more

| Collins Bird Guide – The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe | 2nd Edition | By Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney & Dan Zetterstrom | HarperCollins | 2010 | 392 pages |  4000+ colour illustrations | 700 colour distribution maps | Paperback | ISBN: 9780007268146 | £19.99p | It’s now over 10 years since I first got my hands on what has become my birding bible. I remember the buzz when the Collins Bird Guide finally came out. There were a few minor flaws in that work; unsurprisingly as it had been in gestation for such a long time a fair amount of taxonomy had mo ..read more

Thousands of threatened seabirds suspected to have died from Avian Influenza are once again washing up on UK beaches. Members of the public are urged to report all dead birds to BirdTrack and to Defra (or DAERA in Northern Ireland) This unprecedented outbreak of Avian Influenza began in 2021 and has had a devastating impact on birds in the UK and beyond. Guillemot © Royston Young Hopes have been dashed that this summer’s wave of Avian Influenza might be less severe than in 2022, say researchers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). The disease is once again having a devastating impact ..read more

Spring is arriving earlier each year but Cuckoos are unable to shift the timings of their annual migration in response. New research by scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows that Cuckoos must wait for the arrival of the west African spring rains, the timing of which have remained constant, before they can cross the Sahara.  This means Cuckoos may arrive on their European breeding grounds out of sync with the peak availability of their invertebrate prey and the breeding ecology of their host species. Unlike most other species of bird that breed in Europe but spend t ..read more