Projects

BTO organises a range of volunteer surveys and projects covering all the major bird species groups in the UK. Many of our volunteering opportunities are suitable for beginners or birdwatchers with little surveying experience, whereas some require more advanced survey methodology and bird identification skills.

If you'd like to take part in a project but want to brush up your skills before joining, you can join one of our friendly training courses to help boost your confidence. You can also learn more by reading about our completed projects.

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Seabird Monitoring Programme

The Seabird Monitoring Programme monitors the population changes of our internationally important breeding seabird species at coastal and inland colonies across the UK.

Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey

The Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey project aims to gather much-needed information about Mountain Hares in Scotland. (Special thanks to Andy Howard for permission to use his fantastic Mountain Hare images on these pages.)

Wader Calendar

The Wader Calendar is a quick and easy way for farmers to record waders on their farm and contribute to a national monitoring scheme.

Waterways Breeding Bird Survey

The Waterways Breeding Bird Survey is an annual survey of breeding birds along rivers and canals.

Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS)

The Wetland Bird Survey monitors non-breeding waterbirds like wildfowl, waders and herons in the UK.Visit WeBS Online or Core Count Priority Dates to review the next Priority Core Count date. 

Winter Gull Survey

The Winter Gull Survey collects information about our wintering gull populations, through the coordinated effort of volunteer surveyors across the UK.

Woodcock Survey

The Woodcock Survey encompasses annual monitoring surveys at specific sites as well as a regular national survey, which takes place every ten years.