Conservation science

• When BTO scientists were keen to investigate the population trends for woodland birds, Birds in Trust provided the necessary funding. By focusing attention on birds in this particular habitat, the BTO has encouraged further research into declines of species such as Spotted Flycatcher, Hawfinch and Willow Tit.

• Other studies of existing data sets have included work on Lapwing productivity, seabird wrecks and how warmer winters and earlier springs are affecting laying dates.
  

BTO Surveys

• Legacy money pays for the annual Heronries Survey, the longest running monitoring scheme in the UK, and has helped to maintain other surveys during periods when funding has been hard to find.

• The 2007 Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover could not have gone ahead without legacy funding.

Investing in the future

Money from Birds in Trust made a significant contribution to the final phase of the development of The Nunnery, the BTO’s headquarters in Thetford. There is now space to hold training events for birdwatchers and for lectures, together with a wonderful library, dedicated to the memory of Chris Mead.

BTO funding for BirdTrack and its predecessor MigrationWatch came largely from Birds in Trust. These on-line surveys have enabled the BTO to collect huge amounts of data in a much more cost-affective way – and to provide immediate feedback to volunteers.