BTO Shropshire

@btoshropshire.bsky.social

Regional account for the British Trust for Ornithology in Shropshire. If you'd like to help with surveys or to find out more about BTO's work in Shropshire please send a direct message or contact [email protected] Follow the #Shropshirebirds feed!

@bto-gbw.bsky.socialReposted by @btoshropshire.bsky.social

🐦💚 It's World Mental Health Day! Did you know that watching and listening to birds may support your mental wellbeing? We've rounded up 3 scientific studies exploring how birds can help us feel better. 🧵👇

@btoshropshire.bsky.social

In the #ShropshireBirds area "our" adult Shelducks make a moult migration and leave us for the Dutch or German coast, or to one of six UK coastal sites, to drop all of their flight feathers in relative safety. Adults depart in June/July and return in November, leaving the juveniles behind.

@btoshropshire.bsky.social

Important habitat and site maintenance work at Venus Pool NR

1) From 29 September. Major programme of willow scrub management to restore the grassland away from the pool to the north.

2) 5 to 7 October. Annual maintenance work. Essential, but likely to cause some disturbance.

#ShropshireBirds

Venus Pool Nature Reserve as seen from the Memorial (south) Hide. The view shows a pool slowly refilling after the summer's drought with vegetation in the foreground and trees lining the far bank, under a grey, overcast sky.
@btoshropshire.bsky.social

The departure of the Swallows and the return of the Meadow Pipits. Observations added to @birdtrack.bsky.social as "complete lists" through the app or browser version help us to map seasonal changes such as this. It's a nice, mindful way to feel connected to time and place!
#ShropshireBirding

The BirdTrack reporting rate graph for Meadow Pipit in England, showing a small increase in reporting rate for March-April (20% compared with an average of around 10%) and a larger increase, peaking in late September and early to mid-October at 32%.The BirdTrack reporting rate graph for (Barn) Swallow, showing the arrival of the birds during April, and their departure in September/early October).
@btoshropshire.bsky.social

It's been a great Quail year in the #ShropshireBirds area, too!

First recorded on 11 May with a total of 22 records that month and another 30 in June. Q2 total of 52 (awaiting July & August data) compares well with these annual totals from the Bird Report:
2024 19
2023 36
2022 8
2021 26
2020 74

@webs-gsmp.bsky.socialReposted by @btoshropshire.bsky.social

Zero counts count! 🦸‍♀️

With the dry weather that much of the UK has experienced this summer, many of our wetland sites have dried up. We ask that counters still continue visiting dried up WeBS sites, as counts with zero birds is still incredibly important data. #zerohero

Photo showing a grassy field, which is a dried up wetland.
@bbs-birds.bsky.socialReposted by @btoshropshire.bsky.social

David from the BBS Team attended this Regional Network Meeting at Attenborough Nature reserve near Nottingham this past weekend! It was great to see some of our fantastic volunteers who are based across England. Find out more about the BTO Regional Network here: www.bto.org/get-involved...

@btoshropshire.bsky.social

What a great mix of birds, science and people at our BTO Regional Gathering at Attenborough NR today! Exciting times are ahead with Atlas 27-31 ever closer. Talking to people about birds and showing them Hobbies and an Otter through our scopes doesn't count as anti-social behaviour. We checked! 🙂

@jannerbirder.bsky.socialReposted by @btoshropshire.bsky.social

An "in context" post about the VP Curlew Sand'.

There were no BirdTrack records in 2025. The Shropshire Bird Report shows that this "very rare passage migrant" last occurred, briefly, on 9 Nov 2022 at Bridgwalton Quarry and in 2011 at Wood Lane NR (31 Aug) and Mirelake (13-18 Sep).
#ShropshireBirds

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