Birdwatchers Are Go!

Thursday 1 November sees the start of the biggest ever bird survey to hit the UK. The British Trust for Ornithology is mobilising an army of 50,000 birdwatchers to undertake a stock-take of the UK’s birds – the first such operation for nearly twenty years. The aim is to understand how recent changes to our climate and habitats are affecting Britain’s birds. The British Trust for Ornithology is taking the lead (Note 1) in a four-year project to check on the numbers and distributions of the birds of Britain and Ireland. Over 250 species will be surveyed, including the 40 red-listed and 121 amber-listed Species of Conservation Concern. The results will set the agenda for bird conservation in the next two decades, helping to answer questions such as:

• Is Barn Owl conservation working?
• Have Willow Tit and Hawfinch become extinct in some counties and regions?
• Are birds spreading further north as a result of climate warming?
• Where are the remaining breeding concentrations of Turtle Doves and Nightingales?

Writing in the National Bird Atlas appeal brochure, the BTO’s President, Baroness Barbara Young of Old Scone, said: “Bird numbers provide a barometer of how the natural world is coping with pressures from climate and habitat changes. Bird Atlas 2007-11 will deliver vital evidence for conservation practitioners.” On 1 November (and for the next four years) birdwatchers will be taking to the hills, tramping around fields, strolling through woodland or just reporting on the birds that visit their gardens. They will record, count and seek out as many species as they can, to see just how much has changed since the last Winter Atlas (1981-84). Next summer they will search out breeding species, comparing their observations to the last Breeding Atlas (1988-91). The BTO is keen to involve as many birdwatchers as possible, however knowledgeable they feel they are (Note 2). Dawn Balmer, the Atlas Coordinator said: “The aim is to cover every ten-kilometre square in the UK, and BirdWatch Ireland will be organising the same sort of survey in Ireland. In some areas, local bird clubs are planning to go one better and to visit every two-kilometre square, producing detailed county atlases to complement the national picture. We are delighted with the enthusiasm birdwatchers have shown for the Atlas. There is a real sense of concern about how birds are coping with changes to our climate and their habitats.” Andy Clements, the BTO’s Director said: “This is the biggest project that the UK’s birdwatchers have ever taken on. BTO staff have been making preparations for this survey for three years and finally we will be able to fire the starting gun. It’s going to be a bit like the start of the Great North Run but with birdwatchers, binoculars and notebooks instead of runners, shorts and stop-watches – and they’ll all be starting off in different places, of course.” Bird Atlas 2007-11 will cover the whole of Britain and Ireland during the winter and breeding season. The British Trust for Ornithology will be working in partnership with BirdWatch Ireland and the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. BTO is seeking funding for the work across the whole of the UK and BirdWatch Ireland is taking responsibility for Ireland. Fieldwork will start on 1 November 2007 and will continue through to 2011. Birdwatchers of all abilities can get involved in Bird Atlas 2007-11 in one way or another. There are three levels of participation:

• Taking a walk or going birdwatching any time, anywhere? Your records can help to fill in the squares on the Atlas maps. Seen a hovering Kestrel, the blue flash of a Kingfisher or a Barn Owl at dusk?
• Know your birds? We are also looking for keen birdwatchers who will visit 2km by 2km tetrads to identify and count all of the birds they see.
• A third of the UK’s birds are found in gardens. By becoming a member of the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch you will be able to register your birds on the national map.

For information on what is involved see http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part/index.htm

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