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Have you seen this bird?
If you have, then
you are one of the lucky few this winter and the British Trust for
Ornithology wants to hear from you. Waxwings are stunning winter
visitors from Scandinavia and Russia. Arriving here in late autumn
in search of berries they may appear in gardens and supermarket
car parks. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Survey needs your help to
find out which gardens they are visiting and where.
Each winter, varying
numbers of Waxwings descend on our shores looking for berries. In
some years they appear in their thousands, adding a touch of colour
to dull winter days. This year seems to be relatively poor for them
but the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Survey really needs garden owners
around the country to become ‘Waxwing Watchers’ and
report their sightings so we can find out where they have been visiting
and in what numbers.
Martin Fowlie, of the
BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Team, said “We want garden owners
around the country to tell us whether they have any visiting Waxwings
this winter. Hearing from people who don’t have Waxwings is
just as important as hearing from those that do, so we can build
up an accurate picture of where these birds are. Waxwings are very
distinctive birds, about the size of a Starling, with a brown crest
and bright red, wax-like, tips to some of their wing feathers, hence
their name.”
To be part
of the ‘Waxwing Watch’ and to receive a free information
pack, phone on 01842 750050 or write to Waxwing Watch, GBW, British
Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU.
Notes for editors
1) The BTO/CJ Garden
BirdWatch. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is the only nationwide survey
of garden birds to run weekly throughout the year, providing important
information on how birds use gardens, and how this use changes over
time. Currently, some 16,500 people take part in the project across
the British isles. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is funded by participants’
contributions and supported by CJ WildBird Foods Ltd and is the
largest year round survey of garden birds anywhere in the world.
For more information see www.bto.org/gbw
2) CJ WildBird Foods.
CJ WildBird Foods is Europe’s leading supplier of bird food
and bird feeding products. CJ WildBird Foods has been responsible
for a number of significant developments within the bird food and
feeding industry, including the introduction of black sunflower
seeds to the UK as a major new bird food and the development of
specialist seed mixes for use in tubular feeders. The company has
also been supporting research into the changing fortunes of garden
bird populations, most notably through the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch.
3) The beautiful Waxwing
photograph used in this press release is available for use alongside
articles about this story. The image should be credited as 'Jill
pakenham / BTO'. The image can be downloaded by clicking here
(JPEG, 572 KB).
4) More information
on Waxwings is available on the BTO website under our Bird Facts
section. Visit http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob10480.htm
to find out more.
8) To download a copy
of this press release as a PDF click here
(52kb)
Contacts.
Martin Fowlie (BTO
Press Officer)
01842-750050 (office)
Graham Appleton (Head
of Publicity)
01842-750050 (office)
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