 |
 |
 |
|
|
The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Project Garden BirdWatch is unique amongst ongoing BTO projects in that it receives generous financial support from its participants through an annual contribution of £12. This money helps to cover the costs of running a survey of this size and type, producing a quarterly newsletter and managing GBW Online. Without the generous support of our participants this project would not be taking place. The important thing about monitoring wild bird populations is to be able to continue the monitoring over long periods of time, highlighting the changing fortunes of different species. Much of the funding that organisations like the BTO receive for monitoring work only covers short periods of time or is targeted towards groups of bird species regarded as being of high conservation priority at the time. Other species do less well when it comes to long-term support, so there is a risk that their decline may go unnoticed until it is too late. It is only recently that the populations of birds using gardens have attracted attention, with the high profile declines of once familiar species like Starling and House Sparrow, and so setting up a long-term project to monitor such populations required a fresh approach to secure the necessary funds. When the project was being developed during the mid-1990's the BTO asked its members if they would be willing to get involved in a garden bird monitoring programme and support it through an annual contribution. The incredibly positive response, with 5,000 getting involved in the first year, showed that participants were prepared to contribute both observations and financial support to such a scheme. Garden BirdWatch grown from this beginning into a scheme now involving some 15,000 participants. This has been possible because of the generosity of our participants and it is a privilege for the GBW Team to be organising and managing the project for the participants.
|
|
|
|
Garden
BirdWatch | BTO
Home | CJ
WildBird Foods Home |