Press Releases - January/February 2007
Item 6

No. 2007/02/14
February 2007

Make your garden count

Over the weekend of the 27-28 January, some 460,000 people (young and old) took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) would like to see these armchair birdwatchers increase their commitment to garden birds by recording what comes into their gardens throughout the year. To encourage them to do this, the BTO has put together a free information pack, providing guidance on how to attract, feed and record visiting birds.

Each winter, the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch provides a snap-shot of how birds are using gardens up and down the country, connecting nearly half a million people with what is going on in their gardens. Many participants in this year’s count commented on how quiet things were, with many birds present in reduced numbers or absent altogether. This lack of birds reflects a wider pattern that goes back to last autumn, and which is linked into the mild weather and abundance of fruits and seeds - all part of autumn’s bounty. We know this because a smaller (though equally important) number of garden birdwatchers keep records each week throughout the year. By doing so they provide essential information about the seasonal use of gardens, highlighting how changes in food availability and weather can induce birds to turn to bird table fare in increasing numbers.

As early as the middle of August last year, some 16,500 participants in the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch were picking up strong indications that it was going to be a very quiet winter at garden feeding stations. The latest results from the study show just how quiet a winter it has been, with the number of gardens reporting visiting Blackbirds down by 6% on last winter. The corresponding figures for Greenfinch and Starling are -14% and -24% respectively. The lack of Greenfinches is even more pronounced when viewed graphically (see over - Notes for Editors).

As Mike Toms, Garden BirdWatch Organiser, notes, “The latest results to come out of the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch really highlight the value of recording throughout the year. What we need to do now is to increase the number of people who keep records year-round. The Big Garden Birdwatch does a tremendous job in engaging people with garden birds. What we want to do is harness this enthusiasm and turn these people into citizen scientists, collecting information in a way that can be used to help us understand how and why birds use gardens throughout the year. Don’t forget, gardens are an important habitat and if just one in every 10 people who took part in Big Garden Birdwatch went on to record year-round then it would make a huge difference to our understanding.”

If you want to make a difference, you can send off for the free information pack. This is available from GBW Garden Bird Pack, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford Norfolk, IP24 2PU. Alternatively, send your name and address details to or telephone 01842-750050.

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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. 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. Colour photographs. Images of garden birds are freely available for use in association with this press release. Please contact to request an electronic version, quoting reference 2007/02/14.
4. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.
5. The use of gardens by Greenfinches during 2006 is shown below (thick line). Note how 2006 compares with other years (1995-2005).

For further information please contact:

Paul Stancliffe on 01842 750050 or e-mail: (during office hours)

Mike Toms on 01842-750050 or email: (during office hours)