Press Releases - March/April 2007
Item 11

No. 2007/04/45
April 2007

Huge stock-take of UK’s birds

The BTO is today appealing for support for a one million pound project to count the birds in every corner of the United Kingdom. For the first time, 250 species of bird will be surveyed both in summer and wintertime. Bird Atlas 2007-11 will provide the first atlas of breeding distributions since 1988-91 and the first winter atlas since 1981-84.

Every ten years there is a census of the UK’s human population, to help planners to provide people with local environments in which they can thrive. For birds, the surveys happen every twenty years, with the next one starting in November this year. Fundraisers from the British Trust for Ornithology have six months to find the remaining £750,000 out of the £1,050,000 needed for a four-year project called Bird Atlas 2007-11. (See note 1)

Millions of people like birds. They are concerned if Swallows no longer nest in their villages, if House Sparrows don’t visit their bird tables or if flocks of Lapwing are missing from fields in winter-time. On the other hand, they are delighted when Little Egrets turn up on local estuaries, if Blackcaps feed on winter berries or Barn Owls move into nest boxes. Our love of birds and the wider countryside is reflected in the way that government grants are given to farmers, who look after the countryside, and the fact that businesses and councils provide breathing places for nature. But is all of this effort worthwhile? Are we still losing birds from the countryside and from our villages and towns?

Bird Atlas 2007-11 will be the first winter and summer bird atlas project. There has been one previous winter atlas (in 1981-84) and there have been two previous breeding atlases, covering the periods 1968-72 and 1988-91. The changes in species distribution between the two breeding atlases sounded warning bells about what was happening to farmland birds – and the whole of the agricultural environment.

Dawn Balmer, who will be leading Bird Atlas 2007-11 said: " Weather patterns and habitats have changed a lot in the last fifteen years, which is why it is really important to redraw the distribution maps for species such as Yellowhammer, Cuckoo, Snipe and Barn Owl. Having spent huge sums on conservation and agri-environment schemes, we need to know which of our 250 species are doing well and which ones are doing badly. By investing one million pounds and lots of time and effort, we should be able to see whether we are getting to grips with problems that came to light in the last Atlas and to focus conservation efforts on new priority areas." (See note 3)

The Thetford-based British Trust for Ornithology will be taking the lead in Bird Atlas 2007-11, a four-year project to map the birds of Britain & Ireland. BTO will be working with BirdWatch Ireland and the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. (See note 2)

Graham Appleton, the BTO’s Head of Fundraising & Publicity said: "The first phase of this appeal will be an approach to our members and supporters. They already provide tremendous financial help for the Trust, through their subscriptions and donations, but we hope that they will also be able to kick-start the appeal. With £750,000 still to find, we are also going to need help from other birdwatchers, charitable trusts and businesses."

Donations to the Atlas project can be made by phoning the BTO on 01842 750050, via the Trust’s web-site (www.bto.org) or sending cheques, made payable to The British Trust for Ornithology, to Atlas Appeal, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.

Additional notes:

1. Bird Atlas 2007-11 will cost an estimated £1,050,000. The BTO’s Trustees have set aside a legacy of £250,000 and the Garfield Weston Foundation have contributed £50,000 for the preparatory work in the last twelve months.

2. Bird Atlas 2007-11 is a joint project with BirdWatch Ireland and the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. It is estimated that 50,000 birdwatchers will contribute records over the four years of the project. Within each county, volunteer regional organisers will coordinate the efforts of local birdwatchers. The Bird Atlas project will cover the whole of Britain & Ireland, with BTO scientists taking direct responsibility for coordination in England and Wales and for the project as a whole.

3. Dawn Balmer is in charge of this major project. Dawn has worked for the BTO for 15 years on a wide range of projects such as the Constant Effort Site ringing scheme and BirdTrack. She looks forward to working with thousands of volunteer birdwatchers and to the challenge of visiting all parts of Britain & Ireland.

4. Bird Atlas 2007-11 will complement other BTO-led surveys, such as the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey. These surveys are based on a limited number of key sites at which annual counts of birds are collected. Bird Atlas 2007-11 will fill in the gaps.

5. An appeal mailing will be going out to over 25,000 BTO supporters, mainly BTO members and participants in the popular all-year BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch scheme. There will also be applications to charitable trusts and businesses.

6. Bird images are freely available for use in association with this press release. Please contact to request an electronic version. Please quote reference number 2007/04/45.

For further information please contact:

Dawn Balmer, Atlas Co-ordinator, on 01842 750050 or email: (during office hours)
Kate Aldridge, BTO Fundraiser, on 01842 750050 or email: (during office hours)
Paul Stancliffe, Press Officer, on 01842 750050 or email: (during office hours)