Press Releases - March/April 2007
Item 3

No. 2007/03/20
March 2007

How important are London’s gardens for wild birds?

Gardens are an incredibly important habitat for many of the UK’s bird species. They are used not only for feeding but also as a safe place to breed and raise a family. But just how important are London’s gardens? The British Trust For Ornithology would like to know.

The birds of London’s parks and reservoirs have been well documented, but rather less is known about the capital’s gardens. How important are they for feeding birds in the winter? Do these birds move out of the capital’s gardens in the summer? Are Starlings and House Sparrows showing the same rate of decline here as they are in the rest of the UK? If you feed the birds in your garden and can tell the difference between a Blackbird and a Blue Tit, then you can help to find the answers to these questions.

The BTO needs people in London to record the occurrence of birds in their gardens. It has been running the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch survey since 1995 and has highlighted changes in the use of the nation’s gardens by different bird species. Nationally House Sparrows were reported in over 85% of all gardens surveyed; now this figure is less than 75%. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this decline has been much greater in London. When did you last see a House Sparrow in your garden?

Paul Stancliffe, of the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch team, said, “The importance of recording the birds in our gardens can’t be underestimated, there are 250,000 hectares of nature reserves in the UK and 500,000 hectares of gardens. Collectively they are the biggest nature reserve we have. By making simple notes of what you see in your garden, you can help us monitor what is happening to birds in London’s gardens, and the more people that take part the greater understanding we will have. ”

He added, “This is not just looking at the birds out of your window, this is looking at the birds out of your window and making a difference.”

To receive a free information pack about the survey, please send your name and address details to GBW, Room 20, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, email or telephone 01842-750050.

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Notes for Editors

1. 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 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. Bird Table Magazine is published quarterly and sent free to all BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatchers. An annual subscription to the project costs just £12 and all new joiners will receive a free copy of the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Book (which normally retails for £9.99).
4. Images of garden birds are freely available for use in association with this press release. Please contact to request an electronic version. Please quote reference number 2007/03/20
   Bird Information.
5. For lots of facts and figures about garden birds go to www.bto.org/birdfacts
6. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information please contact:

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

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