Press Releases - May/June 2007
Item 2

No. 2007/05/54
May 2007

Help the kids count birds this half term.

The British Trust for Ornithology is giving away a free garden bird identification poster, which is full of facts about the birds that you are most likely to see in your garden. So why not send off for one and count the birds in your garden this half term.

Are you looking for something to do this half term? Why not spend time with the kids watching and counting the birds in the garden. It is the most accessible nature reserve we have, and with the help of the BTO garden bird poster you and your children will be able to identify the different types that you see. It is also full of facts about garden birds and has space to record the ones that visit your garden.

Paul Stancliffe, of the Garden BirdWatch team, said, “The BTO would like to get more children interested in wild birds, and what better way to start than in your own garden. The poster has photographs of the more common garden birds and is a great aid to sorting out which is which.”

In the early days of garden bird feeding, we could expect to see around 18 different kinds of birds in our gardens during the winter months, but with the advancement in bird foods, we can now feed right through the year, and up to 80 different types have been recorded. So send for a poster and see how many different birds you can see in your garden.

For a free poster contact the GBW team on 01842 750050 or write to the GBW, Room 54, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, with your address details.

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Notes for Editors

1. The garden bird poster features 18 of the most common garden birds and is full of information that will enable children to identify the ones that they see.
2. 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
3. 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.
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 2007/05/54
5. 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)