Press Releases - September / October 2008
Item 3

No. 2008/10/32
October 2008

Get planting for birds this winter

It is not just the food we put out on bird tables that attracts birds into our gardens. Many ornamental shrubs produce berries that are favoured by thrushes, while other plants provide seeds or nesting opportunities. Given that early winter is the ideal time to plant trees and shrubs, the BTO Garden BirdWatch Team has just launched a new guide on the subject, full of information to help you select suitable plants for birds.

‘Plants for Birds’ is the third in a series of guides helping people to improve their gardens for birds and other wildlife. Using information collated by the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch Team, the guide provides information on selecting plants to provide berries and seeds, as well as nesting and roosting cover (highlighting, for example, the value of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana for nesting Greenfinches). It also explores the value of alien and cultivated species, compared with native species, and lists a wide range of plants suitable for different purposes and locations.

Some idea of the value of the guide can be seen from the way in which it includes information on when different plants produce their berries. By establishing an appropriate range of shrubs it should be possible to provide fruit for birds throughout most of the year. Similarly, the guide highlights the value of having conifers for early nesting cover and deciduous trees and shrubs later in the year.

The guide is available free from the BTO Garden BirdWatch Team and can be requested by sending your address details to GBW Plant Guide, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, by telephoning 01842-750050 or by emailing gbw@bto.org.

Mike Toms, BTO Garden BirdWatch Organiser and author of ‘Gardening for Birdwatchers’, commented “We get a lot of requests for information on what are the best plants to provide for birds. This new guide should prove to be an invaluable aid for those wishing to increase the attractiveness of their garden for nesting or feeding birds.”

Notes for Editors

1. ‘Plants for Birds’ is available free from the BTO Garden BirdWatch Team and can be requested by sending your address details to GBW Plant Guide, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, by telephoning 01842-750050 or by emailing gbw@bto.org.

2. The BTO Garden BirdWatch is the largest year-round study of garden birds (and other garden wildlife) anywhere in the World. In return for an annual subscription of £15, Garden BirdWatchers receive a quarterly colour magazine, access to expert advice and the opportunity to participate in an important national project. New joiners receive a free book.

3. Images of garden birds are freely available for use in association with this news release, as are images from the leaflet itself (including the cover). Please contact images@bto.org to request electronic images, quoting reference 2008/10/32.

4. If you would like a PDF version of the leaflet please email images@bto.org quoting Plants for Birds pdf.

5. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews. Please contact us to book an interview.

For further information please contact:

Mike Toms (BTO Garden BirdWatch Organiser)
Office: 01842-750050 (9am to 5.30pm)
Email: press@bto.org