Birds and Garden Berries Study
Blackbird feeding on Pyracantha
Many birds take advantage of the berries that form part of Nature's autumn bounty. Some of these berries may last through into the New Year, providing much-needed resources for wintering thrushes, but which berries are used and when? With your help we can increase our understanding of how birds use garden berries and answer key questions to deliver better advice on which berry-producing plants to use in our gardens.
The Birds and Garden Berries Study begins on Sunday 30th September and survey packs are being sent out just ahead of this. If you would like to take part in the study or find out more about the project then please email us at gbw [at] bto [dot] org (subject: Birds%20and%20Garden%20Berries%20Study) .
The study has three components, the first of which looks at berry availability throughout the winter. The second examines how quickly berries are removed from plants and the third looks at which birds take berries. We hope that you will contribute to all three components but any contribution would be particularly welcome.
Advice on selecting berry-producing plants for the garden can be found here and you can learn about how plants use birds to disperse their seeds by looking here. Find out more about berries and access a list of those eaten by birds here.
