100 Million birds in the bank

01 Feb 2010 | No. 2010-02-07

The British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) collection of bird records in its databank hit 100 million this week, making this the most important bird resource in the country. The record-breaking submission was submitted to the BirdTrack survey.

 
Coal Tit was the 100 millionth
observation submitted

The BTO has been collecting information on Britain’s birds since 1933 through a variety of citizen science surveys. Since 2002 an increasing number of these large-scale surveys have been run using on-line systems that allow volunteers to enter their observations and view the results. The BirdTrack survey was set up in 2004 to collect records from individual birdwatchers of all abilities to help monitor the movements and distribution of birds across the whole of Britain and Ireland. The 100 millionth observation submitted was a Coal Tit in South Wales.

It’s not just Coal Tit records that fill the database; information has been collected on all of our birds - Goldcrests to Golden Eagles, Cuckoos to Coots and Robins to Reed Buntings all form part of this massive database. Records drawn from this wealth of information have helped conserve Britain’s birds in the past, continue to help conserve them now and will be used to help inform conservation action to secure their future.

Stephen Baillie, Director of Science at the BTO said, “These records have been amassed over the years through the dedication of BTO volunteer surveyors. The importance of the huge amount of information collected can’t be underestimated. Being able to inform government policy using these long-term datasets is testament to the power of this.”

When the BTO began collecting records they were submitted on paper recording forms, or even via the letters pages of The Times, nowadays the majority of these are submitted and stored electronically. Karen Wright, Joint Head of Information Systems at the BTO, commented, “It is not too surprising that we have reached the 100 million mark. The number of records we receive continues to increase month-on-month; some weeks we receive up to 200,000 records. Anyone can help add to this by submitting their sightings to us. This really is like putting cash in the bank for Britain’s birds.”

The BTO has a survey for everyone; whether it’s the all-year-round Garden BirdWatch survey, where a basic knowledge of garden birds is all that is needed; the Breeding Bird Survey, being able to identify birds by song is essential for this, or the BirdTrack survey, where you can submit your everyday bird sightings - there really is something for everyone. For more information, visit www.bto.org

Notes for Editors

  1. A list of BTO surveys is available here 
  2. BirdTrack is an exciting project, through a partnership between the BTO,the RSPB and Birdwatch Ireland, that looks at migration movements and distributions of birds throughout Britain and Ireland.  BirdTrack provides facilities for observers to store and manage their own personal records as well as using these to support species conservation at local, regional, national and international scales.
  3. The BTO is the UK’s leading bird research organisation. Over thirty thousand birdwatchers contribute to the BTO’s surveys. They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Norfolk and Stirling, who analyse and publicise the results of project work. The BTO’s investigations are funded by government, industry and conservation organisations.
  4. The BTO 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 15,000 people take part in the project. The project is funded by participants' contributions and is the largest year-round survey of garden birds in the world. For more information see www.bto.org/gbw.
  5. The BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is a national project aimed at keeping track of changes in the breeding populations of widespread bird species in the UK. The BBS involves over 3,000 participants who now survey more than 3,200 sites across the UK, enabling us to monitor the population changes of over 100 bird species. Knowing to what extent bird populations are increasing or decreasing is fundamental to bird conservation.

Contact information

Paul Stancliffe (BTO Press Officer)
Office: 01842 750050 (9am to 5.30pm)
Mobile: 07845 900559 (anytime)
Email: press [at] bto.org

Images are available for use alongside this News Release
Please contact images [at] bto.org quoting reference 2010-02-07

The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews   
Please contact us to book an interview        
Office: 01842 750050

     


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