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PRESS RELEASES FOR 2005

The following press releases concerning the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch produced were issued during 2005. Click on the link to access an online version of the press release.

2005-01-02a. ARMCHAIR BIRDWATCHERS NEEDED IN GUERNSEY. The British Trust for Ornithology urgently needs more armchair birdwatchers to take part in its Garden BirdWatch project in Guernsey. The project is designed to monitor the changing fortunes of garden birds in Guernsey and needs more participants to ensure that the results it produces really do reflect what is happening in the island’s gardens.
2005-01-02b. ARMCHAIR BIRDWATCHERS NEEDED IN JERSEY. The British Trust for Ornithology urgently needs more armchair birdwatchers to take part in its Garden BirdWatch project in Jersey. The project is designed to monitor the changing fortunes of garden birds in Jersey and needs more participants to ensure that the results it produces really do reflect what is happening in the island’s gardens.
2005-02-05. MILLIONS OF BIRDS SHUN GARDEN FEEDING STATIONS. New figures from the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch show that birds have shunned bird tables and hanging bird feeders this winter, a result of the tremendous seed and berry crops produced during the autumn of 2004, and the mild frost-free conditions.
2005-04-14. KEEP ON FEEDING. Experts at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) are urging garden birdwatchers to continue providing food for visiting birds over the coming months. To help people select appropriate foods for this time of year, the Trust has produced a new leaflet that is freely available to those interested in helping their garden birds.
2005-08-25. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. The press release shows two birds that look different enough to be separate species. However, both are in fact the familiar Great Tit, and both are found in Surrey. The latest issue of the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch magazine, Bird Table, features an article on the occurrence of ‘black-headed’ Great Tits in Surrey and the BTO needs garden owners to help record these and other birds in private gardens around the county.
2005-08-26. SURREY RESIDENTS INVADE BERKSHIRE. Surrey residents are invading Berkshire! The press release shows two birds that look different enough to be separate species. However, both are in fact the familiar Great Tit. The latest issue of the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch magazine, Bird Table, features an article on the occurrence of ‘black-headed’ Great Tits in Surrey and their recent colonisation of Berkshire. The BTO needs garden owners to help record these and other birds in private gardens around the county.
2005-09-27. CITIZEN SCIENCE. Armchair birdwatchers have made a valuable contribution to our understanding of what is happening to Britain's birds, so say the authors of an important study just published in a leading scientific journal. BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatchers have been recording birds in their gardens for a decade and their efforts have led to some exciting discoveries.
2005-09-28. TAWNY OWLS. Everyone knows the call of the Tawny Owl, with its eerie night time associations, but how many owls are there actually in Britain? There is evidence to suggest they are declining but we need a better understanding of their numbers and distribution. We need volunteers across the country to take part in a quick and easy survey this autumn.
2005-09-29. HYGIENE AND GARDEN BIRDS. A new leaflet has just been launched to help garden birdwatchers look after the birds that visit their gardens this winter. Produced by the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Team, the leaflet provides much-needed advice on the diseases that may affect garden birds and how to minimize the risks of disease transmission between birds visiting garden feeding stations. This leaflet is available free from GBW Hygiene Leaflet, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU
2005-10-30. CHILDREN AND JAYS GATHER SEEDS. It’s not just families with children who will be gathering seeds this weekend, as part of Seed Gathering Sunday, lots of garden wildlife will be at it too. One of our more secretive garden birds, the Jay, is busy gathering seeds for the coming winter. The BTO needs your help recording the comings and goings of this beautiful bird as part of Garden BirdWatch.
2005-10-31. WHAT'S NUMBER ONE IN EAST YORKSHIRE GARDENS? We suspect the Blackbird may be the most common garden bird across East Yorkshire but we don’t know! The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch survey is now in its 11th year and has been keeping a close eye on the comings and goings of Britain’s garden birds. The next step is to look at a local level so we can see which birds are doing best in different parts of the country. The BTO needs more garden owners to help record birds in private gardens around the East Yorkshire area.
2005-11-38. Stock up those bird tables now! Exceptionally early arrivals in gardens of Bramblings, Siskins and other finches, suggests that bird food provided at garden feeding stations is going to be very important this winter. The poor seed crop, for trees like beech and spruce, means that there is likely to be a shortage of ‘natural’ foods this winter, increasing the reliance of birds on food provided by homeowners up and down the country.
2005-11-40. Strange Birds in Your Garden this Weekend. As we batten down the hatches in expectation of a wintry weekend spare a thought for Scotland’s birds. Forced out of the wider countryside by freezing conditions, many birds may be appearing in our gardens this weekend. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) needs volunteers to help to assess the importance of Scottish gardens for wild birds, particularly during cold spells, by reporting unusual visitors.

2005-11-41. Birds face an icy blast! Heavy snowfalls, bitterly cold winds and freezing temperatures, winter is truly upon us. People will change their behaviour to deal with this weather and so will birds, but they are going to struggle to find food and cope with this icy blast unless they get your help. At these times, gardens provide a refuge for birds with their relative shelter and free food put out by concerned owners. How will different species cope? The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch survey needs your help to find out.

2005-11-42. Garden BirdWatch goes Welsh! The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch survey has produced an information leaflet in the Welsh language in order to reach a wider audience in Wales and to gain a better understanding of Welsh birds and how they use gardens.

Garden BirdWatch yn Gymraeg! Mae arolwg y BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch wedi cynhyrchu taflen wybodaeth yn yr iaith Gymraeg er mwyn apelio at gynulleidfa ehangach yng Nghymru a cheisio cynnyddu'r dealltwriaeth o adar Cymru a'r modd y maent yn defnyddio gerddi.

2005-12-50. Robins counting on Christmas cheer This year Robins and other garden birds could be in trouble over the festive period. While we overdo it on mince pies and turkey, our garden birds may well be struggling to find food. A poor autumn for seeds, and with berries disappearing fast, many birds will be looking to us to make up the shortfall.
2005-12-51. Have you seen the bird? If you have, then you are one of the lucky few this winter and the British Trust for Ornithology wants to hear from you. Waxwings are stunning winter visitors from Scandinavia and Russia. Arriving here in late autumn in search of berries they may appear in gardens and supermarket car parks. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Survey needs your help to find out which gardens they are visiting and where.
2005-12-53. 999 for garden birds. After three nights of frost and with many areas covered by snow, garden birds will be feeling the pinch, with food in short supply and difficult to find. Here are nine simple things you can do to help them survive this difficult time.

 

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Page last updated 16 December, 2008

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