Press Releases - May/June 2008
Item 4

No. 2008/06/16
June 2008

Green fingers for Greenfinches

Song Thrushes need help as much as Bitterns do – and any gardener can make a difference, according to Mike Toms of the BTO and Barley & Ian Wilson of ‘Natural Gardens’. Gardening for Birdwatchers, a newly published book from the BTO, shows you how to give wildlife a helping hand in gardens that are still great to look at. It has a foreword by writer and broadcaster Tony Soper.

A million or more gardeners enjoy watching the antics of Greenfinches at their feeding stations but, by leaving the seed-heads of cranesbills in the summer and lemon balm in the winter, they can help the same birds without spending any money. Making your garden attractive to birds can be really simple; you do not have to go for a complete makeover. By adding a few plants which produce seeds, attract insects or provide good nesting sites you can add all-year interest.

Gardening for Birdwatchers can help you to help red-listed species of conservation concern such as Song Thrushes and Spotted Flycatchers. You may even be inspired to turn a corner of the garden into your own personal nature reserve.

• The first section of this new full-colour 96-page book tackles the question of how birds use gardens, identifying those features that are attractive to birds and highlighting how this knowledge can help you improve the attractiveness of your own garden.
• The second section looks at some of the guiding principles behind wildlife gardening, tackling the thorny issue of native versus alien plants and their respective value for wildlife, before looking at some of the basic gardening techniques essential for developing a wildlife-friendly garden.
• In the main part of the book the reader can explore how to incorporate new, bird-friendly elements into gardens. There is direct help – providing fruiting shrubs and feeding stations, for instance – but plants that are good for insects can provide caterpillars for hungry chicks and a thorny hedge is great for nest protection.

Mike Toms runs the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Scheme, a role that means that he is in touch with both gardeners and birdwatchers on a day-to-day basis. As Mike Toms explained, “There are many books about wildlife gardening but even the keenest of birdwatchers still wants to have a garden which looks good. In this book we suggest plants, features and management techniques that will attract birds and other wildlife, without threatening your membership of your local gardening club.”

Barley and Ian Wilson are ‘Natural Gardens’, the design company behind the newly-created Nunnery Garden at the BTO’s headquarters in Thetford, Norfolk (Note 4). Speaking about the book, Barley Wilson said; “Gardening for Birdwatchers grew out of the work we did with the BTO to create the Nunnery Garden from scratch. The book looks at how some of the elements from the Nunnery Garden can be used within different types of gardens, from small urban spaces to large country estates.”

“A garden is a splendid thing but it is the birds which decorate it as much as the flower borders” according to writer and broadcaster Tony Soper. In his foreword he describes the British Trust for Ornithology as “the organisation which has done most to link the enthusiast with the scientist in celebrating back-garden nature reserves.”

Notes for Editors:

1. Copies of Gardening for Birdwatchers can be obtained from BTO Sales, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU. The book costs £12.50 including postage & packing. Cheques should be made payable to BTO Services Ltd.
2. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is the only nationwide survey of garden birds and other garden wildlife to run weekly throughout the year. It provides important information on how birds and other wildlife use gardens and how this use changes over time. Currently, some 16,000 people take part in the project. The scheme is funded by participants’ contributions and supported by CJ WildBird Foods Ltd. For more information see www.bto.org/gbw
3. The British Trust for Ornithology (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 80 at its HQ in Norfolk, who analyse and publicise the results of project work. The BTO’s investigations are funded by government, industry and conservation organisations.
4. The Nunnery Garden, alongside the BTO’s headquarters in Thetford, will be open during office hours from 23 June. There is a mixture of gardening styles, from a formal suburban garden through to a wildflower meadow. A tour will take no more than an hour and can be combined with a woodland walk along the river or a tour of the BTO’s nature reserve. There are no visitor facilities, other than toilets, but there are cafés in the nearby town centre.
5. Gardening for Birdwatchers is dedicated to the late Dilys Breese, wildlife producer and former Honorary Secretary of the BTO.
6. Colour photographs of garden birds are freely available for use in association with this press release. Please contact to request an electronic version, quoting reference 2008/06/16.
7. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information, please contact:

Mike Toms - BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Organiser
Office: 01842-750050 (during office hours)
Email:

Paul Stancliffe - BTO Promotions Officer
Office: 01842-750050 (during office hours)
Mobile: 07845-900559 (anytime)
Email:

Images - for image requests
Office: 01842-750050 (during office hours)
Email: