Calling all Wandsworth Twitchers
Join the new nationwide project with the British Trust For Ornithology
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is preparing a new Atlas project to monitor the distribution of the UK’s birds in both the winter and breeding season - the last one was 20 years ago. This in turn will make it possible, for the first time, to map the distribution of birds in London during the winter and will also provide data for the long-awaited update to the London Breeding Bird Atlas. A comparison can then be drawn between winter and breeding distribution for resident species in London and provide a valuable baseline against which to assess future change.
The distribution of some bird species has changed markedly over the last twenty years, including the little egret and the ring-necked parakeet. This new Atlas will show how the picture has changed and may highlight some unexpected changes in other species as well as changes to those like the tree sparrow and peregrine of which we are already aware.
The project requires a phenomenal co-operative effort. Thousands of volunteers will trudge through inhospitable habitat in all weather during the winter and breeding seasons to record the number of birds seen in each 2km square. The data will then be presented at 10km squares for the national survey and at 2km squares for the London survey.
The London Atlas project is being undertaken by the London Natural History Society (LNHS) and the two BTO Regional Representatives for the London Area. Two different methods will be used to map the distribution of birds in London. Firstly, volunteers are needed to undertake ‘timed tetrad visits’ – making four visits of two hours to a selected area (two visits in winter and two visits during the breeding season) and counting all the birds seen. Secondly, volunteers (roving recorders) can visit a tetrad as often as they like for as little or as long as they like to try and find all the birds present in that square.
Richard Arnold, the south London BTO Representative and technical director of Surrey based ecology consultancy, Thomson Ecology, says “This is an exciting project which will provide invaluable data for bird conservation. The results of the Atlas could potentially affect conservation efforts in the London area in the future. However we still urgently need volunteers for timed tetrad visits and everybody can be a roving recorder!”
If you live in the Greater London Boroughs and would like to be a part of this important project please contact Richard Arnold on 01483 466000 or bto@thomsonecology.com. Alternatively, visit the BTO website (www.bto.org/birdatlas) to see which other areas/counties require volunteers.
April 3, 2008