The Thetford-based British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is calling on armchair birdwatchers to continue their efforts following the world's biggest bird survey.

THE Thetford-based British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is calling on armchair birdwatchers to continue their efforts following the world's biggest bird survey.

At least 120,000 people got involved in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch event last weekend, which aims to provide a snapshot of garden species populations.

Officials from the BTO are now hoping that participants of the annual event will join the organisation's year-round monitoring efforts.

Mike Toms, BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch organiser said: "The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is brilliant because it introduces tens of thousands of people to the concept of citizen science, getting them to keep simple notes of the birds using their gardens over a single weekend.

"We want to engage with these people and get them recording birds throughout the year. By doing so, they can make a very valuable contribution to our understanding of how and when birds use gardens, information that can then be used to underpin conservation research."

The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch project has been running since 1995 and has already highlighted the decline of the house sparrow and starling and the increasing use being made of gardens by goldfinch and wood pigeon.

For more information, call 01842 750050 or visit www.bto.org