Thousands of volunteers begin epic task of building atlas of our
birds Britain and Ireland's vast armies of amateur naturalists
are being mobilised, starting this weekend, to undertake the
awesome task of mapping and counting the two nations' wild bird
populations. It is the first time in two decades that the
ambitious stock-take of the natural world has been attempted and
experts believe the resulting bird atlas, to be published in
2012, will give the most comprehensive picture to date of the
impact of climate change on species and the success of recent
conservation efforts. Tens of thousands of volunteers are being
sought by the British Trust for Ornithology over the next four
years so each and every corner of the British Isles is
accurately audited. The Independent is backing the project and
urging readers to log on to the BTO's website at
http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part/index.htm to find out
how they can help set the agenda for bird conservation in
Britain and Ireland for the next 20 years. There