OVER A million birds have been put on the map since this month’s launch of the British Trust for Ornithology’s Atlas project.

From Shetland to the Scillies, volunteer birdwatchers are making Britain’s birds count. Since the launch of the four-year study to map the nation’s birds, over one million have been counted.

Dawn Balmer, BTO Atlas organiser, said, “We couldn’t have wished for a better start. The response of birdwatchers and members of the public is fantastic.”

First bird on the map was a tawny owl, heard in a Midlands garden at 2.20am on launch day. The Atlas project will map Britain’s birds throughout the year for the next four years and will involve 50,000 volunteers.