This allows researchers to keep track of bird movements and distribution patterns as they happen, and contributors to see "in real time" how their own observations fit into wider national and global patterns.

BirdWatch Ireland, together with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in the UK, set up such a scheme three years ago. Called "Migration Watch", it was designed to track the arrival and flow of migrants through both Ireland and Britain by tapping into the vast amounts of data routinely collected by birdwatchers. It proved to be a popular and exciting project, with over 150 Irish birdwatchers involved, logging a grand total of 179 species at 368 sites nationwide.

For the first time, birdwatchers were provided with the opportunity to store summaries of their own personal records online, and they, along with visitors to the scheme's website, were able instantly to observe both the spring arrival dates and the general migration patterns of each species. Animated maps for both Ireland and Britain enhanced this experience further by showing the week-by-week progression of migration as the various species streamed in, making for fascinating viewing.

Quite apart from the entertainment value, however, the data collected also went a long way towards increasing our understanding of the whole phenomenon of migration. The more we know about our bird populations and why and how they move around, the more we can do to protect them and safeguard their future.

With this in mind, it was decided to develop the scheme further to allow the collection of data on a year-round basis. Now called "BirdTrack", it is organised by the BTO as a joint project with BirdWatch Ireland in the Republic and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the UK, and can be found on the web at www.birdtrack.net. It boasts significant improvements over the original Migration Watch project, particularly in relation to the actual inputting of data.

In addition, the registration procedures have been simplified, and observers can select their location either from an online map or from a drop-down list of key Irish birdwatching sites. Each site will have its own species list which will be built up by the observer over time, and there is also a comments field for each species, so interesting behaviour, unusual plumage, and so on can be recorded. BirdTrack will continue to be developed over the next three years with the addition of new features in response to public feedback.

By submitting lists of birds seen throughout the year, birdwatchers will be able to help us keep track of both spring and autumn migration as never before. Migration Watch has revealed some interesting arrival patterns for our summer visitors. It will be exciting now also to look at the arrival patterns for our winter visitors, such as redwings, fieldfares, (both thrushes) and geese, swans and ducks. This is the first time that the progression of inbound autumn migration will have been mapped in this way, and it promises to be just as fascinating as the departure of our southbound summer visitors. BirdTrack will also allow visitors to the website easily to find out the last dates of summer visitors, and in spring the last dates of winter visitors.

Some species we generally consider to be Irish residents, such as the siskin (a finch) and the skylark, have been shown to make really interesting seasonal movements.

The resident Irish populations of many species are boosted by birds from abroad at certain times of year. This is often due to periods of harsh weather on the Continent, something that the Migration Watch project helped us to confirm as we tracked the movements of starlings and lapwings first into eastern England and then westwards into Ireland as the weather grew colder.

BirdTrack will also allow us to record the more localised and short range movements that resident Irish species make, such as the altitudinal movements some of them make as winter progresses.

Another objective of BirdTrack is to map the distribution of less common species such as woodcock, crossbill, grey partridge, merlin and short-eared owl throughout the year. In addition, all records of more frequently encountered birds, from the blue tits and robins in your garden to the pied wagtail flocks that traditionally roost in O'Connell Street in Dublin during the winter months, are equally welcome; we still have a lot to learn about Ireland's common birds.

Contributing your own sightings couldn't be easier. Simply visit the scheme website at www.birdtrack.net and register as an observer today. All instructions are provided, and absolutely no specialist knowledge of birds is required. Even if you don't want actually to take part, why not visit the website every few days and observe the birds as they make their way to and from your part of the country?

For further information, visit www.birdtrack.net, or contact BirdWatch Ireland at 01-2819878 or info@birdwatchireland.org.

Niall Hatch is Development Officer for BirdWatch Ireland