"Anyone who is interested in birds eventually reaches the point when he or she joins the , or loses enthusiasm. The Trust has after its first 50 years involved itself in every aspect of ornithology, simply because as the supreme shepherd of this pervasive occupation it has enabled the birdwatcher to expand his or her enjoyment. It has done this by supplying him or her with the motivation and methodology to keep records, and by applying those records in enlightened ways to reveal trends and changes in the status of birds in Britain."