MALVERN Hills Conservators are considering relaunching a definitive guide to birdlife on the hills which went out of print six years ago.

The booklet - the Bird Report - listed breeding birds on the Board's land.

It was compiled annually by a group of local birdwatchers from the mid-1980s and printed by Conservator Dudley Brook at only minimal cost to the board.

However, Mr Brook was unable to continue from 1994. As the Conservators saw the guide as an important part of their public relations, they agreed to finance the publication.

It continued for the next two years but in 1996 support for the project was insufficient for it to continue.

Recently, the Malvern Hills Bird Group has been relaunched by David Cunliffe, who lives in Welland.

At a meeting of the group earlier this year, they discussed restarting the booklet early in 2003 and asked the Conservators to help finance its relaunch, at a cost of around £200 for 300 copies.

In a report to the board's public relations committee, administrative officer Valerie Whittaker recommended that the Conservators finance the publication, the cost of which would be recouped from sales.

"People used to find it interesting, we used to sell quite a few from here," she said.

Ms Whittaker said that the board's officers would also find information in the guide useful.

A decision on reinsating the guide was due to be taken at the public relations committee meeting last Thursday (July 18) but was deferred to the next meeting in September due to the absence of board member Richard Whitcomb, a former contributor to the booklet.

The committee decided to ask him more about the project before making a final decision.