I have a php form which asks the user to list numbers in a text field for birds they have sited from a list. I want to have each bird, which has been given a number, to be inserted as a separate record in the same table. So multiple inserts into one table. Or is it possible to have one insert button insert multiple forms on the same page?

I would use a command rather than an INSERT - that way you can say what bit of the form goes into which database. So you can insert data from 2 or more tables at once.
If you need to maintain a relationship check out George Petrov's InsertWithIdent

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Simon