The RSPB is asking locals to spend an hour counting the birds People in West Dunbartonshire are being urged to take part in a national bird research event. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is asking people to spend an hour this weekend counting how many types of birds land in their garden. The information collected will then be analysed for population and behaviour trends. Results should be submitted on the Big Garden Birdwatch section of the RSPB website by February 19. Details of how to send results by post are also online; these should be completed before February 15. Printable identification sheets and free posters are also available on the website.
LOCKED down nature lovers are being urged to take part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend. Children and adults who don’t wish to venture out in the rain or are locked down indoors because of the Covid-19 pandemic are being encouraged to spend just one hour watching out for birds visiting their garden. The aim is to collect data for a national survey showing how well birds are thriving – or declining – in the current environmental climate. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: “You can choose any hour between January 29 and 31, so whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you can still take part.
The British Trust for Ornithology reports its membership has doubled since enabling free access to its year-round Garden BirdWatch survey in March 2020. Photograph: incamerastock/Alamy Stock Photo
Grassroots bird-watching and gardening groups have seen an influx of new members during the pandemic, which has reignited a British love-affair for birds and their song.
“People have loved watching birds in the garden and it’s one of the great solaces of nature,” says Fran Halsall, founder of Sheffield’s Wildlife Gardening community Facebook group, which has nearly tripled in size since the first lockdown.
“Over lockdown, the group was incredibly busy. I’m expecting a big influx into our community in the spring. We’ve also had quite a lot of interest in bird walks in Ecclesall Woods, although unfortunately we’ve had to cancel some of them for reasons of safety.”
âItâs the wonder of the natural world that makes it worth fighting for. And if we solve the problems of the natural world out of wonder â rather than out of fear and panic, it will have a deeper and more lasting impact,â said Dara McAnulty, the 16-year-old environmental activist and author of the award-winning book, Diary of a Young Naturalist.
McAnulty was in conversation with Irish Times journalist, Freya McClements on Friday evening in one of the closing sessions of Winter Nights, the Irish Times online festival.
McAnulty said that he hoped people would retain the greater appreciation of the natural world that they discovered during the Covid-19 pandemic. âI hope people will take it into the future and see how it helps us with our mental health,â he said.
Devote just 1 hour of your weekend time to record all the birds that visit your garden.
Log them all down and at the end, do a final count up of numbers and types.
Then submit your information to the RSPB in order that they can add your data to obtain a nationwide review of how bird species are increasing or declining; and where in the UK this is happening.
How does Big Garden Birdwatch help?
Thanks to people like you taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, we now have over 40 years of data and this has helped increase our understanding of the challenges faced by wildlife.