West Midlands residents urged to join in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend - The Coventry Observer

West Midlands residents urged to join in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend

Coventry Editorial 28th Jan, 2021 Updated: 28th Jan, 2021   0

A WILDLIFE charity is urging residents to take part in some bird-spotting from their windows, as well as other home-based nature activities.

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s largest wildlife survey, returns for its 42nd year this weekend (January 29-31).

The UK’s biggest citizen science project has been recording the winners and losers in the garden bird world for over four decades with the help of half a million people, and the RSPB is counting on people from our towns and cities to join in once more.

Residents are asked to spend an hour over the weekend recording the birds that land as seen from their windows, balconies or gardens, and submitting their results to the charity.




In the West Midlands, house sparrows topped the rankings in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch last year, followed by the wood pigeon and blue tit. Blackbird was fourth, magpie fifth, starling sixth, great tit seventh, robin eighth, long-tailed tit ninth and goldfinch tenth.

RSPB’s chief executive Beccy Speight said: “For many people, garden birds provide an important connection to the wider world and bring enormous joy.


“Lockdown brought few benefits, but the last year has either started or reignited a love of nature for many people. There has been a broad and much needed realisation that nature is an important and necessary part of our lives especially for our mental health and wellbeing. But nature needs us too.

“By taking part in the Birdwatch, you are helping to build an annual snapshot of how our birdlife is doing across the UK. It is only by us understanding how our wildlife is faring that we can protect it. We know that nature is in crisis but together, we can take action to solve the problems facing nature.”

The data collected during the Big Garden Birdwatch will create a snapshot of bird numbers across the UK and how they have fared since the project began. Visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more information and to submit results.

The RSPB is providing other wildlife-inspired activities to take part in from home with its free Wild Challenge. Participants can earn bronze, silver and gold awards by completing activities such as making bug hotels, bird boxes and compost heaps, and drawing wildlife. Visit www.rspb.org.uk/wildchallenge for more information.

Teachers can make use of the charity’s resources for RSPB’s parallel event, the Big Schools Birdwatch, which is taking place during the first half of spring term. Visit www.rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch for more information.

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