RESIDENTS and schools across Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Rubery are being urged to take part in the RSPB’s 2017 Big Garden Birdwatch.
The big count, between next Saturday and the following Monday (January 28 to 30), challenges people to spend an hour recording how many of each species visit their garden or a green space in their local area.
In 2016 around 500,000 people counted the feathered friends in their patch and starlings swooped into the top spot having been seen in almost 70 per cent of gardens and green spaces.
Participants can use the handy online bird counting tool on the website to identify and record the birds on their laptop, tablet or smartphone.
The RSPB recommends people provide a mix of food sources like seeds, peanuts, sunflower hearts and suet balls to entice birds and help them keep their energy up during the cold winter months.
Kitchen leftovers like mild grated cheese, cold potatoes, apples and pastry scraps will also go down a treat.
Visit www.rspb.org.uk/plan for more tips.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of schoolchildren across the UK will also be swapping books for binoculars this term to take part in the UK’s biggest schools wildlife survey.
It began on January 3 and runs until February 17, taking place during the first half of the spring term and helping children discover the wonderful wildlife they share their school grounds with, whilst providing a helpful insight into which species are thriving or declining.
According to research conducted by the RSPB, one in five children are disconnected from nature. Big Schools’ Birdwatch aims to inspire children to care about the natural world around them in the hope they’ll want to help protect it for future generations.
As well as counting species, schools can also find out about how to put up feeders and nestboxes and how to make a tasty bird cake for their feathered friends.
Visit rspb.org.uk/birdwatch for more on the Big Garden Birdwatch and rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch for the RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch.
Everything residents and schools need to take part is available from those addresses.
