James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend and East, will this weekend be taking part in the RSPB’s ‘Big Garden Birdwatch.’
For over 30 years, the RSPB have been asking the public to count the birds in their gardens. With results from so many gardens and parks across the country, the RSPB are able to gauge a sample of bird numbers in each region. This is important when identifying trends in the decline of some species of birds.
With the help of those taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch over the years, the RSPB have been able to pinpoint some rapid degeneracy among particular species. The UK has already lost more than half of its population of house sparrows, and 75% of starlings. However, as much as these surveys help to highlight problems, most importantly, they are the first step in rectifying the issues which become apparent from the collated statistics.
If you would like to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, All you need is a pen, some scrap paper or a printout of the RSPB’s handy bird ID sheet, which is available from their website, and an hour to spend watching the birds in your garden, or local park, on either Saturday 28th, or Sunday 29th January 2012. Simply make a note of the highest number of each bird species seen on the ground at any one time, and then upload your results onto the RSPB’s website at http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/. The results of this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch are expected in March.
For more information regarding the survey, and the RSPB in general, please contact Len Britton, RSPB Administrative Volunteeer on Tel: 01268 498622 or e-mail: [email protected].
James said
“According to the RSPB, this year’s unusually mild weather has had a detrimental impact on some of our most recognisable birds. It is important that we all do our bit in keeping our environment and ecosystems as richly populated as possible, so I would encourage anyone with an hour to spare this weekend to sit down and get back to nature.”
ENDS