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Many aspects of wildlife recording are nothing like most people imagine. It’s not all listening for delicate birdsong or identifying otter and water vole tracks on the riverbanks... sometimes it's combing the sand for bodies lost at sea! February 23 rd saw the intrepid Fraserburgh &...

Jenny Grant, Main Leader for the RSPB’s SkyeLarks Wildlife Explorer Group on the Isle of Skye, tells us about the groups’ experience doing their Big Garden Birdwatch in partnership with a local care home. After making sure all the feeders were topped up for the birds at Home Farm Care...

Guest blog written by Dr Mark Boyd, RSPB Interim Head of Youth and Education, explaining some lesser known facts about the magpie. The magpie could be the most misunderstood bird in the UK. Look closely and you’ll see that magpies aren’t even simply black and white! Many of their feathers...

Big Schools Birdwatch is now well underway, but if you feel that you need a bit more help getting prepared for your birdwatch, why not have a look at these video quizzes that we’ve prepared to test your bird knowledge. The videos were created with the involvement of a local school and one of...

After launching in spectacular style this summer, the Edinburgh Phoenix group’s first project was to take part in reviving a walled garden at Hermitage of Braid, a local nature reserve in their area. The young people plan to create a raised bed for native Scottish wildlife, designed in particular...

We are very excited to be supporting the Green Pencil Award 2012 , organised by the City of Edinburgh Council and partners. A creative writing competition that has an environmental theme, the Green Pencil Award isrun every year to encourage children to pick up their pencils and notebooks, or get their...

Scotland's newest RSPB Youth Group has just launched in spectacular style, so for a peek at the kind of brilliance and opportunity our groups attract please read on for an account written by a brand new Phoenix - Annie, aged 16. Edinburgh Phoenix Diary, 27th May 2012 The temperatures were...

Glasgow’s remarkable wildlife will be the centre of attention next Sunday (February 19) as The Urban Birder, David Lindo, pays the city a rare visit. As well as urban birding, David’s talk will also look at urban conservation issues and what can be done to help our city birds. His book, The...

If your class or group enjoyed counting birds for the Big Schools Birdwatch try extending their learning and interest even further by finding out about bird behaviour and bird song. This months RSPB WildSquare survey is all about listening out for common (and easily recognisable) bird song and bird calls...

Blackbird - Blackbirds only started appearing in urban gardens in the 1830’s. Up until this time they lived in woods or heathland. Bluetit - Baby blue tits are very hungry little birds, their parents have to collect around 1000 small insects a day to feed them. Chaffinch - Chaffinches...

We're half way through the Birdwatch now, and it's been our most exciting one so far! As well as lots of people getting involved, and registering for our resource packs, we've had an amazing amount of media coverage. We've been on the Alan Titchmarsh show, and were also featured on Newsround...

So you may have done your Birdwatch and submitted your results already, or perhaps you are still getting ready for it by learning about the birds that are likely to visit your school grounds. Either way, here is a great quiz provided by Education Quizzes to test your student's knowledge of what...

Glasgow’s schoolchildren have been celebrating Scotland’s amazing wildlife with an art competition organised by RSPB Scotland. Drawings, painting and sculptures were created as part of the RSPB’s annual Big Schools’ Birdwatch (which this year runs from 16-30 January) and all...

What a brilliant response we've had from people requesting packs! We couldn't have predicted how popular the Birdwatch would be this year - it just goes to show how many people care about the wildlife outside their window, and wanting to pass that on to the young people in your care is the most...

Here are a few ideas you can do to prepare for Big Schools' Birdwatch (it starts next week!) This year there is a new book which you can buy to help you with your Birdwatch. It's called The Big RSPB Birdwatch . The book is aimed at children and can be a useful resource for identifying birds;...

Happy New Year everyone! I should think you'll be nice and relaxed after the Christmas holidays, and looking for something to really get your students or group exited about. Well, look no further! Big Schools' Birdwatch 2012 is nearly upon us at last, and the good news is that there is...

So it’s the last week before the Christmas Holidays, and many of you will be breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward to a well deserved break. But until that time arrives, I suspect many of you will be enjoying your students’ enthusiasm for Christmas and doing lots of festive activities...

Last week RSPB Scotland hosted “Christmas Tweats”, a well-attended CPD (continuous professional development) event at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The event focused on how teachers and their classes can get school grounds wildlife-friendly ready for Christmas. Teachers enjoyed...

Christmas is a time of year when it’s very tempting to shut out the cold grey outside world and cosy up inside with all those lovely new gadgets and gizmos and a great big tin of chocolates. However we should also remember that this time of year is particularly special in the natural calendar,...

We'd love to hear what you are planning for your Big Schools' Birdwatch in January. The event is fast approaching now, and we're sending lots of packs out to schools who have registered. If you haven't registered yet, you can do so here . Maybe your class is going to build a bird...

Have you planned any tree-planting for National Tree Week which runs from 26 November to 4 December? If you have planned something, tell us about it! We'd love to hear about what you'll be doing! If you haven't thought about it, then I urge you to think about how you could get involved at...

Are you prepared for feed the birds day ? Have you made any bird cakes with your children? It's not too late if you haven't - we received this recipe from one of our young people who is taking part in the Wildlife Action Awards which you could use: Nutty Cupcakes Recipe One box of animal...

Over the last few days here in Birmingham, it has properly started to feel like Autumn. I love this time of year. The golden sunlight showcases nature's beauty brilliantly and forces you to look more closely at tiny details you haven't seen before. I love the cool crisp air in the morning. I...

As Schools Project Officer, based in the Birmingham Office, it's always encouraging when I hear from schools in the West Midlands about the fantastic things they have been inspired to do to help wildlife. It only takes a simple activity like a bird or bug survey to open children’s eyes to the...

It’s that time of year again! We’ve just opened our Big Schools' Birdwatch 2012 web pages for you to have a look at, and to register for next year’s event. What is Big Schools' Birdwatch? I’m sure many of you visiting this blog may not have heard of the Big Schools'...