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East Riding schoolchildren take part in world's biggest wildlife survey
Last modified: 05 January 2012
Last year in East Riding, the most common bird spotted was the black headed gull.
Schoolchildren across East Riding will be taking part in the biggest survey of birdlife in UK schools this winter.
With up to 2,000 schools taking part each year in the RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch, the survey has helped to track bird populations in schools for the last decade.
Running from 16 – 30 January, the activity encourages children and their teachers to discover and learn about the birds that share their school environment.
The survey also provides helps the RSPB build a picture of birds visiting school grounds and the population changes they are experiencing.
Almost 90,000 schoolchildren and teachers stepped up for nature by taking part in the survey last year, which celebrated its 10th birthday. Nearly 3,000 classes from more than 2,000 schools were involved, which was a record-breaking number for the survey.
Since its launch in 2002, more than 70 different species have been recorded in school grounds, ranging from starlings and house sparrows, to kestrels and even pheasants.
Emma Reed, the RSPB’s Education Officer for Northern England, said: “For the past 10 years, we’ve been asking young people to count the birds in their school grounds. As well as contributing to our understanding of the changes in bird numbers, Big Schools’ Birdwatch does a fantastic job of inspiring thousands of children about nature.”
Last year in East Riding, the most common bird spotted was the black headed gull with an average of 6.17 per school. The starling and blackbird completed the top three, with an average of 5.8 and 4.29 per school respectively.
A host of curriculum-linked learning can flow from the survey, with plenty of flexibility built-in to run it as simply as teachers would like. Some schools make the activity the centrepiece of a whole week devoted to learning about wild birds while others hold after-school wildlife clubs or as part of work to improve their school grounds.
Another reason it’s so popular is that it appeals to teachers because it’s fun, easy and simple to set up and the activity works across a wide age and ability range.
No birdwatching expertise is necessary for teachers, helpers or children and the RSPB has produced a free schools pack containing everything a teacher will need. The emphasis is on having fun and joining in. The pack includes guidance notes, a full colour bird identification poster, counting chart and survey form.
Emma added: “All you need to do to take part is watch and count the birds in your school grounds for one hour, then send one set of results back to the RSPB telling us what you saw.
“Whether you have seen several exotic species or just a few of the commonest birds, it doesn’t matter – all sightings are useful to us!”
The popularity of Big Schools’ Birdwatch has also grown year on year and in 2010 early years children were invited to take part with the introduction of the Little Schools’ Birdwatch. Last year, the Really Big Schools’ Birdwatch was introduced for Key Stage 3 pupils (11-14 year olds).
For further information and to get hold of a free Big Schools’ Birdwatch teachers’ pack, visit the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch or ring 0300 456 8340. The hotline number will be operational 1 November 2011 until 30 January 2012.
What can I do?
Find out what birds are visiting your school grounds by getting involved in our annual Big Schools' Birdwatch.
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