January 2022 Parenta magazine

RSPB Big Schools
Bird Watch
Winter days can be cold and unforgiving; sometimes there is snow and many of us loathe the additional
time spent in the morning defrosting our cars so that we can drive to work, if COVID restrictions allow. But
the vast majority of us move from one heated location to another, with food in our bellies and a hot drink
to keep out the chill. Now imagine that all you have to keep you warm is a thin set of feathers, your food
sources are covered in 3 inches of snow (2 inches deeper than the length of your legs) and all available
water sources are frozen! Such is the plight of many of our birds in winter, where every winter day becomes
a life and death struggle.
Luckily, there are many of us who have
pledged to assist our feathered friends,
who put out bird food and clean water
to help the birds keep the worst of the
weather at bay and give them a fighting
chance to survive the winter months. In
return, we are rewarded with the sound
of birdsong in our gardens, the beauty
of seeing our garden full of life, and the
satisfaction of knowing we have done our
bit to give nature a much needed helping
hand.
We have even organised ourselves into
groups and associations to be better
able to advocate for our feathered friends
through lobbying, fund-raising and
conservation. This is the work of groups
like the Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds (RSPB) who have been passionate
about nature and dedicated to saving it
since its formation in 1889.
A brief history of the RSPB
The RSPB was the brainchild of Emily
Williamson, who created an all-women
group called the Society for the Protection
of Birds in 1889. As the Victorian desire
for fashionable exotic feathers grew, she
became frustrated at the lack of progress
from the all-male British Ornithologists
Union in failing to protect birds such as
the little egrets, great crested grebes, and
birds of paradise who were being driven
to the edge of extinction. Emily found
others who shared her passion for birds
and soon joined forces with Etta Lemon
and Eliza Phillips and the movement
grew in popularity, so much so that in
1904, the society was granted a Royal
Charter, becoming the RSPB. In 1921, the
Importation of Plumage (Prohibition) Act
was passed, and the RSPB had run its first
successful campaign. They bought their
first nature reserve in Minsmere in 1947,
and have gone from strength to strength,
as today they manage over 200 reserves
across the UK.
and counting the numbers of birds they
see, and reporting this data back to the
RSPB to help with their data collection and
conservation efforts.
What do they do with the data?
Once the data has been collated, there
are three categories, red, amber or green,
that each bird can be placed in, in order
of conservation importance. The birds
whose plight is of greatest concern are put
on the red list, and in 2021, there were 70
species making up this list. This is nearly
double the length of the first report in 1996.
Some of our most popular birds such as
the swift, house martin and greenfinch are
now on the list along with cuckoos and
puffins. The Society reported that birds who
migrate to Africa for the winter, seem to be
doing less well and the number of water
birds who spend the winter in the UK,
has also declined including the Bewick’s
Swan, dunlin and the goldeneye. The
red list species are globally threatened,
and have experienced at least a 50%
decline in UK breeding populations
over the last 25 years. There have been
success stories however, with the whitetailed
eagle increasing in numbers and
moving from the red to the amber list,
but it is more crucial than ever that we
begin reassessing our relationship with
nature and taking part in the Big Garden
Birdwatch is one thing that everyone can
do to help.
It’s easy to take part and the RSPB have
put a lot of thought into how they can get
everyone to join in. They have created a
website full of information sheets, facts
and resources about how people can
get involved including some resources
specifically aimed at early years settings
that you can access here. You’ll find sheets
to record your sightings in both English
and Welsh, and in different number
formats making them easy to use with
younger children, as well as lesson plans,
factsheets, colouring downloads, match
games, story books and card sets, and a
whole lot more. You’ll find ways to identify
different birdsong, bird seed recipes and
lots of fun crafts related to birds so there
really is no excuse not to get involved in
one way or the other.
The bird watch part itself asks you to
spend an hour counting the birds you see
and report back to the RSPB. You need to
register on their website and will receive a
specially prepared pack to help everyone
take part including differentiated resources
in English and Welsh. If you take part, you
can achieve a Wild Challenge award to
display proudly in your setting too.
Tips to help birds in winter
1
Feed the birds with a high energy bird
seed mix and do this regularly, scattering
seeds in sheltered places so they can be
kept dry and accessible.
2
Put out fresh water - birds need it to drink
and to bathe in so remember to refill it
especially in freezing conditions.
3
Put up some bird boxes in your garden
or outdoor space to encourage feathered
tenants.
4
Remember that not all birds like to feed
from a bird table – there are many groundfeeding
birds too such as thrushes and
blackbirds, so remember to create a
ground-level feeding station too.
5
Clean your feeders regularly.
More information is available
at:
• https://www.rspb.org.uk/
• http://ypte.org.uk/
• https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/
discover/in-your-garden/birds
• https://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/
bwdsite/learn/top10/top-10-ways-tohelp-birds-in-bad-weather.php
The Big Schools Bird Watch
Each year, the RSPB organises a
nationwide bird watch over the course of
one weekend in January called the Big
Schools Bird Watch. They use it to estimate
the number of wild birds in the country
and to spot changes and trends in their
numbers. In 2022 the event runs from
Friday 28th January to Sunday 30 January.
People from all walks of life up and down
the country are asked to spend an hour
in, or looking at, their garden, identifying
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