The Henrichment Team took part in the RSPB’s Big Schools’ Bird Watch back in February. Armed with binoculars and warm coats the students headed out into the Academy’s grounds and became bird spotters for an hour. The data they collected has been added to results from other schools, the numbers crunched and now the results are in!
The blackbird has triumphed once again, securing the top spot as the most-seen bird, cropping up in 87% of schools.
Second place has been held by starlings. These noisy, speckled birds showed a higher average count per school than in 2015.
Woodpigeons, however, have jostled into third place, a position that last year was held by house sparrows.
House sparrow numbers were actually higher this year, but they were still overtaken by the massive jump in woodpigeon numbers.
Woodpigeons favour grassy areas with scattered trees, such as parks and gardens – so school fields fit the bill (excuse the pun!) perfectly. Plus, the fact that woodpigeons are big, distinctive and sometimes noisy birds probably helps by making them easy to spot and identify.
With more than 80,000 birds counted and 90,000 people taking part, Big Schools’ Birdwatch offers a valuable snapshot of the birds that use the habitats provided by schools to survive.
The Henrichment Team are looking forward to taking part again next year!
To view the RSPB certificate, click the link below:
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