Year 4 children from St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Bath recently joined hundreds of schools across the country to take part in the RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch. This annual event is designed to allow of all ages and backgrounds to join in a national garden wildlife survey, with over half a million joining in last year.
The children from St Mary’s were helped in their efforts by Tania Orgill of Play Wood Forest School. Tania explained, “The Birdwatch is a great activity for children and they get so enthusiastic about it and enjoy learning how to identify birds. The class spotted 16 species of birds and were particularly thrilled when a flock of 25 starlings settled on a tree. All the results of the birdwatch are sent to the RSPB and can also be used back in the classroom as a learning resource.”
The children’s teacher, Cathy Philips, added, “The children love taking part in the annual birdwatch as part of their forest school experience. They become very excited as they begin to identify the different birds they see, and really benefit from actually taking time to stand or sit still and look at what is happening around them.”