The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is asking the great British public to participate in a national study of Tawny Owls and their calling behaviour by listening out for them between now and 31st March.
The Tawny Owl population is
thought to be in decline and the species has recently been added to the Amber
List of Birds of Conservation Concern. The Tawny Owl Calling Survey is
designed to help BTO researchers understand more about the current state of the
bird’s population and the impact of factors such as urbanisation and light
pollution.
Anyone can participate from their
garden or local green space. All you have to do is listen for 20
minutes one evening each week, anytime between dusk and midnight, and note the number of calling or hooting tawnies that you hear. You don’t need to commit to recording every
week but you’ll be contributing valuable data by listening for as many weeks as
you can.
Zero results are valid too: it’s important
to know where tawnies aren’t to be found, as well as where they are, so don’t
be deterred if they are not regular visitors to your patch.
The BTO has set an ambitious
target of 10,000 volunteers for this survey so please give it a go if you can.
It could hardly be easier: you can even take part from the comfort of your
bed! Alternatively, wrap up warm, take a
mug of cocoa into the garden and enjoy the music of the night.
Image: Lawrence Liddy/BTO
It's a great idea to flag this up on the Bird Blog Claire - hope it inspires lots of people to take part. We've signed up!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, thank you - hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDelete