Dotterel, (c) Edmund Fellowes
The mountains of Scotland are home to some iconic bird species. Seeing a Golden Eagle flying above a mountain ridge or spotting the striking Dotterel on a high plateau can add a little extra something to your day in the hills. But what if our birds started to disappear, and nobody noticed?The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) wants to improve monitoring and is asking for help from hillwalkers, climbers and other outdoor folk. They need volunteers to help out with their new Mountain Bird Survey. Perhaps you could help?
Taking part in the survey is a great way to add another dimension to your hillwalking while helping with conservation science. The survey is designed with an enjoyable walk in mind. Where you go is up to you. So, you can enjoy your walk as normal whilst collecting valuable information.
If you are worried about your bird identification skills you needn’t be. Even if you can only identify a handful of species your sightings are still useful. A free Identification Guide is available too.
So what is involved?
A mountain walk of your choice which goes above 750m altitude. Simply take a Mountain Bird Survey Recording Booklet out on the hill with you and use it to record what you see (and what you don’t) in each 1km square of the OS grid (above 750m). The survey is flexible, allowing you to provide information on just the species that you feel confident about.
So how do I take part?
You just need a Mountain Bird Survey Recording Booklet. The BTO can post you booklets and an identification guide, free of charge. Alternatively, pages from the booklet can be home-printed.
