Walkers asked to record bird sightings

A bird charity is asking for the help of hill walkers, estate workers and other outdoor folk in order to monitor Scottish upland birds. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) says that these are uncertain times for Scotland's upland habitats but by taking the simple step of submitting bird sightings volunteers can make a real difference.

More than half of Scotland is upland. Land use and climate are changing and the BTO is seeking to assess the impact of these changes on upland birds.

The ‘What’s Up?’ project is simply asking for sightings of birds in upland habitats, along with a date and grid reference. This can be done by email, website or phone app. Keen volunteers can take their interest further by walking upland ‘transects’.

The project is being co-ordinated by the BTO from their offices in Stirling. Project Manager Ben Darvill explains: “I’m a keen climber and hillwalker myself and my experiences in the hills are enriched by the sounds, colours and movement of our upland wildlife. I suspect the same is true for many other outdoor folk.

Sadly, species such as Ptarmigan and Snow Bunting could be threatened due to climate and land use changes. We urgently need to improve monitoring of our upland birds, and to do this we need the help of people who are active in upland areas.”

Head of BTO Scotland, Chris Wernham, added: “In order to conserve our wildlife, we must first understand it. Up until now we have largely relied on a small number of skilled enthusiasts to record wildlife in the uplands. Sadly there are simply not enough of them to cover the whole of Scotland – we need the help of many more eyes and ears.

We want to encourage more of the people who routinely work or spend their leisure time in the uplands to help. There are opportunities to suit everyone, regardless of skill level and available time, with free training on offer. Hopefully we can inspire keen people and increase numbers of upland wildlife enthusiasts.”

Andy Douse, SNH ornithologist, said: “Helping to identify and record birds can make an uplands walk even more enjoyable. It’s also a great way to help conservation of rare upland birds during the Year of Natural Scotland, which highlights how important Scotland’s wildlife is to us all.”

All bird sightings are welcome, but the charity has drawn up a target list of birds which people should keep a special eye out for. The list includes Snow Bunting, Ptarmigan, Curlew and Wheatear. For more information about the project, free training and for details of how to get involved, visit the BTO website.