If you are looking for a rewarding and relaxing hobby while confined at home, why not try a spot of housebound ornithology? This is what BirdLife Switzerland is encouraging people to do in a campaign to gather information on bird species.
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To participate in the campaignExternal link, “Birds of our Gardens”, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday, people are invited to go to their balconies or gardens for one hour a day and note all the birds they have seen or heard. Tools are available on the organisation’s website to help identify the birds.
Participants are being asked to note the biggest number of individuals seen simultaneously and to describe natural elements where they were spotted, such as water points and hedges.
People who share their information with BirdLife also get the chance to win prizes including a pair of binoculars in a prize draw.
BirdLife gathers data each year from across Switzerland. It says it is looking forward to seeing which is the most common bird this year and how natural elements near balconies or in gardens influence the number and diversity of visiting birds.
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