27-01-22: Instructions for the University RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch(es)

Surveys from previous years - can we beat the numbers?

Many thanks for signing up to do a RSPB bird count on one of our sites between Friday the 28^th of Jan and Monday the 30^th of Jan 2022.

This post is for anyone who has signed up for one of the Kingston University RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch surveys at the last minute and so haven't got the joining instructions from us, as we are all out and about with our binoculars :)

• The RSPB website tells you how to do the surveys https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/everything-you-need-to-know-about-big-garden-birdwatch/
• This link will take you to a sheet with a few more species that we see on our sites
• and this link will take you to a printable version of the RSPB BGBW booklet for 2022.

How the counts help birds:

1. These counts are important as they contribute to a large citizen science project which helps monitor birds in the UK and feeds into science projects. Our surveys also help the university know what species we have on our sites.

2. When we do the counts at KU, we also count the birds that we can see in the trees and gardens of the our neighbours and on the street if we can see them from our location, as they are in the area and by knowing they are there, we can make the right decisions on how we manage our habitats on our site to help them.

           In addition (click on bold text below for links):

·       if you are a staff member, each count counts as one biodiversity event for your 2022 Green Impact scheme

·       if you are a student, these events can count towards your KingstonAward.

Instructions:

·         The count takes 1 hour.

 ·         In that hour you mark the max number of any birds that you see at any one point. So say you saw 7 blackbirds in total, but you only ever saw them one at a time, as you couldn’t be certain it wasn’t the same blackbird circling around (unless you see 1 female and 1 male) you would mark down that you had seen 1 blackbird during the survey.

 ·         But say you saw 3 blackbirds at one point, and then 4 blackbirds at the same time near the middle of the survey, you would mark down that you had seen 4 blackbirds in total.

 ·         If you do use the RSPB website instead of the paper chart – please take a screen shot or a clear photo of the results and send them to me and Rachel Walls so that we can get them entered onto our records too. If you aren’t using the app, just send me the results along with the date you surveyed and the location (if you surveyed more then one)  and I will submit them to the RSPB.

 ·         Or keep a list on your phone etc. and send me an email:biodiversity@kingston.ac.uk with a screenshot of your results and the site covered.

 Sites:

These are the sites that we are surveying as part of the university. So far we have at least 1 person committed to doing one survey per site, but as different people might see different numbers of birds at different times of day, we welcome multiple survey efforts at our sites to maximise our chances of recording all the species using our sites.

Site list

Roehampton Vale

Clay Hills

Town House

Penrhyn Road forensic garden and pond

Portland Road by the blue bridge

Middle Mill – around the halls

Knights Park – river terrace

Reg Bailey building

River house

Kingston Hill

Dorich House

Tolworth Court

75 Penrhyn Road

All the best

Sivi