When a colleague of mine was talking to a friend at the BTO about birds seen at our respective headquarters, it all went a little too far!  And now we locked in a year-long competition to see how many species (and not just birds) we can see here at the Lodge (pictured in the December snow) or at the BTO’s HQ, the Nunnery in Thetford.

You can read all about it on this blog (and yes, I know, we’ve got some ground to make up but there’s still time!)

The challenge will be fun – but behind it is the illustration of the richness of the wildlife around us. We’ll be using BirdTrack to record the details – run by the BTO in partnership with us, BirdWatch Ireland and the Scottish Ornithologists Club.  The value of records in terms of both helping to conserve species and protect the places they depend upon should never be underestimated – and BirdTrack is a great way for bird-watchers to make their birding really count – I’d really recommend having a go to see if it’s for you.

But of course there’s a great way you can let us know what birds are in your garden – in just a few days time over the weekend of 29 – 30 January.  Yes, it’s Big Garden Birdwatch time!  And you can pre-register here.

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