Eyes on the sky: France’s latest birdwatch event is this weekend

France’s latest bird counting event is taking place this weekend, with the public invited to count the birds they see from a given outdoor space for a one-hour period.

Participants can either choose Saturday, May 28 or Sunday, May 29, and take one hour to observe any birds they can see from their balcony, garden, or another public green space.

During that hour, note down any birds you see, with the help – if needed – of helpsheets available on the event’s website.

Credit: Oiseauxdesjardins / Screenshot

Only count birds that come to land, either on the ground or on a branch, and not birds that only fly over the area.

There is also a sheet that can help you keep count.

After your hour is up, you can send your results to the bird counting events organisers, l’Observatoire des oiseaux des jardins, at the website oiseauxdesjardins.fr, or by emailing oiseauxdesjardins@lpo.fr.

The event is organised several times a year by the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), and helps the group keep track of bird species and the state of biodiversity in France.

It has been running for 10 years. In 2021, 17,260 gardens took part in the count across the whole of France. People in Normandy were most likely to take part, with 3,541 gardens, and especially Calvados, with 1.095.

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