The following free training days have now been scheduled:
- Sunday 03rd March - Cabragh Wetlands, Thurles, County Tipperary.
- Sunday 10th March - The Creggan Court Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. (FULLY BOOKED)
The Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) is one of Ireland's long-term bird monitoring surveys. It was established in 1998 and has since been undertaken annually. The CBS monitors the status of common and widespread breeding birds (Robin, Wren, Blackbird, Chaffinch etc.) as well as some of the scarcer ones. Click on the link below for information about the survey: Countryside Bird Survey
The Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) is coordinated by BirdWatch Ireland and Funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. These training days are kindly funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This important survey employs the efforts of more than 200 observers each year. These training days aim to encourage new and interested volunteers as well as to provide feedback to already existing participants. The format of the day will be informal and a fun-day is promised! There will be a brain-storming session to get some discussion going with a chance for you to ask any questions. There will be a coffee break and lunch, so plenty of time for you to chat with fellow counters. Short talks include:
- An introduction to CBS
- The survey methods used
- Handy tips on identification and what is required to participate
- Key achievements
Sandwiches will be provided, and we will head out in the afternoon to put some of the theory into practice in the field. We would to be grateful if you would complete this short questionnaire to help us gauge attendance on the day and any additional requirements, and we will send you further details of your chosen workshop closer to the day.
As a certain level of identification skill is required to carry out the CBS you would need to be pretty familiar with songs and calls of a good range of our common and widespread species. We suggest you have a look at this list below:
Can you recognise the following?
By sight & sound: Mistle Thrush, Blackcap, Redpoll, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Dunnock and Treecreeper.
By sight: Merlin and Whinchat.
If you could readily identify a minimum of 7 of these species in the field, then you should be OK. If you have trouble with them, then perhaps these sessions (and this survey) will be a bit too advanced for you.
Each session will have the same format, starting at 10.00hrs with an entertaining slide show explaining how and why we do this survey and there will be lots of tips on identification. After lunch (provided), we will have a short outdoor field trip to give you a chance to put theory into practice. We will be finished around 14.30 hrs. The sessions are very relaxed and easy going, but also, we hope, informative. All instruction, tea, coffee, biscuits and lunch are free.
Andrew Lynch
CBS National Coordinator
alynch@birdwatchireland.ie