Schoolchildren across Wiltshire will be filling up bird feeders, turning classrooms into bird hides and creating wildlife friendly bakes in preparation for watching and counting birds in their school grounds for the 2019 RSPB Big Schools’ Birdwatch.

The Birdwatch, which takes place during the first half of the spring term is a chance children to put down their books and discover the nature that lives in their local community by spending an hour watching and counting the birds that visit their outdoor space, then sending the results to the RSPB.

Anton Boari, RSPB south west education, families and youth manager, said: “When given the opportunity to interact and learn more about nature children have so much fun and get really excited about the wildlife they see. This survey is a fantastic opportunity for schools to encourage children to connect with nature by taking a much closer look at the different birds that visit their school grounds.

“Taking part in our Big Schools’ Birdwatch also makes a valuable contribution in helping us monitor the health of our garden birds and discover which species really need our help."

The Big Schools Birdwatch is a free activity and only takes an hour to complete. Teachers can pick any day during the first half of the spring term to take part, with the flexibility to run it as a one off or as the centre piece of a cross-curricular study, project work or a way for the children to improve their outdoor space. To take part, visit rspb.org.uk/schoolswatch