Setting Off From Sandwell valley

Monday 4 April 2011

A Green Birding Day Competition

A comment sent to the last blog entry, yes I know it's been a long time since I last blogged, was about a GREEN BIRDING DAY competition. Well I know I'm up for it and I hope you will be too. After another successful Earth Day organised by the WWF it would be fabulous to see that birders are doing their bit to stop catastrophic climate change. Every little helps.
So, on May 7th I'll be walking the 8 or so miles to my patch, Upton Warren RSPB Worcestershire Nature Reserve, birding the day; then spending the night in the hide and birding then next day too. I wonder which day will record the highest number of species?

Please consider having a GREEN BIRDING DAY.

Have a look at

http://greenbigday.org/?p=1#comments

for further details.

Speaking of, I've texted a few friends, some of them met whilst cycling last year and have already heard that some of them are going to do it. Brilliant! Also heard back from Gert; the man who gave me the bike I rode last eyar, and he's going to do the GREEN BIRDING DAY with me at the Warren. I can't wait, a birding day at the Warren with friends, chat and birds.

In my mind I see this becoming like the RSPB's Garden & School Watch. That started small and look at it now. Hundreds of thousands of people spend that hour in January listing their garden birds, sending in their data and the RSPB gets fantastic coverage in the media for it.

Look at Earth Hour. Another small local Eco event that started a few years ago in Sidney, Australia and look at it now. A massive Global message that people want to do something about the threat of climate change.

Now let every birder, just for one day, go GREEN BIRDING. You never know, you may enjoy it so much that it may become a way of life. I know that now it is for me. Yes I still want to see every bird in the World but doing that doesn't diminish the sheer delight of seeing the first swallow back at the farm where I reside last night.

PLEASE, give the GREEN BIRDING DAY a go.

atb

Gary

6 comments:

  1. Great stuff Gary. I will be doing a 24 hour birdrace by bike on the weekend of the 29/4-2/5 hoping to raise money for sightsavers (http://www.sightsavers.org) and beat last year's self-powered record of 110 species in the Peterborough area of Cambridgeshire.

    Here's my justgiving page:
    http://www.justgiving.com/thenaturalstone/

    Read about last years exploits here:
    http://tnsgreenyear.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-world-record-110.html

    Good luck to everyone giving green birding a go this year. Keep lean and keep it green!

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  2. You're a star Brian and I hope that lots of people sponsor you.
    Still remember freezing with you that day last year and the stonechat eventually showing for you.
    All the best,
    Gary

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  3. Eight teams now have informed me that they'll be doing a GREEN BIRDING DAY including the first RSPB reserve to say they'll be doing it - Loch of Strathber. Thanks Dominic.
    Also thanks to Alastair, Brian, Chris, Crutch, Steve, Olly and Gert.
    Brilliant. Let's hope it grows.

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  4. Sorry Tim - I forgot to put you on the list!!! Forgive me. [Fisher king]

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  5. Hi Gary

    hope all is well

    I'll give this a go. Most birding out here is by bike at this time of the year (today was a green birding day) so I ought to be able to manage it. I think I'll stick to my 10 Km square though...

    atb and good luck
    Tim and family

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  6. Nice one Tim. Can you please email me your results, thanks? Hope you have a great day Tim.
    All the best
    Gary

    ReplyDelete