The ‘Great Winter Bird Count’ Commences

Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) 

The Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (MME) is inviting the public to a national bird count until February 28, titled the Great Winter Bird Count.

The aim of the action is to involve the public in the observation of birds in our environment and in the collection of data in the form of “community science,” which also helps to protect them. Anyone can take part in the counting, supported by a smartphone app and online resources, without any prior knowledge in natural sciences. All you need to upload data is a mobile phone or computer, the MME writes.

The data collected will help to monitor the effects of climate change on the winter bird population in Hungary over the coming decades.

In Hungary, the first such population-based data collection targeting bird feeder trays and their surroundings took place in the winter of 2022/2023. In the first count, 825 respondents observed 85,750 individuals of 121 species at 1,410 observation sites. In the winter of 2023/2024, 944 people participated in the survey and reported 204,207 individuals of 141 species at 1,125 observation sites.

The MME recommends on its website that observation should be carried out mainly around bird feeders. Accordingly, a site should be chosen where there is a bird feeder or some kind of natural feeding area that is regularly visited by birds during the winter. It is also important to have a comfortable observation site with a good view and from where it is possible to count birds over several weeks.

Data submission is facilitated by the Turdus app developed by MME. Turdus is available for Android and iOS phones and tablets. Of course, the traditional data sheet also helps to record counting data, and the data recorded on paper can be uploaded to the database.

Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Kovács Attila