Birds in our campuses - Winter edition

Winter is an opportunity to observe many species of birds, as they come to take advantage of the feeding opportunities that we offer them, are less shy than during the breeding season, and the plant cover is less dense. It is sometimes possible to observe atypical species that the cold or storms push into our regions.

How to do it

With the naked eye or, ideally, equipped with binoculars or an observation scope, the world of birds is easily accessible. Data from all university campuses will be instantly valued as part of international inventories, while the contributors can follow in real time the progress of the observations:

"It is impressive that, according to studies conducted, the majority of data collected about birds is provided from citizens and local people and not from professionals. This offers accessibility and visibility to everyone, so you don't have to be a specialist to contribute. As I say regularly, even if you have less than half an hour in total to devote to this task, this time will be welcome. You can also form small groups to observe, it's friendly and allows you to get some fresh air. Winter allows for good observations in the middle of the day because it is the season when many bird species are most active in the middle of the day", says pr. Pascal Carlier, academic ethologist, in charge of the Biodiv'AMU mission. 

You can find all the needed info and the step-by-step procedure here. 

About the project

Falling populations of common birds are a major biodiversity issue, with a loss of more than 30% of their numbers in recent years. The project “Birds on our campuses” is trying to assess the situation. The initiative is an international, participatory ornithological observation event, which aims to raise awareness among students and staff about the rich biodiversity of their campus.

The first, experimental, phase of the project has run in the spring of 2023 and was followed by the fall edition (results to be published soon). Since it started, the "Birds on our campuses" biodiversity initiative has created new opportunities for collaboration and citizen science. 

The operation is coordinated by the AMU, in collaboration with the University of Bucharest, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, University of Glasgow and University of Lausanne. Read more.