Families get out and enjoy Wirral’s open countryside

Nov 23 2011 by Jade Wright, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL families are being urged by the RSPB to get outdoors this winter and find out what's happening to nature in their neighbourhood.

The conservation charity wants families to step up for nature and take part in its “Preparing for Winter” Wildsquare survey, which asks about want sorts of plants, birds and other wildlife you can see at this time of year.

The seasonal survey is one of several that the RSPB runs each year and can be done wherever there is nature - in a garden, park, playground or out on a walk with the family.

Taking part is simple. All parents need to do is register at http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildsquare/ and download the survey form.

Once the children have done the survey, which takes between 30 minutes to an hour, their results can be entered through the website.

Chris Collett, from the RSPB in Northern England, said: “Getting children inspired by nature at an early age is really important if we want them to care about the environment and conservation in the future.

“A Wildsquare survey is a great way of getting them interested in wildlife, as well as a healthy and fun family activity.

“For this winter-themed survey we want children to tell us things like what kind of nuts and berries they can find and also what types of birds they can see.

“The more children and families that take part in Wildsquare, the clearer the picture we can get of our winter wildlife.”

Doing the survey is one of several activities people can do as part of the RSPB’s Stepping Up For Nature campaign. Other steps include getting involved in a local group, becoming a campaign champion, completing a 60 second online survey, micro volunteering and recycling your stamps to support the save the albatross campaign.

For more details visit www.rspb.org.uk/steppingup.

The Winter Wildsquare survey runs until December 31 2011.