This year, at the end of January residents of Brighterkind care homes across the UK, including Ross Court, took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2019. Organised by the RSPB and running for 40 years, it is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey.

Over the course of the weekend, participants spend one hour recording the number of birds and species they see in their garden, then send the survey results into the RSPB.

The residents got involved with a number of activities around the event, including bird-themed crafts to decorate the garden, and making bird feeders ahead of the weekend to attract more birds.

Birdwatching is extremely relaxing, and residents enjoyed a cuppa and biscuits as they looked out of the windows and watched the animals come and go. Many homes made use of binoculars and telescopes to give them an even better view and feel closer to nature.

They recorded their results and then sent them to the RSPB, so that they can use this data for documenting the progress of the birds over a mass scale. It allows the RSPB to monitor trends and helps understand how birds are doing.

Residents at Ross Court also had a visit from a representative from the RSPB to help with their bird count.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.