Kingfisher counters and otter spotters wanted for survey
British birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts are being called on to join a count of kingfishers and other species amid fears that the river-dwelling birds may have been decimated by the country’s harsh winter.
British Waterways, which manages rivers and canals in the UK, is calling for volunteers to take part in its annual wildlife spring survey with the state of the kingfisher population a particular concern after months of icy weather and frozen rivers.
Up to 90 percent of kingfishers are estimated to have died in the similarly bleak winter of 1962/63, according to the organisation.
“Frozen water and plummeting temperatures may have significantly reduced kingfisher populations, with the possibility that many lost the battle against the cold,” said Mark Robinson, British Waterways’ national ecology manager.
“It is therefore particularly important for us to monitor what species will need our support over the coming year and we’re asking the public to help us do that. Now the weather has warmed up kingfishers are starting to nest and so now is a great time to see them.”
But Robinson said that waterways had helped many species to survive the winter by providing “green corridors connecting towns, cities and farmland, and providing vital shelter and a winter larder for wildlife struggling to survive.”
Last year people taking part in the wildlife survey reported more than 42,500 sightings including nearly 300 different species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and other waterway mammals such as otters.
To help people get started, British Waterways has produced a downloadable guide to what wildlife can be found along the nation’s canals and rivers.