Children from Chidham School have been discovering some amazing facts about the wildlife around their school. A bird watching club has been set up as a joint venture between the school and Chichester Harbour Conservancy Education Service.

Conservancy teachers Ruth Street and Alison Parsons, with the help of Matt Chesshire, a keen bird watcher and teacher at the school have been helping children learn in a fun way about the wonders of bird migration. Focusing on Greenshank, a wading bird that is seen in Chichester Harbour each autumn and spring the children play a game based on a large floor map of the route that Greenshanks fly. The students discover the good and bad things that can happen to the birds on the way, the peregrines from Chichester Cathedral are one of the hazards to be avoided!

In addition, a group of enthusiastic children have joined an after-school birdwatching club.  Activities include recording which species they see and finding out more about birds in general such as how they feed, how they are adapted to their habitats and why Chichester Harbour is so important for wintering birds.

Lynda Aplin, the Head at Chidham School, said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for the children to find out more about their local environment and because of the generous funding children have been able to take part without the barrier of cost which so often applies to extra curricular activities.”

The information recorded is also being entered on the RSPB website as part of a national survey on bird migration. Wildsquare encourages children to find out which birds are in a square kilometre near them and to make a record once in October, November and December. This data is then entered on the RSPB website to help build up a national picture of the location of different species.  This helps the children to feel that they are making a positive contribution to conservation.

The bird club is part of the Greenshank Migration Project organised by Farlington Ringing Group. Funding for this project has come from Chichester Harbour Conservancy Sustainable Development Fund, Chichester District Council and the Friends of Chichester Harbour.