Madam, - Bird migration is now in full swing, and most of our summer visitors are in the middle of their arduous journeys from Africa and southern Europe. The Irish TimesLetters page has long been the forum whereby birdwatchers keep us all up to date with reports of their first cuckoos; long may this tradition continue.
We would like to ask anyone who is fortunate enough see or hear a cuckoo over the coming weeks and months to submit the details to Spring Alive, an exciting new pan-European project organised by BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International. We would also like readers to let us know about their first swallows and swifts of the season. People are asked simply to enter the date and location of their observations via the website www.springalive.net.
Every single observation is important in helping to conserve these remarkable species. Thanks to the public's input, we will be able to check birds' arrival dates across Ireland and see how different factors influence their migrations. In time, the data that is gathered should reveal some interesting annual patterns and may become very useful for monitoring other important environmental issues, such as climate change or habitat loss.
To help observers to get to know as much as possible about the species covered by the project, key information about them has been made available on the website, including photographs, sound recordings, video clips and interactive games for children.
On-line maps based on the data we receive are also created each day, allowing anyone who visits the website to watch for themselves as the birds arrive across the continent. The website also contains a special set of downloadable materials and lesson plans for teachers. The website is available in both English and Irish, as well as in Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian and many other European languages.
- Yours, etc,
NIALL HATCH, Development Officer, BirdWatch Ireland, Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow.