We frequently find “sparrows” being part of our city life. Do you find yourself being familiar with them or just having a vague idea of who they are? How much do we know about these neighbors living close to us? Eurasian Tree Sparrows once lived in farmland and grassland in village areas, staying close to people. When they found that staying near where people live would give them more food . Sparrows with strong adaptability overcome the difficulties to live in such manmade place with high-rise buildings and find themselves a safe place to raise their young.
Conducting a census will help us learn about the distribution of and preferred nesting place of sparrows. It helps us build a very important foundation to monitor their population in a long run. “Citizen Science” has been an international trend for having greater public participation. Researches on birds are not solely the work of ornithologists (i.e. bird experts). We would like to invite and train up members of general public to take part in scientific investigation and conservation work. People can get involved in scientific research while enjoying the fun of bird-watching. Let’s gather the power and wisdom of all people, and work on conserving our birds and their habitats in Hong Kong!
The sparrow census, now into its third year, welcome all of you to join!
Sparrow Census 2018 Date: 5 May, 2018 (Sat); 6 May, 2018 (Sun); 12 May, 2018 (Sat); and/or 13 May, 2018 (Sun) *Can pick any day(s) for the survey at your convenience Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (1 hour) Location: Data is collected using line transact method in the Census. Each line transact is composed by a 1-kilometre census route. The census routes cover all 18 districts in Hong Kong.
Pilot Census Date: 8th April 2018 Time: 0930-1200 Location: Mr and Mrs Sze Chi Ching Lecture Theatre (LT-2), City University of Hong Kong Details: We will conduct a sparrow census together that day to let you know more on the survey skills and method.