What it shows
Birds are easiest to count at dawn when they call and feed. Counting every bird seen or heard for ten minutes at fixed points, a method called a point count, shows which species live near you and how a park, a road and a water body differ in bird life.
The science
Birds depend on habitat: trees for nesting, insects and seeds for food, water for drinking and feeding. A place with more kinds of habitat holds more species. Counting for a fixed time at a fixed point lets different places and days be compared fairly. Repeating on three days reduces the chance effect of one noisy or quiet morning. The same method, scaled up, is used by national bird counts to track which species are increasing or declining.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- A notebook and a pencil
- A watch
- Binoculars if available, or sharp eyes
- A bird guide or a free bird app
- A sketch map of the three points
Safety
For this project: Go with an adult at dawn, and stay away from water edges.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Pick three points at least 200 metres apart: a park or garden, a busy street and a pond, canal or tank.
Arrive at the first point within half an hour of sunrise and stand quietly for two minutes.
For exactly ten minutes write down every bird seen or heard, with a count.
Move to the next point and repeat, then the third.
Identify unknown birds from the guide using size, colour and call.
Repeat on two more mornings at the same times.
For each point, list the species and the average count per morning.
Draw a bar chart of species per point and comment on why they differ.
What you should see
A chart that usually shows the water body with the most species, including egrets and kingfishers, the park next, and the street dominated by crows, pigeons and mynas.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1Why count at dawn?
Birds are most active and vocal then, so they are easier to find.
2What is a point count?
Counting all birds from a fixed spot for a fixed time.
3Why repeat on three days?
One morning may be unusually quiet or noisy; an average is fairer.
4Which bird has declined in many Indian cities?
The house sparrow.
Take it further
Repeat the count in winter and look for migratory ducks and wagtails that were absent in summer.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
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