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Berlin (dpa / bb) - For the investigation of winter bird occurrence in Germany, observations from nature lovers are again asked.
A bird counting action of the nature conservation association (Nabu) goes into the eleventh round from Friday to Sunday, as the organization announced.
Anyone wishing to take part in the "Hour of the Winter Birds" should keep an eye on for an hour during this period which birds and how many in a place such as a balcony, garden or park.
The data can then be reported by phone, on the Internet or with a Nabu app.
For many years the sparrow has been the most frequently sighted bird in Berlin during the campaign.
Behind it, changes can be observed again and again on the ranking list.
This year, the Nabu is particularly interested in blue tits.
The background to this is an epidemic triggered by a bacterium last spring.
According to the conservationists, this caused the deaths of thousands of blue tits.
The question now is whether an effect can still be felt.
According to the Nabu Berlin, around 3,700 Berliners took part in the campaign last year, counting more than 80,000 birds.
There were more than 143,000 participants nationwide.
"Only because so many people are involved can the data series provide clues about population developments," said Ansgar Poloczek, species protection officer from Nabu Berlin.
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One of the findings from the previous counts is that in cold and snowy winters, significantly more birds come close to humans.
"The long series of increasingly mild winters has recently led to falling winter bird numbers," it said.
Especially in times of lockdown, the organizers are expecting a high level of participation: The experience of spring 2020 has shown that nature on the doorstep is being more perceived and appreciated again.
Hour of the winter birds