County Bird Race on this weekend

TEAMS WILL TRY TO RECORD AS MANY SPECIES AS POSSIBLE

THE annual Wicklow County Bird Race returns this Saturday (February 17) with teams of three to four people taking part.

The meeting point is for 7 a.m. at the southern end of Bray seafront promenade beside the amusements. The race will start at 7.15 a.m. once all the teams have registered.

The race finishes up at The Beehive, off the N11, at 6.45 p.m..

The aim of each team will be to record as many species as possible in one day within the county boundaries.

The rules state that the birds can be recorded in County Wicklow only. A species must be heard by at least three team members to score half a point and a species must be seen by at least three team members to count as one point.

Teams will be split into two groups: Category A is for experienced teams, while Category B is for beginners and improvers.

Feral Pigeon and the re-introduced population of Red Kite count but not escapes, such as Black Swan, Bar-headed Goose, or feral and introduced species whose populations are not yet self-sustaining, such as the Mandarin Duck.

Teams finishing late will be docked points as appropriate. Participants will record birds on the score sheet and checklist provided.

It will cost €5 per person to enter a car with three or four people. The fees cover the organisational costs of the event, with the proceeds going to the Wicklow Branch of BirdWatch Ireland.

There are prizes to be won for the teams in each category with the highest number of species recorded and records from the day will be compiled and entered into the BirdTrack database.

If people are looking to take part but are currently without a team then they should register their interest on the BirdWatch Ireland 2018 Wicklow Bird Race Facebook event page.