Pupils turn birdspotters
PUPILS from a Wokingham borough school enjoyed a spell of birdwatching recently thanks to a housebuilder.
The Year 4 youngsters who attend Farley Hill
Primary School were invited to Finchwood Park where Duncan Fisher, an ecologist from Wokingham Borough Council, taught the children to identify birds such as Red Kites, Redwings and Herons which are commonly seen at this time of year.
The event was organised to mark RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch campaign, which encourages children to count the number of birds local to their schools to support the organisation in tracking population numbers across the country.
Mr Fisher said: “It’s fantastic to see how much the children enjoyed being outside and getting close to nature and local wildlife. Finchwood Park is made up of a myriad of habitats such as meadows, woodland, hedgerows and ponds, so they’ve had ample opportunities to see and learn about some of the bird species we have in the area.”
The land is part of a project by David Wilson Homes, who provided the children with resources and binoculars to encourage outdoor learning and to connect with nature.
Alex Dowling, sales and marketing director at Barratt David Wilson Southern Counties, said: “We are so lucky to have incredible green spaces available at Finchwood Park and hosting this activity with Farley Hill Primary
School and Wokingham Borough Council was a great example of how we can make the most of them.”
The pupils did have a good time, according to their teacher, Miss Clarke.
“Year 4 really enjoyed the experience and loved being able to work with an ecologist to identify a variety of birds,” she said.
“As an active movement school, we love making our learning engaging and memorable.
“Thank you to David Wilson Homes for organising this event.”