Become an Urban Birder

Ever walked around Greenwich Park and the surrounding streets and been amazed by the array of beautiful birds in the air? I know I have. Now, The Royal Parks charity has enlisted the help of The Urban Birder, David Lindo, to inspire a new generation of birdwatching. Check out David in the video below.

The Royal Parks will be running free sessions for bird watching novices across all of London’s eight Parks in June and July. Binoculars will be provided, and sessions will last up to two hours.

The initiative is part of the charity’s mission to encourage visitors to #KeepWildifeWild, in a bid to help nature thrive. It encourages visitors to observe wildlife in its natural habitat, rather than touching or feeding animals.

As well as free birdwatching sessions, the charity is encouraging visitors to connect with nature through self-led wildlife trails and nature-inspired events such as Roadshows and Discovery Days.

As well as David Lindo, some of the free bird watching sessions will be delivered by the Royal Parks’ Conservation Officer, Tony Duckett, whose passion for birdwatching spans six decades and local bird enthusiast Julia Holland.

The sessions will be delivered as part of The Royal Parks’  new Help Nature Thrive initiative, in particular its  adult and family learning programme.  All of Help Nature Thrive’s activities for park visitors are free to attend, thanks to the support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The Royal Parks has also been running free birdwatching sessions with community group such as Fitzrovia Youth in Action and Mind.

There will also be bird watching photography competition with a top prize of binoculars worth £400.

To be in with a chance of winning, entrants need to take a photo of one of the birds included on the parks’ bird spotter sheets and send it to competition@royalparks.org.uk or submit via The Royal Parks’ social media channels. Find out more here.

Timetable for the tours

To book your place visit www.royalparks.org.uk/birdingtours