Don't be surprised this weekend if you see people patiently counting birds and taking notes. The Flemish environmental organisation Natuurpunt is staging its annual "Grote Vogeltelweekend" or bird census weekend. Anyone can take part, it will just take 15 minutes of your time.
Various schools have already organised bird-counting sessions this week. Children were allowed to venture out on the school playground or a nearby park in an attempt to spot different birds. This was also the case in the primary school Ter Elzen in Wijtschate (West Flanders) as the video shows.
Taking part is easy: it will only take 15 minutes of your time and some patience. Take something to write and a piece of paper before you choose your location - this will typically be behind a window with a view on a green area. Afterwards, post your results on the Natuurpunt website . On this website, you will also find an explainer video with tips about how to count.
Last year, over 52,000 people participated (data from schools included). The house sparrow came out on top, followed by the great tit (photo) and the Eurasian chaffinch.