Nature Uganda in collaboration with Uganda Tourism Board UTB), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Uganda Bird Guides Club, with support from other partners have organized the 11th Annual Big Birding Day (BBD) 2019, due on 7th and 9th November.
The Big Birding Day (BBD) activity combines avian conservation with awareness and tourism development and is organized under the theme “Connecting Birds to People and Nature”.
The aims of the bird watching marathon is to use bird conservation to help promote domestic tourism in the country; to promote Uganda as a global birding destination; and to bridge the information gap by linking up all bird watchers, tourism promoters in Uganda and conservationists with each other and the rest of the world.
This annual event consists of three activities;
The Launch;
The birding day;
and the Festival.
The main day is the birding day, which is a 24 hour bird watching contest throughout Uganda; in the 10 Uganda National Parks, 11 Wildlife Reserves, Important Bird Areas in Uganda, Ramsar sites in Uganda, Uganda Forest reserves and many other areas including homes and schools from midnight to midnight the following day.
The BBD event involves forming bird watching groups, each with at least 2 members who are experienced bird watchers/guides to confirm the species identified. All birds seen and heard calling within the sites are recorded by the group at that site.
This year, the launch of rthe Big Birding Day will be held at the Uganda National Museum in Kampala. Naturw Uganda has organized the launch and on the agenda will include public talk with a guest speaker talking about Birding and its role in promoting Tourism and conservation in Uganda.
Thereafter, participants will be registered in their respective teams for Birding, which will be conducted in all parts of the country. Some sites will be provided with transport starting from the Uganda National Museum but you are encouraged to go birding wherever you will be on that day as long as you have registered your team with Nature Uganda.
A tally centre will be set up at Nature Uganda to receive all records from all participating teams as soon as the birding is done and come up with results which will be presented at the Big Birding Festival which will take place from 6th to 8th December 2019. Here, outstanding teams will be awarded for their participation.
You are all invited to take part in these activities and your participation is highly appreciated. Feel free to contact me or anyone at NatureUganda for any further details.
