Nature Network celebrates ‘Love Your Environment Week’ at Shimna

Ms McCann writes: “On Tuesday, a group of students took part in the national bird count. The group recorded data to show the species and number of birds inhabiting the boarders of the school grounds. The group were positioned in various stations for visual sightings and also used the ‘Merlin’App to monitor auditory recordings. The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK’s largest annual bird survey, recorded last year, over 590,000 people counting 9.1 million birds to check population health. The school received a National Birdwatch Certificate, but also essential findings to identify birds in our school area.

The eco group plan to conduct a scientific survey using food colouring on certain food types to explore feeding preferences, and in turn hope to set up feeders specifically designed to encourage and protect the variety of species we have here at Shimna.

Wednesday was our lunchtime litter pick: This just happened to be the wettest day of the wee but, in true spirit of the eco club, the group continued with their litter-pick plans inside the school building. On a positive note, only 1/3 of a rubbish bag was collected throughout the entire school.

The activity for Thursday was Forest Bathing. The group were given space to explore their senses within the forest environment. They learnt about the ecosystem services provided by trees from natural resource provision, flood alleviation, and as a habitat for biodiversity. There was also some science squeezed in for good measure, with students learning about the health benefits of spending time in the woods, as well as soil stabilisation, carbon sequestration and flood alleviation.

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”