SEO/BirdLife celebrates his 70th birthday backed by its 24,000 members and thousands of supporters: SEO/BirdLife celebrates its 70-year history by covering birdwatching from different perspectives, for recreational purposes, conservation and political advocacy.. The celebration event, which takes place this afternoon at the Royal Botanical Garden, also pays tribute to the thousands of volunteers who have altruistically participated in the NGO over the years. NASTY Over the past decades, SEO/BirdLife has collected more than 16 million bird records through its citizen science programs.. Valuable information that allows us to know the protection needs of birds and habitats. In addition, a new edition of the Guide to the birds of Spainby ornithologists Eduardo de Juana and Juan Varela.
The knowledge and observation of birds have been a constant throughout these seventy years of history SEO/BirdLife which have paid off over time with the creation of the 13 current citizen science programs open to the participation of volunteers. In recent decades SEO/BirdLife has collected almost 16 million data on birds, information that has made it possible and makes it possible to know the health status of ecosystems in order to preserve them.
“Thanks to all the volunteers who work together in doing citizen science, we can take the pulse of biodiversity and know the population trends of each bird species, something that is crucial to implement effective measures to preserve their habitats,” says Asunción Ruiz, Executive Director by SEO/BirdLife.
“SEO/BirdLife It is still an organization of espadrille ornithologists, as our founder Francisco Bernis said 70 years ago. We are rural people, traveling through all corners of Spanish geography to obtain the most accurate counts, enjoying the scenery and countryside while listening to the birds. They are the voice of nature, the ones who alert us to what our environment is like and how we should act to ensure a healthy and resilient planet and future. Bird watching cures social blindness, listening to birds is the only chance for the future,” Ruiz adds.
These citizen science programs were and are fundamental to the development of the organization’s work in bird conservation, environmental education, urban biodiversity monitoring or national and international political advocacy.
The implementation of bird monitoring programs, such as that of the common bird Sacre, almost 30 years ago, and the monitoring of nocturnal birds such as the Noctua, the Sacin or the Paser are an example of the intensive work of SEO/BirdLife in citizen science in these 70 years. All this hard work of birdwatching in the field, conducting counts, recordings and data analysis would have been unfeasible without the thousands of volunteers who go into the field every year to record their observations and share them through countless mobile platforms .
The compilation of more than 16 million data collected over the decades in SEO/BirdLife’s various citizen science programs has, among many other milestones, enabled the publication of the Red Books of the Birds of Spainthe publication of several Bird Atlases, the latest of digital creation, the III Atlas of breeding birdsor more recently the publication of maps to make renewable energy compatible with biodiversityin addition to species-specific monographs and publications on population trends of Spanish avifauna.
Healthy living with bird watching
Birdwatching also has recognized therapeutic values. Going into the countryside to enjoy the birds provides concentration, and contact with nature and the surrounding sound space provides well-being and relaxation. Neuroscience shows that spending a few minutes in a natural environment with sunlight and fresh air reduces stress levels, lowers cortisol levels and increases the body’s levels of serotonin and endorphins – two of the so-called happiness hormones -being.
With this premise of uniting nature and health, SEO/BirdLife promoted the initiative Focus on nature under the project Life+ Activa Red Natura 2000, in which social educators, psychologists and communication specialists developed tools using nature sounds that facilitate concentration. Thanks to the project, it has been proven that a hyperactive child’s ability to concentrate improves when he hears the song of a bird or the sound of water in nature. So, SEO/BirdLife asked to include environmental education in the Pact for Education and he invests a large part of his efforts in prescribing nature. For the same purpose is the line of Urban biodiversity which encourages wildlife in cities and promotes birdwatching in parks and gardens.
Birdwatching is the cornerstone of the trips and excursions promoted by SEO/BirdLife
These activities are aimed at a specific audience, professional or beginner, who wants to observe and recognize new species, both inside and outside Spanish territory. It is an activity that is often supplemented with information on botany, astronomy, zoology and ethnography. Precisely to improve the training of “bird watchers”. SEO/BirdLife organizes conferences and courses, and installs bird watching points, especially on important dates such as the World Wetlands Day, in February, or Bird Day, in early October, which represents the great festival of ornithology with numerous activities throughout the country..
A different format that SEO/BirdLife promotes observation and enjoyment of birds and their habitats ornithological tourism as a modality of ecotourism, ensuring that tourism offers respect species and ecosystems while contributing to local development. Through its iberaves initiative, it develops awareness and educational tasks related to responsible tourism, develops training and educational materials, trains and advises professionals, and supports sustainable tourism projects. Before, SEO/BirdLifeprovides users with a map showing natural areas perfect for birdwatching, ornithological reserves, routes and a list of professionals committed to bird conservation.
In this context the presence of SEO/BirdLife to the most important ornithological tourism fairs, which aim to promote the best locations for birdwatching. The Global Bird FairWhat It is held in the summer in Rutland, United Kingdom, and FIO, in the Monfragüe National Park in the month of February, are common events in SEO/BirdLife .
The contemplation of birds has inspired the most beautiful artistic creations in all times and cultures.
A large part of the image production that the Prado Museum keeps in its collections has been collected in the work The Birds of the Prado, edited by SEO/BirdLife in, which collects nearly 200 of the 729 paintings depicting birds from the gallery’s collection. After the printed edition of this masterful work, SEO/BirdLife He released his first e-book of these to enjoy the pictorial ornithological heritage of El Prado in electronic format.
And also SEO/BirdLife Adapting to the latest technologies, it has developed an augmented reality filter in which some birds from the Garden of Earthly Delights ‘come to life’. A virtual reality project aimed at bird protection under the motto Reduce birds, we increase the reality of protecting birds is in your hand.
SEO/BirdLife has also been a reference in the organization of a specific film festival about birds, El Pajarero documentary film seriess, in collaboration with La Casa Encendida. This tribute to birds through the seventh art has been around for ten years, supported by a loyal audience. Four sessions ending with debates between experts who analyze the storylines of each projection and transfer them to current environmental news.
Another fundamental tool in bird watching is identification guides.
The ornithologists Eduardo de Juana and Juan Varela (nature artist) are responsible for updating the Guide to the Birds of Spain, edited by Lynx Edicions, to offer a wide audience the most recent and rigorous information on the presence of this bird can continue to offer. animal group in our country.
The purpose of the book is twofold: to serve as a guide to the identification of birds in the field and to provide a brief but documented introduction to the knowledge of Spanish avifauna. A total of 599 species appear in this book, of which 191 are incidental or coincidental and five are extinct.
In this new edition of the book, QR codes appear as a notable novelty that provides direct access to the SEO/BirdLife Guide to Birds of Spain in web format from anywhere, via a mobile device. It contains information on more aspects than those presented, as well as photographs, videos and recordings of songs and calls, the latter being very useful for learning the different vocalizations and identifying species aurally.