Berkshire Bird Race 2020

26th April 2020 | Marek Walford

Bird Racing used to be a popular event in Berkshire, before all the participants got too old for driving non-stop for hundreds of miles for 24 hours. In 2020, it is making a dramatic return!

I suspect Thames Valley Police would consider driving to every corner of Berkshire to be an unnecessary journey, so there will be some small changes to the rules.

Yes, you guessed it - anything seen or heard, in or from your garden. Calls recorded at night and images captured on camera traps don't count! If you want, you can start at midnight and finished at midnight. I'll probably have a lie-in and start drinking at lunchtime. The date is Sunday 3rd May to coincide with Dawn Chorus Day.

The long-standing bird race record is 121, set in 1990. We're going to have to set our sights a little lower. I think most gardens could record 30 species and some gardens with some water nearby could get 40-50 species. Back in the day, getting a good score relied on it being a "good wader day". This year getting a good score will rely on it being a "good fly-over day", but with recent fly-over White Storks and Cranes, anything is possible!

Click here to enter your score. Final scores must be entered by 5pm on Monday 4th May but I think it will be more fun if you update your score throughout the day. Use the hashtag #BERKSBIRDRACE2020 on Twitter to tweet your highlights. Good luck!