Chris Gomersall/RSPB Images The Barn Swallow is one of four species whose arrival will be recorded by the Spring Alive! web site Zoom In

Spring Alive! web site launched

08-02-2006

The new BirdLife Spring Alive! web site, which encourages children all over Europe to look out for and record sightings of returning migrants, has been launched. The site is the first of its kind organised by BirdLife and is coordinated by OTOP (BirdLife in Poland).

The project is based on a brand new interactive web-site (www.springalive.net), where youngsters interested in nature, their families and teachers will be able to enter their first observations of four wild bird species migrating back to Europe from warmer climes. These species - the White Stork Ciconia ciconia, Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus, Common Swift Aous apus and Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica are the project’s 'Spring Messengers'.

The Spring Alive! web site includes information about the four key species, their habitats and migration It is also allows the visitor to enter observational data. Games and other information are also available on the site. Available in many European languages, it is easy to access and use for almost any child in Europe.

"Observations entered on the easy-to-use web site will be used to generate maps showing the progress of birds arriving across Europe as they return from their winter travels. Thanks to Spring Alive! everyone will be able to literally see the progress of Spring in their country." —Joanna Kalinowska, Spring Alive! Co-ordinator

"In the longer term, the Spring Alive! project will enable BirdLife to compare the 'arrival' of Spring each year to assess how different factors influence the migration of birds. With time, those data may reveal some annual peculiarities and may become vary useful for monitoring the long term effect of other important environmental issues on these species, such as climate change or habitat loss," added Joanna Kalinowska, BirdLife’s Spring Alive! Project Co-ordinator.

Already, the first returning migrant has been recorded on the site, a White Stork seen in Spain's Andalucia region on 3 February.

Visit the new Spring Alive! web site