Students at Ormiston Rivers Academy, in Burnham-on-Crouch, are taking part in a nationwide RSPB birdwatching campaign this weekend, to learn the importance of supporting natural habitats.

Organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the annual Big Garden Birdwatch will take place from Friday 27 January until Sunday 29 January. Ormiston Rivers pupils will spend an hour counting the birds this Friday. 

Jo Williams, Principal at Ormiston Rivers Academy, said: "We're delighted that, once again, our students are showing tremendous enthusiasm for the Big Garden Birdwatch – we're hopeful that this year we'll be able to spot more birds than ever before.

"It's very important to us all that our students are immersed in their local environment and recognise the value of supporting and investing in natural habitats. We're lucky to have a student body that is passionate about the environment and continue to help these initiatives to flourish."

Together with the help of the Academy's Cooking Group, the Environmental Group has increased the number of feeders in the Academy's wild meadow, refilling coconut shells with bird food mixed with lard. The feeders will help attract more birds to the garden, nourishing and sustaining local wildlife.

Last year, the group managed to spot a wide variety of birds, including starlings, blackbirds, magpies, woodpigeons, sparrows and more. They are hoping to replicate their success this year, and identify an even greater variety of birds.

The annual Big Garden Birdwatch is the world's largest garden wildlife survey. Last year, nearly 700,000 people took part, counting 11 million birds in total.

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