Extending our impacts

January 20, 2016 2:23 pm

Having been running for over a year, Spot a Sparrow has been steadily gathering steam. Members of the public have submitted over 160 sparrow roost reports from across the Maltese islands. So now it’s time to put this data to use and extend the project’s impacts.

A key outcome of Spot a Sparrow is the protection of Malta’s trees. So we’ve produced an urban tree management guide and developed a corresponding training workshop to assist local councils and other relevant stakeholders.

We hope to empower the next generation in appreciating and protecting their environment. So another of our recent initiatives has seen primary and secondary school students becoming involved in Spot a Sparrow.

We’ve developed resources for schools to teach their students about sparrows through a fun craft activity. After learning all about what a Spanish Sparrow (Għasfur tal-bejt) looks like, children colour their own sparrows as they wish. Some are keen to be accurate, replicating the true colours of Sparrows. Whilst others get really creative, inventing colour schemes more reminiscent of parrots! They then ‘create a roost’ by sticking all their sparrows together on our provided tree poster. Check out these fabulous examples by Zabbar B primary, who used their own additional tree to extend the activity!

We then want students to get outdoors and see sparrow roosts for themselves. So to encourage this, we’re offering a free bird table to each school that reports a roost through our website (as long as stocks last). Schools across Malta have already been submitting reports and have begun receiving their bird tables. The first was Tarxien Primary who found a sparrow roost within their school grounds!

If you work for an organisation involved in the management of trees, own an area of land in Malta which contains several large trees, or if you work at a Maltese school, please get in touch at [email protected] for more information on the above resources and opportunities.