鳥類生息状況調査 The 5th Bird Survey

とある市で10年おきに行われている鳥類生息状況調査に初参加しました。今回は5回目の調査で、つまり半世紀の記録が蓄積されることになります。

It was the first time for me to participate in a city bird survey which is conducted every ten years.  This is 5th survey, it means that bird records have been accumulated half a century.

26/May/2024 The time of Sunrise

私は、ごくわずかですが、市街地区域の調査を担当しました。

The survey designed that it divided 500m squares within the city for recording all bird species and numbers on each route, also had to start the time of sunrise and finish before 10am. I kept some days for the research as I had several routes. I could not finish in one day. Although it was a very hard investigation for me, I was honored to be able to join it.

行政の厳しい財政の中で予算確保なども大変だと思いますし、調査員の皆さんの科学的データの蓄積の重要性に対する意識の高さとボランティア精神にも頭が下がる想いです。

It will be more and more difficult to keep budgets because of the government's tight financial situation. However this is the inestimable value records as it shows common bird's changes over 50 years, which is very meaningful. 

I really wish that the survey will continue for the next 50 years (100 years in total!). 

普段は調査対象になりにくい、ごく普通の鳥たちの50年間の変化がわかるこの記録は大変意味深いものになると感じています。これからの50年（計100年！）は調査が継続されることを切に願っています。