4 June 2004

England's "Big Bug Count"

Active SAS member Jim Hannon informs us about a novel survey being conducted during June by England's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

The RSPB is concerned that a decline in England's insect population may be affecting the numbers of swallows, martins, sparrows, skylarks and other birds that eat insects or feed them to their young.

The Big Bug Count is based on a clever but simple strategy. Participants will drive from 20 to 80 miles during any time of the day. They will then place a template (see figure) against their vehicle license plate and count the number of insect splatters in each of six rectangular openings. They then report their findings over the Internet.

This Big Bug Count has important potential for surveys elsewhere. Even individual surveys conducted over a period of years could provide important data.

For more information, see www.rspb.org.uk/bugcount/

Forrest M. Mims III.