Birdwatchers are being asked to look out for our feathered friends between Christmas and New Year.

The Isle of Man Christmas Bird Race, which started in 2011, provides a spot-check on the diversity of birds wintering in the Isle of Man.

It isn’t a competition between individual birdwatchers or groups of birdwatchers. It is a collaborative effort, which aims to discover and report as many wild bird species as possible across the Isle of Man.

The ’race’ is organised by the Manx BirdLife charity, whose managing director, Neil Morris, said: ’The bird race has become a bit of a Christmas fixture. It’s a bit of festive fun and a great excuse to venture outdoors at a time when most of us are tempted to put our feet up indoors and watch too much television.

’Everyone can participate and send in their sightings, from expert birdwatchers to beginners alike, individuals, families and groups. You can birdwatch for as many or as few hours as you wish.’

The Christmas Bird Race rules:

-Sightings can be reported from the seven-day period running from the start of Christmas Day to the end of New Year’s Eve.

-You can spend as little or as much time as you wish looking for birds on your own, with your family or in groups anywhere on the island.

-Sightings must be of birds seen on, above or around the Isle of Man within Manx territorial waters.

This race is just for fun. There are no prizes. The aim is to beat the record tally of 116 species recorded in both 2020’s and 2018’s Christmas Bird Races.

Sightings can be submitted to Manx BirdLife through any of the following methods:

-Online at www.manxbirdlife.im/sightings/submit-your-sightings

-Completing and returning the Christmas Bird Race recording sheet available at www.manxbirdlife.im

-Twitter @ManxBirdLife using #ManxBirdRace

-Manx BirdLife’s Facebook page

Participants are asked to include their name, the dates and places of their sightings, the species and the number of each they saw, and a note of any interesting activities or behaviours you noticed.

Mr Morris added: ’Please take care. Always check the weather conditions before you go out and ensure you are dressed appropriately.

’Do remember when taking part that the welfare of birds and other wildlife is important. And most of all, have fun! The team at Manx BirdLife look forward to collating all your sightings.’

To find out more about how to join the Christmas Bird Race and to keep up with the number of species being seen, visit www.manxbirdlife.im

Each winter the mix and number of species is different due to weather conditions and the unpredictable movements of scarcer bird species. There are always surprises.

Manx BirdLife aims to conserve wild birds and their habitats.

Founded in 1997 under the name Manx Bird Atlas, the charity was renamed Manx Birdlife in 2008. The charity monitors the status of breeding and visiting birds through fieldwork and conservation action with expert scientists, conservationists and like-minded organisations.