A LEADING charity is hoping to give popstars like Ed Sheeran and Billie Eilish the bird.
And the RSPB is asking twitchers in Wokingham to help leave them spotting feathers.
It has launched a specially recorded single containing songs from birds it warns are threatened with extinction.
The charity wants music lovers in the town to get the track called Let Nature Sing to the top of the charts.
Bird fanciers in Wokingham helped Berkshire record one of the highest responses to the annual UK Big Garden Birdwatch last January.
A total of 92,594 people in the South East took part in the survey, a staggering 21% increase on the previous year.
That number included 11,354 children who joined the Big Schools Birdwatch.
Martin Harper the RSPB’s Director of Conservation urged people in the town to help make Let Nature Sing reach the coveted top spot by downloading, streaming or sharing the single.
“Birds are such iconic parts of human culture but many of us no longer have the time or opportunity to enjoy them. The time we spend in nature, just watching and listening, can have huge benefits to our wellbeing, especially in these stressful times.
“The RSPB wants to help more people reconnect with their wilder sides and is bringing birdsong back into people’s busy lives by releasing a soothing track of pure unadulterated bird song. We hope that by understanding what we have lost that we inspire others to take part in the recovery. Without nature our lives are so less complete.”
The track is designed to help reconnect the nation with nature, helping people find a moment to relax and promote a feeling of tranquillity, as birdsong has been shown to aid mental health and promote feelings of well-being.
This year’s birdwatch showed the top three most common garden visitors in Berkshire were the blue tit, wood pigeon and house sparrow.
House sparrows showed a 3% increase across Berkshire gardens, placing them in the county’s top three most common garden visitors this year.
However, starlings, which have now dropped to 4th place in Berkshire, have also faced dramatic population declines across the UK in the past few decades. With Berkshire sightings dropping by 6% this year, these already threatened birds are still very much at risk in the county.
Nic Scothern, the RSPB’s South East Regional Director said: “It’s incredible to see that so many people across the South East show a real passion and concern for the wildlife in their gardens and green spaces.
“People are becoming more and more aware of the challenges and threats that our UK wildlife is currently facing. Citizen science surveys, such as the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, really help empower people of all ages and backgrounds to play an active part in conservation, and to speak out for the wildlife they love and want to protect.”
For more information about the single visit: rspb.org.uk/letnaturesing
