Brussels ready to count its birds

Now that the people have been counted, Brussels is taking a two-year census of its winged population, with the help of two wildlife associations, one for French-speakers and one for Flemish-speakers. Members, that is, not birds.

Natagora and Natuurpunt will work together to log every bird seen in the city's 192 square kilometers over the next two years to compile a picture of who's resident and who's missing as well as any new arrivals. It will also tab the locations for the birds, to allow for analysis in fine detail.

It's not just out of bird love or curiosity, either: naturalists expect the changing patterns of bird life in an around the city to provide clues about climate change and its effects on wildlife, and how that compares with effects caused by urban development. A similar census was taken in 2004 and will be used for comparisons.

_{Image: Rare white-fronted redtail, seen on a taxi wing-mirror. Credit: René Dumoulin/Brussels Times}