Bird watchers and enthusiasts were today under starter’s orders with binoculars and Oyster cards at the ready to race each other across London in the second Oystercatcher Bird Race.

London Wildlife Trust's team stormed to victory in last year's race - will they repeat their stunning success this year and beat off competition from the likes of the RSPB, WWT and Natural England?

The Oystercatcher Bird Race is a fun and adventurous competition organised by Natural England and supported by Transport for London (TfL). The event aims to raise awareness of London’s beautiful green spaces and natural wildlife and how accessible they are with an Oyster card using the Capital’s public transport network.

The twelve hour race begins at 6am and goes on through the course of the day until 6pm. Participants this year include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, London Zoo, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, London Wildlife Trust and the Natural History Museum. Participating organisations form teams of four people who then design their own Oystercatcher Bird Race route using the TfL network including the Tube and London Buses.

The Oystercatcher teams have to travel to different wildlife sites and other green spaces across the Capital, such as the London Wetlands Centre, Farthing Downs and Sydenham Hill Woods where they try to spot as many bird species as possible. Once they reach the finishing line at 6pm at the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Garden, the results will be compared by independent judges and the winners announced.

“London is fortunate to be extremely rich in abundant wildlife whether that is in a local park, a nature reserve or on the embankments of the Thames. The Oystercatcher Bird race is a cracking way to show how Londoners can enjoy the many green spaces in the capital using public transport” says Boris Johnson.

“There have been over 200 species of wild birds recorded in London, so the teams will be hoping to track down more than just pigeons and swans. In fact with an early start in May, it’s possible that they could record a great number of different birds, including the elusive Oystercatcher, a large, black and white wading bird" says Peter Massini from Natural England.

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