By Abdalrahman Ayad
The American University of Sharjah’s “Green Team” is coordinating the annual Bird Census from Nov. 3-6, during which faculty and student volunteers will observe and record the diversity of bird species on campus.
The data will be included in the 2025-26 Green Campus Audit, part of AUS’s participation in the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) Sustainable Campus Initiative.
Participants will choose from one of 16 transects, or study paths, on campus and will walk it three times during the census at either one hour after sunrise or one hour before sunset.
Volunteers will receive bird identification sheets, data recording forms, and instructions on how to submit observations. They are also encouraged to take photos to provide visual confirmation of their written observations.
Organizers say the project’s primary objective is to raise awareness of the local area’s biodiversity while inviting the AUS community to become aware of it even in landscaped areas of campus.
