The Greater Manchester Birding City Region (GMBCR) is a project aiming to inspire Greater Manchester to fall in love with the birdlife on their doorstep.

The GMBCR Project has created “The Perfect Ten” – a list of ten birds that represent our city region, with one bird selected to represent each borough of Greater Manchester.

The GMBCR Project is proposing that all ten borough councils formally adopt each selected bird as their official species. The project also aims to unite the Greater Manchester boroughs through connecting with nature and inspiring pride in their local environment.

The GMBCR Project believes that “The Perfect Ten” are 10 birds that every Greater Manchester resident and visitor should see in their lifetime.

The Perfect Ten film

At the Natural Group Capital Conference 2019, the question was asked: “How can we make the environment sexy?” The Perfect Ten film hopes to answer that question.

This short film, like the “Greater Manchester Birding City Region” book, is for the people of Greater Manchester.

The producers hope the film will attract a large audience, including council staff, marketing departments, wildlife film producers, book, website and magazine editors and conservation organisations when it premieres at the Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Manchester (virtual) Festival of Nature on Sunday 28th June.

The film is a grand tour of Greater Manchester where the birds are the superstars, starting in the Salford borough with Mute Swans on the Manchester Ship Canal and Salford Docklands, then journeys to Trafford to see the Northern Lapwing. Enjoy a splash of colour from the Rose-ringed Parakeet and the Kingfisher. A recent arrival is the Little Egret. Then take a tour to see the Stockport Mandarin Ducks, Wigan’s Willow Tits, the Rochdale Peregrines, to Oldham, the Owl borough, and the film peaks on the moors with the Red Grouse.

What is the GMBCR?

Greater Manchester Birding City Region (GMBCR) is a world first project that started as a pledge to the inaugural Greater Manchester Green Summit in 2018.

The GMBCR Project are James Walsh and Shaun Hargreaves. Shaun says, “We’ve been looking at the environment of Northern England for the last 15 years, with a focus on Greater Manchester, including several years of research at the University of Salford.”

James, also known as The Mancunian Birder, says “We are promoting Greater Manchester as the world’s first “birding city region”, a concept that can be transferred to and utilised by any city region in the world. The vision is for a city region that recognises the positive benefits of birds and birding. Most people know about Greater Manchester’s connection with bees, but this project is all about the birds. Birding is a great way to connect with nature.”

GMBCR’s pioneering aims are:

- To put birding and the city regions incredible wealth of nature sites at the heart of Greater Manchester’s Green New Deal

- Nurturing nature and addressing species decline

- To engage the people of Greater Manchester in birding activities, promoting the well-proven mental and physical health benefits

Tune in for the premiere of “The Perfect Ten” film at the virtual Manchester Festival of Nature on Sunday 28th June.

Follow on Twitter: @MancNature @MancunianBirder