Students in a rural area of Talca, Chile, participated in a prestigious science fair hosted by the University of Talca.

Inspired by Celebrate Urban Birds, students from Complejo Educacional de Pencahue received first prize for their research project:

 "Riqueza, Abundancia y Frecuencia de la Avifauna del Matorral Costero, en Época Invernal de la Provincia de Talca". To see their work click here.

The students from an agricultural area located in the "Cordillera de la Costa" mountain range (scrubs that are part of the forest in the Mediterranean zone) have been very involved in the methodology of studying urban birds and have created a study of birds of the Coastal Scrub and cultivation fields that are part of the city of Talca. 

Students collected weekly data from the varied locations of the region (the majority of students live in distant places that are difficult to access).  

Their aim was to discover the native species of the zone, study migratory birds, migratory altitude, and residents.

First prize was a study tour of Mendoza in Argentina. This was very exciting to the students who have not had opportunity for travel before

The students also received second prize for their presentation:

"Cambio Climático en Penchaue, una Mirada Hacia el Pasado de los Árboles"

In addition students from Escuela Juan Luis Sanfuentes presented:

Students did their research on Rock Pigeons (based on Project PigeonWatch) by collecting data in different locations in the city of Talca. The study was very well received and generated a lot of interest from the public. They were even interviewed by the local newspaper from the University of Talca. Although this group did not receive a prize at the science fair, they were very happy about their work because their school had never participated in an science fair of this magnitude.

Cristián Muñoz, from the University of Talca, leads the project. Cynthia Letelier, science teacher from el Complejo Educacional de Pencahue coordinates the students and prepares them for their activities. Both have been working tirelessly for years now to introduce birds and the scientific process to students in the region.

"We have had much satisfaction this year in our studies. We are very motivated to continue our work in the coastal scrublands. We will continue our census of different sectors of the scrubland, in spring and summer and will analyze the data collected by students from diverse rural locations. Next year we also hope to apply to a big project using this same theme. The judges were very impressed with the students' knowledge of birds and the poster presentation." ~Cristián Muñoz