Looking for something to do on a cold January day? Why not join the Big Garden Birdwatch, 27 to 29 January? You can even do it from your armchair and maybe the person you care for would enjoy it too. As well as enjoying watching the birds, you will be contributing to valuable research. It’s fun, free and a great way to connect to nature.
The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch has been running for 40 years and is the UK’s largest citizen science wildlife survey. Over the last 50 years we have lost 38 million birds from UK skies and your Birdwatch results help monitor how our UK birds are faring in the face of the nature and climate emergency. Starlings which used to be common in our gardens have declined in numbers so much they are now on the UK red list for birds.
If you’d like to get outside to take part you don’t even require a garden – you can do it anywhere, maybe from your local park. All you need to do is count how many birds land in your chosen area during one hour between Friday 27th and Sunday 29th January.
Click this link to find out more: The Big Garden Birdwatch 2023. You’ll be able to register online to take part and download your free bird identification guide. You can also learn more about which species are on the endangered lists and what we can do to support our local birds, including how to feed them safely. Even a small window feeder can attract visitors to your birdwatch. Big Garden Birdwatch Live will also be streaming over the weekend where you can hear commentary and chat with wildlife experts.
Even if you don’t see any birds, your results are still important. Just by taking part, you and all the other hundreds of thousands of nature lovers, will be helping research which will protect our birds for future generations. Have fun!
Follow along on Instagram here.
Blog by Nicola Coughlin
