Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 24th-25th January 2015

The RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch – taking place this year on 24-25th January 2015 – is always a big highlight of garden bird’s population in UK. For one hour over the weekend many of British homes will count and record the different bird species that visit their garden. Their results, and those submitted by many hundreds of thousands of people up and down the UK, are vitally important for helping the RSPB to gain a snapshot of the health of different bird populations across the country.

What does RSPB mean?

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organization registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded as the Plumage League in 1889 by Emily Williamson. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment through public awareness campaigns, petitions and through the operation of nature reserves throughout the United Kingdom.

Why take part?

Bird populations are a great indicator of the health of the countryside. That’s why it’s so important to take part in surveys like Big Garden Birdwatch to keep an eye on the ups and downs of the wildlife where people live.

What we can do?

Birds that like hanging feeders: Blue tit, Long-tailed tit, Great tit

Choose some energy-rich seeds to give your flying visitors a feast they'll come back for time and time again.

Birds that feed on the ground: Collared dove, Blackbird, Dunnock, Wren.

For these birds, scatter food on your lawn or use a ground feeding tray or hopper well clear of cover to avoid lurking cats.

Feed anywhere birds: Blackcap, House sparrow, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Starling, Robin, Siskin.

Some birds will feed on the ground. They'll also feed at hanging feeders. In fact, as long as they get their food, some of our most popular garden birds really don't give a tweet about where they get it from.

Join thousands of others all over the world and pick an hour over the weekend to discover the wildlife in your garden, make feeders and help birds and animals to survive a long winter.