Big Garden Birdwatch - Are you taking part?

Rosie_Scope · January 22

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is coming up from 23-25th January.

You can do it in your garden, balcony or even your local park. All you need is a view of some outside space and an hour of your time to note down any birds that land. They ask that you take note of any birds that you see on the ground, in the trees, or on a bird feeder, but not in the sky. It's one of the UK's biggest wildlife surveys and it helps the RSPB to gather valuable insights into how the birds of the UK are doing.

If you sign up, I believe you also get a little pack to help you identify the birds that you see, so don't worry if you're not very savvy at identifying feathered friends! All the info is on the RSPB website below:

https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch

The main visitors to my garden at the moment are a family of blue tits, a robin pair, some noisy parakeets, and a couple of pigeons. But I'll have to report back once I've done my survey!

Is anyone planning to take part? What kinds of birds do you usually see where you are?

Clare75 · January 22

I'm taking part this year, we have a communal garden and for many years have had the most horrendous neighbours but they're gone and now I can do it. The birds aren't scared off by loud music and swearing anymore.

We get a lot of magpies, wood pigeons and collard doves here.…and starlings, loads of starlings.

Rosie_Scope · January 23

That's great @Clare75! Must be much more peaceful now those neighbours are gone.

I'm going to try and do mine at the weekend I think. I can hear the parakeets out there right now, they're noisy little things!

Holly_Scope · January 23

Aww this is a great idea! Keen to see what the most popular birds are in my area. 😊

I feed the birds daily and add some larger nuts for a cute little Squirrel that occasionally visits.

Mainly a flock of Pigeons, a single Magpie and Robin, and more recently a friendly Blackbird and a chirpy family of Blue Tits.

Mary_Scope · January 23

We don't have many birds in my area unfortunately apart from the odd pigeon!

My nan and granch always used to have lots of lovely little birds visit them, thought I suspect the many bird feeders and bird baths they collected had something to do with it😄

JW77 · January 24

There's not so many birds in my garden since we had it hard landscaped. No grass, less shrubby growth, and the birdfeeders are gone.. I'm still trying to work out where to put them!
On a good day its robins, sparrows, woodpigoens, magpies. We have the odd Wren about and sparrow hawks nearby

Rachel_Scope · January 25

Hope you can get the birdfeeders out soon so they come back @JW77. It must be so nice to be able to watch the birds from the window. We don't have a garden so we don't see many birds, but we do have dogs at the Coop over the road to look at instead!

SmellyBin · January 25

I live in the NL and we've got the birdwatch next weekend. I am hoping to join. Perhaps I'll wait until 4 PM when there might be loads of starlings showing up. Here online you've also got a map of participants and last year I was the only one in our street.

Has anyone in the UK already done some bird counting?

Andi66 · January 25

I had 9 that's all, I put out stuff in my bird feeders .got bird box's. My cats have a catio ,so can't get to them. Although next door one, older sister of one of mine goes after them. They should do one later in the year as well

WhatThe · January 25

I won't be counting but I do spend hours staring at the trees outside and watching birds land.

My favourite is the bright green parakeet which has a tremendous squawk and looks beautiful in flight and close up. We have them all year round in my part of London. They are predated by crows and seagulls so they all create quite a commotion.

Magpies, robins, blackbirds, wood pigeons also very vocal here.

Clare75 · January 25

I did the birdwatch on Saturday, the weather was nice and I just sat by bedroom window for an hour, we have a communal garden with lots of trees and bushes and a huge open space behind us.

It was lovely I saw so many different birds, robins, crows, magpies, jackdaws, coal tits, great tits, blue tits, chaffinches and pied wagtails and about 40 black headed gulls.

Saw 4 squirrels playing too which I absolutely loved.

WhatThe · January 25

I'm sure I read somewhere that Chris did the birdwatch today but it's not on this thread.

Well done to all the lucky people who spent an hour gazing into their garden 🦉

Rosie_Scope · January 26

My birdwatch was affected by the local cat visitors. We normally get a couple but for some reason they were all over the garden during the hours I had to count on Saturday. I restarted three times but the cats were clearly on the same schedule 😂

Despite that, I saw 3 Great Tits, 2 robins, 1 wood pigeon and a collared dove. The others were probably hiding! It said I saw 28% fewer birds than most people!

Big Garden Birdwatch - Are you taking part?

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