I will be taking part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s largest garden wildlife survey this weekend (26, 27 and 28 January).
The RSPB says that last year over 26,000 individuals and teams of citizen scientists submitted their responses, counting over half a million birds in gardens, balconies, and parks. And for RSPB Cymru, this provides an invaluable snapshot of the health of Wales’ most common bird populations.
To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2024: watch the birds in your garden, on your balcony, or in your local green space for one hour at some point over the three days. Only count the birds that land, not those flying over. Tell the RSPB the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not the total you see in the hour.
And they say it isn’t just nature that stands to benefit from the Big Garden Birdwatch. During the Covid pandemic, and especially through lockdown, research showed that nature provided a vital outlet to many people seeking some calm during a stressful and worrying time. RSPB Cymru is keen to emphasise how taking an hour out to relax with nature can do a world of good.
This year’s event marks 45 years since the first Big Garden Birdwatch. Starting in 1979, it has since become a much-loved annual citizen science event, that gives the RSPB a valuable snapshot of how our garden birds are doing in the UK. Over that time, 185 million birds have been counted and nearly 11.5 million hours spent watching and counting garden birds.
I’m looking forward to joining the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. It’s a simple but important thing – counting our birds helps us keep track of how they’re doing and reminds us to look after our green spaces. It’s good for the birds and good for all of us.
To take part in Big Garden Birdwatch visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch