Gardeners have been urged to spend one hour outside this weekend to look at their bird table. The annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is back, with people across the nation set to take part.
It is the biggest citizen science wildlife survey in the UK and by spending just one hour this weekend, you can help paint a picture on how garden birds are doing. People have been asked to track and count which birds are in their garden. Last year, over 590,000 people took part and counted a total of 9.1million birds.
Sadly, we have lost 38million birds from UK skies over the past 60 years. Birds are facing more challenges than ever before, so the RSPB is stressing the importance of the survey.
They explained: “Every bird you do – or don’t – count will give us a valuable insight into how garden birds are faring.” In 2025, the House Sparrow was the most seen bird yet the count was down 64% compared to the first Birdwatch back in 1979.
The Birdwatch kicks off on Friday, January 23 and runs until Sunday, January 25. All you need to do is to count the birds you see in your garden or local park over an hour period.
But, you can only count the birds that land. Make a note of any that you saw, even if there were no birds at all. Then, you need to tell the RSPB your results either online or by post.
It doesn’t matter what time of day you do your Birdwatch. The RSPB ask people taking part with others to not record the same spot twice.
They warned: “If more than one watcher submits results from the same place, we’ll end up with duplicate results and skewed numbers.”
The event runs for three days, yet people have been asked to spend just one hour counting the birds in one location. If you want to do more than one Birdwarch over the weekend, ensure you change locations.
For anyone taking part, they have until February 22 to sumbit the results. The easiest way is to add your data online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch. If you prefer the post, print out your form and send it back to the RSPB by February 17.
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