SURVEY
Sign up for Big Garden Birdwatch 2024 and help track how our garden birds are doing
It’s that time of year again, when the RSPB asks birdwatchers across Britain to record the species that visit their garden as part of the Big Garden Birdwatch.
The 2024 event takes place on 26-28 January – those taking part are challenged to spend an hour watching their garden.
You only record the birds that actually land on your chosen patch, and the highest number seen at any one time.
The information is then submitted to the RSPB website, and helps provide a snapshot of how different species are faring, guiding future conservation strategies by f lagging up any surprising declines or increases.
You don’t have to be an RSPB member to take part, and if you don’t have your own garden, you can use a balcony, or a local park or green space. Schools are also encouraged to take part.
Last year, more than half a million people took part, counting more than nine million birds.
House Sparrow was the most commonly recorded, although its numbers are down by a worrying 57% compared to the first BGBW in 1979.
Blue Tit, Starling, Woodpigeon and Blackbird were the next four most commonly recorded species. About 38 million birds have been lost from the UK in the past 60 years, so the survey, and the work that i
