Big Garden Birdwatch
View All BlogsThe Big Garden Birdwatch is a UK based citizen science project run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) that has been in operation since 1979 making it the world’s largest and longest running garden wildlife survey. Every year during the last weekend in January, they ask people to spend an hour watching the birds on their patch and recording the ones that land. You can send in your results by post or online and most people choose to watch their gardens or balconies, but for those without access to a garden, you can visit your local park.
You don’t have to be a member of the RSPB to take part and even if you don’t see a single bird in that hour, it’s important to record that information because it’s just as valuable. Sadly, since the project began, many species have seen dramatic declines, and we have lost an estimated 38 million birds from our skies in the last 60 years.
This survey helps to keep track of garden bird populations and is vital in understanding how our garden visitors are faring. The winter months are an excellent time to monitor this as the harsher weather conditions mean that birds are more likely to be visiting our gardens now, and keeping the date of the survey similar each year allows a close comparison of the data from year to year.
A good example of one population trend that has been highlighted by the survey is the plight of the Greenfinch. Back in 1979 when the first Big Garden Birdwatch was held, Greenfinches were the 7th most common bird listed but in 2021 they were moved onto the Red List, meaning that they were deemed at most risk. By 2023 they were 18th on the Garden Birdwatch list, largely as a result of a devastating disease called trichomoniasis which can affect other finches too. Keeping bird baths and feeders clean can help stop the spread of the disease.
While stories like this have become all too common in recent years, there is of course always a possibility that you might come across something rare and wonderful. After all, how often do you watch your garden uninterrupted for a whole hour? Species of special note have included migrants from the continent such as Black Redstart, Fieldfare and Brambling, but one lucky recorder even found a Myrtle Warbler, a rare vagrant from North America, while another found a Northern Mockingbird.
The Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 is due to take place between 24th and 26th January. You can register to take place online and request a free ID guide. We recommend that in the run-up to the weekend, you thoroughly clean your feeders and replenish them with a variety of fresh food. Clean the bird bath too and ensure that fresh water is available, even in icy weather where possible – beware that hot water freezes faster than cold water though so if you want to give them water instead of more ice, it’s better to provide fresh, cold water than try to melt what they have with hot water!
You have until the 23rd of February to submit online records, and this is the best option, since a wider variety of species can be recorded and it saves on both paper and postage. In 2024 over 600,000 people took part and over 9.7 million birds were counted. Perhaps in 2025 those numbers will be even higher… we can but hope! What will you find on your patch?