Every year the RSPB hosts the world's largest wildlife survey. The birdwatch takes place this year from January 24th to 26th. It can take place anywhere, from your back garden to a public park. To get involved you don't need to be a member of the RSPB, you just need to sign up on the RSPB website. You don't need to be confident in bird ID, people of any skill level are encouraged to take part. You can take part yourself with a cuppa in the morning, or set off as a big group and watch birds together (if in a group only submit one set of results).
Why is the Big Garden Birdwatch important?
The bird watch was established in 1979, that's 46 years of bird watching! By coming together and recording the bird species that we see, we can help to provide a map of species ranges across the UK. This is important for being able understand how species distributions are changing and what could be impacting this. The changes in bird numbers can be a result of a multitude of things such as habitat change and temperature change. By understanding these changes, we can work together to help better protect species.
For access to free ID resources, join the big bird watch here.
