Thousands of twitchers are expected to watch their gardens this weekend to find out which birds are blooming and which need our help.
Whether you are a veteran birdwatcher or environmental enthusiast, the RSPB needs as many people as possible to take part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch this Saturday and Sunday (Jan 25-26).
Schools are encouraged to take part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch, which runs until February 14.
The weather has a big influence on the number of birds in gardens each winter and experts are interested to see if the extreme conditions of recent weeks have made birds seem scarce or if they appear in their droves.
For the first time since the scheme began in 1979, participants are asked to log other wildlife in their gardens too. The RSPB wants to know if people see squirrels, hedgehogs, frogs, toads, badgers or even deer in their gardens.
RSPB president Miranda Krestovnikoff said: “It’s easy to take part and great fun. I can’t wait to settle down with my children and a cup of tea and we’ll eagerly await some of our regular visitors. We’re all hoping that our nuthatch and bullfinch pay a visit during our hour.
“The RSPB urgently needs as many people to take part as possible. The more people that get involved, the more we’ll be able to understand which of our wildlife is most under threat and take action.”
Starlings hit an all time low in last year's Birdwatch with their numbers sinking by a further 16 per cent across the UK from 2012. Numbers of house sparrows, which are of high conservation concern, dropped 17 per cent in gardens compared with 2012, whilst numbers of bullfinches and dunnocks were down 20 and 13 per cent respectively.
People are asked to spend one hour this weekend noting the number of bird species in their gardens or local outside spaces. Participants have three weeks to share their results online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or via the post.
