Part Four: The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 – How You Can Take Part
Welcome to the fourth blog in our Outdoor Explorers series. The last post was all about the moon. This time, we’re looking for some creatures a bit closer to home…
The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from 29–31 January, and it’s the perfect chance to find out more about the birds in our garden or local park. The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, and the purpose of the Birdwatch is to keep track of the populations of British birds. The RSPB’s goal is to protect threatened birds, wildlife and habitats, ‘giving nature a home’.
How to Take Part
You don’t have to have a garden to take part. Choose an hour over these three days and count all the birds you see in your garden, courtyard or from your balcony, ignoring any birds that fly over but don’t land. Make a note of all the birds you see. You can sign up here with RSPB to download all the info you need. Afterwards, tell the RSPB what you saw – submit your results online from 29 January.
Why Get Involved?
Birdwatching is relaxing. It’s also fun to see how different birds behave. You might see a robin with its distinctive red breast; a tiny wren hopping around looking for insects; or a group of noisy, squabbling starlings. Or you might see something more unusual: a sparrowhawk swooping over your garden, maybe? Not sure what kind of bird you can see? This site will help you. Check out some birdwatching tips, and find out how best to birdwatch with children.
The Top Ten Garden Birds in the UK
In January 2020, almost 500,000 people counted almost eight million birds, making the Birdwatch one of the biggest ever. Can you help to make the 2021 Birdwatch even bigger?
In 2020 the top ten birds were:
- House sparrow
- Starling
- Blue tit
- Woodpigeon
- Blackbird
- Goldfinch
- Great tit
- Robin
- Long-tailed tit
- Magpie
You can find out the 2020 Birdwatch results here. The top three birds were the same as in 2019. The house sparrow was number one for the seventeenth year running. There was a new entry to the top ten, long-tailed tit, and the chaffinch dropped out of the top ten to number eleven.
Want to know what kind of bird you are? Play this fun game to find out…
How to Attract Birds to Your Garden or Balcony
- Feed them. Robins love mealworms, blue tits and long-tailed tits love suet balls, and blackbirds love apples – halve an apple and leave it on the ground for them. Birds like to feel safe, so put your feeders close to a tree or bush they can use for shelter.
- Provide water – for them to drink or bathe in. This could simply be a shallow bowl of water – it doesn’t have to be a proper bird bath. Put it somewhere shaded, where birds have a good view all around them. Change the water and clean the bowl every other day.
- Plant bird-friendly plants: birds like rowan, hawthorn, holly and honeysuckle berries. These plants also provide shelter for birds. Or you could plant wildflowers: these will attract the insects that birds love to eat, as well as bees and butterflies.
If you enjoy watching your feathered friends, you might like to consider joining the RSPB and supporting its work. It looks after hundreds of reserves all over the UK that you can visit.
Happy birdwatching!