If you’re interested in birds and wildlife in your garden or local park then the next 3 days (27-29 Jan 2018) are a perfect way to get involved with The Big Garden Birdwatch organised by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). It’s designed to help them build a picture of garden wildlife across Britain. And it only takes an hour!
This was one of our visitors from a couple of years ago …
It all started in 1979 with the RSPB asking its younger members to count the birds in their gardens all at the same time so they could work out what the UK’s top 10 most common garden birds were. With the help of Biddy Baxter and Blue Peter an expected few hundred responses actually became more than 34,000!
This one off activity has grown into the regular event it is today with over half a million people now regularly taking part. Coupled with almost 40 years of data the Big Garden Birdwatch has helped the RSPB monitor trends and understand how birds are doing.
What you can do:
- Visit the RSPB website to find out everything you need to know about the Big Garden Bird Watch
- Download and print this form to make it easy to tick off what you see
- Set aside an hour during just one of the three days (Sat 27 – Mon 29 Jan) find a comfy seat with a good view of your chosen outdoor space – if you don’t have a garden don’t worry, try visiting a local park or green area and join in there!
- We absolutely recommend something baked and a big cuppa something else to go with this part ? These Double Chocolate and Orange Muffins would be perfect. As would these Apple and Sultana Muffins. If bars are more your thing try these Pecan Pie Bars or how about these Healthy Rice Krispie Treats ?
- Count the maximum number of each species you see at any one time. For example, if you see a group of three house sparrows together and later another two, and after that another one, the number to submit is three. That way, it’s less likely you’ll double-count the same birds
- Return to the Big Garden Bird Watch website and record what you’ve seen!
- Make Your Own Bird Feeder!
What you’ll need:
- A few ’empty’ toilet roll tubes
- Some peanut butter
- Some bird seed
- Scissors
- String or twine
Simply spread the peanut butter onto the outside of the toilet roll tubes then roll in the bird seed
Cut some string long enough to go through the length of the tube with some extra to hang your tube up with. Feed it through the centre of the tube and tie a knot
Hang in various places round your garden!
Above ALL else, sit back, relax and enjoy an hour doing nothing but observing nature ?
