LEISURE: Are you signed up for the RSPB ‘Big Garden Bird Watch’?

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The RSPB birdwatch survey is in it’s 45th year and is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring.

The survival of wildlife species is the best sign of whether conservation, which is one of RSPB’s aims, is working. By completing the survey residents of BCP are working with the RSPB to ensure bird safety and conservation. 

RSPB is there to conserve, protect and restore habitats and save species from extinction, they manage over 200 nature reserves in the UK from the Shetlands to the Suffolk Coast and even in our own area of Dorset. They work in partnership with The State of Nature report, led by RSPB scientists to understand how nature is progressing or declining in the UK, what may be causing species to decline and what’s needed to make a change.

In 2024, the survey was a successful way to collate information with 600,000 people taking part, counting 9.7 million birds in total. Despite their gradual decline Sparrows took top spot! But these birds were down by 60% compared to the first birdwatch. 

Since that first birdwatch in 1979, the UK has lost 38 million birds from it’s bird population which illustrates how important these annual birdwatch surveys are.

Here’s some tips from a local garden centre (Haskins) on how to prepare for the birdwatch  –  Alasdair Urquhart, Garden & Wildlife Expert at Haskins Garden Centres, suggests providing food sources for birds.  “The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch is the perfect time to take more notice of your local wildlife and support birds during tough weather conditions in the UK. Natural food sources are scarcer in winter, so it is important to look after birds visiting your garden”. 

“Hang out feeders with an assortment of foods, such as suet, sunflower seeds, and peanuts (preferrably unsalted) to attract a diverse range of feathered friends, like robins and chaffinches. Provide shelter by installing bird boxes in a north-easterly position to protect birds from the brightest sunshine and the coldest winds.”

If you want more top tips on how to help wildlife in your outdoor space head to RSPB Advice. 

Why not spend an hour between the 24th and the 26th of January this year to see how birds are faring and do your part to help protect birds by improving statistics for 2025?  (you’ll also be enjoying some time with nature in the process) 

To find out more about the RSPBs’ Big Garden Birdwatch, visit their website.

By Freya Haines

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