Anyone in Hedge End doing the Big Garden Birdwatch this Weekend?

This weekend (30-31 January) sees the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) Big Garden Birdwatch in which they ask people to count the number of birds in their garden over a one hour period.

They choose January for the count because the cold weather means birds are more likely to come into gardens looking for food and shelter and you can choose whichever hour of the day is most convenient for your watch – although they do say that you’ll see more birds the earlier you get up.

The annual Birdwatch has been running for thirty years and the aim is to create a snapshot picture of the numbers of birds in each area of the country. Over the years more than 3 million hours has been spent recording the visits of 6 million birds and the results have shown a serious decline in a number of some species.

There has been a more than 50 percent drop in the number of house sparrows seen and a three-quarters decline in starlings.

All you need to take part is pen and paper although the RSPB give tips for an even better birdwatch such as setting up a feeder or bird table near a window and putting out food.

They also suggest using their illustrated counting sheet which you can download from the Big Garden Birdwatch website and there’s a handy identification sheet also available from the website.

For the survey the RSPB say they want the number of birds that actually land in a garden – or a park if that’s where you’re doing your birdwatch – and want the results even if you don’t see any birds during your hour’s watch as this is important data too.

If you’re doing the birdwatch, do let Hedgeendpeople know your results as well – and by the way, snow isn’t forecast for the weekend, but this robin is a regular visitor to our garden and I managed to catch him on camera during the recent fall.

The RSPB is the UK charity ‘working to secure a healthy environment for birds and other wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all’.