Together Let’s Make it Count – this December start getting ready for our 2023 Big Garden Birdwatch

RSPB’s Morwenna Alldis helps us get ready for the Big Garden Birdwatch, running from 27-29 January 2023, and shares her top tips for feeding your garden birds this winter.

The Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. In 2022 almost 700,000 people took part, counting more than 11 million birds. We really hope you’ll join us in force on our January 2023 count and help us build a vital snapshot of how garden birds are doing in the county and across the UK.

Register today

Registration for Big Garden Birdwatch 2023 opens on 13 December 2022. Sign up here Take part | Big Garden Birdwatch 2023 - The RSPB for your FREE Big Garden Birdwatch guide, which includes a bird identification chart, top tips for your birdwatch, RSPB shop voucher, plus advice on how to help you attract wildlife to your garden, or text BIRD to 70030,

Natural wellbeing

Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch also offers a huge boost for our personal wellbeing. Connecting to nature is so important for our mental and physical health, so you owe it to yourself to take time out to enjoy your garden or balcony, pop to your local park or urban greenspace, or visit your nearest RSPB nature reserve – an hour of nature will do you good as well as helping nature too.

The struggles of past lockdown years really saw a movement towards us getting to know our local wild places and the wildlife that calls them home. After all, each of us are conservationists looking after the UK’s largest nature reserve – namely our gardens, balconies, window boxes and allotments.

Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch is free and couldn’t be easier

On either 27, 28, or 29 January pick just one hour and spend it watching and recording the birds that land (not those flying overhead) in either your garden, balcony, or local park. Then submit your results to us either online or by post. Tell us the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time during your chosen one-hour slot – not the total you see in the hour. A ‘how to take part in the BGBW’ video will go live on the website on Dec 13^th.

Why is this survey so important?

The Big Garden Birdwatch is now in its 44th year. The wealth of data that you have gathered for us has helped us create an important snapshot of the health of our garden birds. Birds don’t exist in isolation; they’re just one link in the web of nature. If your survey results show that a specific species is declining, this is an indicator that other areas of nature linked to this bird may be struggling too, such as changes to the places birds call home and their food sources.

This information helps us better target our conservation efforts and the advice we give to the public about how we can all help create a world where wildlife, wild places and all people thrive.

Over its four decades, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. It was first indication of the decline in song thrush numbers, which are still down 81% compared to the first Big Garden Birdwatch in 1979.  This species was a firm fixture in the top 10 in 1979. By 2009, its numbers were less than half those recorded in 1979, it came in at 20 in the rankings this year, seen in just 8% of gardens.

Star species

Looking back at the top 10 garden birds spotted in the UK 2022 birdwatch gives us a good indicator of the sort of species to look out for this year. Let’s remind ourselves of the UK’s Top of the Birdwatch Pops, 2022

1. House sparrow
2. Blue tit
3. Starling
4. Woodpigeon
5. Blackbird
6. Robin
7. Goldfinch
8. Great tit
9. Magpie
10. Chaffinch

Who’s that bird?

Now you know which species to look out for on your Big Garden Birdwatch, here are our top tips on how to identify them when they start visiting your winter gardens:

1. Look out for key features: Whether you know a thing or two about birds or not, we are on hand to help you connect with the nature in your garden – there’s a fantastic range of resources on our website, including our popular bird identification guide which uses key features to help you find out what birds you’ve seen.
2. Start off small: It can seem daunting with so many bird species to distinguish between, but garden birds are a great way to start your birdwatching adventure. They are some of the easiest to identify and tend to hang around long enough for you to take a quick snap to reference later if you need. 
3. Share what you see: Don’t forget, you can share what you see on social media with the hashtag #BigGardenBirdWatch – You can always use our bird identifier on our website here if you get stuck or email Wildlife Enquires on Wildlife@rspb.org.uk.  
4. Put up feeders: Not only will that make a host of birds stay for longer but if you feed them regularly, they’ll learn that your garden is a great place to keep coming to. Different feeders and food will attract a variety of birds so feel free to experiment and see who comes to visit. You don’t necessarily need an all singing all dancing feeder – even a tray on a table will make a nice start!  More information about feeding birds can be found

Get your garden birdwatch ready this December

Now that you’re excited for your Big Garden Birdwatch, make sure that your garden or balcony has winter bird appeal, to entice your feathered friends to land. It’s good to do this now as it can take a little time for your local birds to find and regularly visit new birdfeeders.

Top tips on how to give your garden birds a home this Christmas1.

1.  Food - During winter, birds need energy to maintain their body temperature. Feed them high fat foods, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, or fat-based food bars. Remember to remove any mesh sacking from this feed – it can trap and injure birds. Some kitchen leftovers are safe for birds, including chopped apples and pears, grated cheese, cooked pastry,  and defrosted peas. Cooked rice, pasta and the inside of potatoes are also great energy sources. Remember to keep feeding areas clean and hygienic.
2. Water - Provide daily fresh water for your garden birds in a birdbath, pond, or recycled shallow container with a stone inside so that they can perch - birds need this to drink and      bathe. Regularly check your bird baths during the winter, in case a sudden frost causes the surface to freeze, making it inaccessible for birds.
3. Cosy shelter - Winter is the perfect time to install a nestbox. Birds can investigate the box now, before nesting season begins in the spring. And you may even find that some birds    use the box as a winter roost - valuable shelter from blustery weather. For more info on nestboxes and the best place to position them, click here. Or check out our online shop.

We hope you have a fantastic 2023 Big Garden Birdwatch and that you have fun getting ready for it by helping and getting to know your local birds this December. Together let’s make it count.

To find out more about the Big Garden Birdwatch visit: Big Garden Birdwatch | The RSPB