The RSPB’s Becca Smith tells of how Big Garden Birdwatch is the easiest “thank you” you can give to nature this January
Big Garden Birdwatch is the relaxing break everyone needs right now. “Unprecedented” might as well have been the word of 2020, yet it was also the year that nature gave us the solace we so desperately needed.
Moving into 2021, now’s as good a time as ever to give back to the nature that gave us so much last year. Think of how much it meant to breathe in a breath of fresh air on windswept cliff tops, or to marvel at the wonders of the butterflies flitting through foliage - I’m sure you’ll agree that nature deserves a huge “thank you”.
If you’re anything like me, it was the birds that captivated us the most. As we abandoned our commutes and set to work in our kitchens, the flutter of feathers outside our windows provided the welcome distraction we all needed. My feathered friends? The humble house sparrows who were busy to-ing and fro-ing back in the Spring, building their nest and going on to fledge 2 chicks - much to my delight as I’d been cheering them on (silently so as not to disturb them of course) for weeks!
Photo: A male (left) and female (right) house sparrow perch outside my window. Credit: Becca Smith
While I may have been watching the birds from my windows ever since, this January is the time where my efforts really make a difference, and yours can too. The Big Garden Birdwatch has been running for 42 years, helping the RSPB to track the winners and losers of the garden bird world through the results they receive (and after some awesome number crunching).
Thankfully, you don’t have to spend an age counting the birds you see land in your garden or from your balcony or window either, as the RSPB are asking you to spend just an hour over the weekend (that’s the 29 – 31 January 2021) recording what you see.
Whether you gather the kids round the window to record what you see, or you take a quiet hour with a cuppa and a slice of cake like me, watching the birds is a fantastic escape from the outside world. What’s more, it’s a fantastically easy way to give back to nature and all the brilliant work the RSPB does as a charity.
Photo: A great tit makes use of a homemade feeder. Credit: David Tipling
Recently, more people than ever have been visiting the RSPB’s bird identification guides online, and even after I’ve closed my laptop for the day I get messages from friends saying “Becca, what’s this bird?”
If the thought of working out what bird is perching on your feeders or rustling away in a hedge seems a bit daunting, don’t fear. When you register for your FREE Big Garden Birdwatch guide from the RSPB, there’s a fantastic range of handy hints and tips for easy ways to tell your goldfinches from your blue tits, so be sure to head to rspb.org.uk/birdwatch to get your mitts on that!