It's time to count the birds!

Every year the RSPB asks people to take part in the Big Garden Bird Watch. It’s really good fun and as simple as counting the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony or in your local park for one hour between 28 and 30 January 2022. In 2021, more than one million people took part in Big Garden Birdwatch, all coming together to look out for birds and to find out how they are faring. Why not join in and be one in a million for 2022? It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete beginner or a birding expert, Birdwatch is for everyone. The RSPB has created a Big Garden Bird Watch guide to help you. 

Taking part is as easy as 1,2,3:

1. Go online and register to take part.
2. Watch the birds around you for one hour.
3. Count how many of each species of bird lands on your patch. Count the highest number of each bird species that you see at any one time, otherwise you could count the same bird twice. For example, if you saw a group of four starlings, and towards the end of the hour you saw two starlings together, please write four as your final count. Remember to record your results online. 

Shockingly, we’ve lost 38 million birds from UK skies in the last 50 years, so it really is vital we do all we can to look after our birdlife. There are many ways you can attract and help birds. You can put feeders or a bird table in your garden. No garden, no problem. Window feeders are popular with many birds and are a fantastic viewing opportunity. At the garden we fill our feeders with sunflower hearts, which attracts a range of garden birds including bluetits, greenfinches and even great spotted woodpeckers. You may want to consider making your own bird feeders. This is a fun family activity that is also a RSPB Wild Challenge. 

Putting a bird box in your garden will give birds a safe space to raise their brood. Doing research before siting your bird box is a good idea, garden birds can be choosy when it comes to picking a home for their young. The RSPB recommends boxes not to be erected south facing as they become too hot, not to close to another box or feeder and have some surrounding vegetation for protection. There is a range of bird boxes for sale at the garden. 

When a large number of birds are attracted into an area, the danger of disease increases. Trichomonosis and Avian Influenza are two diseases we should be aware of that can affect garden birds. The good news is there are many things you can do to prevent disease occurring in your garden:

• Washing feeders regularly, ideally with a 5% disinfectant solution. We use Ark-Klens at the garden.
• Moving feeders to a new area every month prevents droppings accumulating underneath.
• Water containers should be rinsed out daily and allowed to dry before fresh water is added.
• Monitor food supply. If the food takes days to clear, reduce the amount of food you're offering to prevent it going bad.
• Keep your bird tables and feeders free from droppings or mouldy food.
• Don't bring your feeders into your house to clean them - do it outside, using separate utensils. Wear gloves when cleaning.

Flatford Wildlife Garden will be open during the 29 & 30 January, from 10.30am to 3.30pm. There will be a free self-led family trail about birds. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to give advise about helping birds in your garden and completing the Big Garden Bird Watch. Full details for visiting the garden can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/flatford.

We hope to see you there!