Big garden bird watch

Photo: Ray Kennedy

A Robin on bird table in a garden

The world’s biggest garden wildlife survey, RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, will take place on 30-31 January, and more people in Greater Manchester than ever before are being called upon to take part.

Now in its 37th year, the Big Garden Birdwatch helps to provide valuable information about the changes in numbers of birds using our gardens in winter and create a picture of how garden wildlife is doing.

More than half a million people across the UK expected to take part this year; it’s a great event for all ages and it's easy to join in. Simply count the birds in your garden or local park for one hour over Big Garden Birdwatch weekend and tell the RSPB what you see.

For the third time in the event’s history, participants are also being asked to log some of the other wildlife which snuffles and settles in their gardens and local parks, including badgers, hedgehogs and red squirrels.

Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “Last year’s survey saw more than eight-and-a-half million birds spotted nationally, making it another great year for participation. With over half a million people now regularly taking part, coupled with over 30 years’ worth of data, Big Garden Birdwatch allows us to monitor trends and helps us understand how birds are doing.

“As the format of the survey has stayed the same, the scientific data can be compared year-on-year, making your results very valuable. With results from so many gardens, we are able to create a 'snapshot' of bird numbers across the UK. Once we know which birds are in trouble, together we can ensure that our garden wildlife will be around forever.”

Since the Big Garden Birdwatch began, over half of our house sparrows and 80 per cent of our starlings have disappeared and the RSPB knows this thanks to people taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch and sharing their findings.

This year, participants can simply record the birds as they see them directly onto a laptop, tablet or smartphone with an online bird counting tool or send results in the post.

To help attract wildlife into your garden, there are plenty of tips for helping to give nature a home where you live on the RSPB website. No matter how big or small your outside space, there’s something you can do to make a difference and the Big Garden Birdwatch is a great way of taking stock of how wildlife is doing near you.

Visit www.rspb.org.uk/homes for more information.

To register to take part in Big Garden Birdwatch 2016 and request a pack, visit:

 www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch