Join The RSPBs #biggardenbirdwatch 2024

17th January 2024

Photo Gallery

Last year's event (January 2023) saw a huge level of participation, with a staggering 9.1 million birds counted. BUT...beneath the surface of these seemingly impressive numbers, lies a concerning situation for our winter visitors. For example: the charming House Sparrow, a familiar sight in many gardens, clinched the top spot in the last count, and yet, their numbers have plummeted by 57% since the inaugural RSPB Birdwatch in 1979.

This phenomenal decline is a fragment of a larger, more alarming picture. Over the past 60 years, the UK skies have become significantly quieter after losing around 38 million birds.

Such statistics are a reminder of the fragility of life on our earth and in our skies.

So can you spare one hour -anytime between 26th and 28th January.

Whilst the RSPBs BigGardenBirdWatch is about counting birds, its actually more than that. It's also about taking time out to sit, watch, learn and understanding the struggles and triumphs of our wee garden visitors. Every bird you spot, or don't spot, provides invaluable insights. This data is proving so crucial for conservation efforts and for helping to shape policies and actions - those environmental protections that our species so need.

The Big Garden Bird Watch has been a gateway to citizen science for many people for decades, so why not you? After all, these wee birds are visitors into most human outdoor spaces - so you can even participate by simply looking out of a window.

How to Get Involved

Participation is simple yet impactful. Register online with Big Garden Birdwatch 2024 (click the link below) you will become part of a nationwide effort to monitor and protect our bird populations. Its free to do so.

See the RSPB web site for full details

PHOTO
Albino Meadow Pipit - Ken Crossan
From the Caithness Biodiversity Collection
See the link above to see the whole collection for Caithness