The RSPB’s 45th Big Garden Birdwatch took place between Friday 26th and Sunday 28th January 2024. This annual event is one of the largest citizen science wildlife surveys in the UK and helps us gain an understanding of how our garden bird populations are changing in abundance and distribution over time. Over half a million people took part in last year’s event, recording a total of 9.1 million birds. House Sparrows took first place, despite a gradual 57% decrease in sightings since the first Birdwatch Count in 1979. They were closely followed by the Blue Tit and Starling.
Although the Big Garden Birdwatch has finished, there is still time to submit your results on the RSPB website by the 18th February, or by post before the 13th February. Even if you didn’t see anything, it still counts!
With birds being faced with an increasing number of challenges each year, it’s more important than ever to make your garden and outdoor space wildlife friendly. This can include installing bird feeders or tables which provide an important food source throughout the winter months when natural food sources are scarce., You can also provide clean, fresh drinking water in shallow containers such as bird baths or saucers, and install nest boxes for breeding in the spring. Also, don’t forget to regularly clean and maintain your feeders and baths as this helps stop the spread of disease. Head over to the RSPB website to find out more about how you can help your garden birds.
Results
As usual, many of our staff took part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch from their gardens or local parks across Devon, and we recorded a total of 129 birds and 22 different species. Compared to last years results, there was a 31% increase in sightings, while an additional nine species were spotted in this year’s count. The most sighted bird was the Carrion Crow, closely followed by the Blue Tit and Magpie. In comparison, the county’s top birds were the House Sparrow, Blue Tit and Starling.
Sabine took part in the event from her garden and spotted:
3 Carrion Crow
2 Wood Pigeon
1 Robin
2 Magpie
1 Blackbird
1 Song Thrush
Oli took part in the event from his garden and spotted:
3 Blackbirds
2 Woodpigeon
3 Jackdaw
2 Blue tits
1 Dunnock
1 Great tit
1 Robin
1 Magpie
1 Goldfinch
Adam took part in the event from his garden and spotted:
2 Blackbirds
6 Blue Tits
1 Chaffinch
2 Great Tits
4 House Sparrow
Catherine took part in the event from her garden and spotted:
2 Collared Dove
2 Jackdaw
4 Starling
1 Woodpigeon
Mark took part in the event from his local park and spotted:
5 Parakeets
12 Crows
4 Magpies
10 Herring Gull
Elle took part in the event from her garden and spotted:
2 Blue Tits
1 Dunnock
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Wood Pigeon
1 Magpie
1 Great Tit
Mal took part in the event from her local park and spotted:
3 Carrion Crow
1 Buzzard
Daniel took part in the event from his garden and spotted:
10 Chaffinch
7 Blue Tits
5 Long Tailed Tits
4 House Sparrow
3 Great Tits
2 Goldfinch
1 Coal Tit
1 Blackbird
1 Wren
1 Dunnock
1 Robin
We’d also love to hear what you spotted if you took part – let us know in the comments below.
The RSPB:
For more information on UK garden birds, identification guides, the 2024 Big Garden Birdwatch, past results and more, please visit the RSPB website.