Join the nation in discovering what birds are visiting your Plymouth gardens

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch is set to bring more than half-a-million people together this weekend (27, 28, 29 January) as they uncover what is happening in their garden, helping to create an annual snapshot of how UK birds are doing. Now in its 39th year, the Birdwatch is a chance for people of all ages to count the number of birds that visit their garden to help the RSPB build up a picture of how our feathered friends are faring at this time of year. Morwenna Alldis, spokesperson for the RSPB South West said: “The beauty of the Big Garden Birdwatch is that it’s so easy to take part - just one hour to complete. It also gives participants an instant connection to Plymouth’s nature. And it provides vital data that enables the RSPB to help those species that are struggling the most. “If you’re looking to make a positive difference this weekend – the Big Garden Birdwatch is the best thing that you can do. It’s a guaranteed ‘feel-good’ experience and you don’t even need a garden to take part, your local greenspace or park is perfect too!” Last year close to half-a-million people across the UK took part, making Big Garden Birdwatch the world’s biggest wildlife survey. More than 8.5 million birds were spotted visiting our gardens with house sparrow topping the list, along with some other familiar species like robin, blackbird and starling in the top 10. This year the RSPB is curious to see how these figures will change following a positive year for some of our resident British birds, such as greenfinch, chaffinch, blue tit, great tit and long-tailed tit. Numbers of greenfinches have been impacted by Trichomonosis for the last decade and the disease has been documented in other garden birds, such as chaffinch. More recently there was a downward trend in Big Garden Birdwatch sightings of the tit species, which was thought to be linked to the prolonged wet weather in the 2016 breeding season. However, the 2017 season appeared to be a good one for these resident birds and that combined with the relatively favourable winter weather conditions has fuelled speculation that it could be a bumper weekend of sightings. Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “At this time of the year your garden has the potential to be a vital source of food and shelter for the garden birds we all know and love, from the flock of starlings at the feeder to the robin perched on the fence. The Big Garden Birdwatch is all about enjoying the wildlife that comes to you and it’s really as simple as spending an hour looking out the window. You don’t need any special equipment, although a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake might be helpful. At the end of your hour, send us your results to tell us what you saw.” “This year could be a bumper weekend of sightings for some of our resident British birds. Conditions during the breeding season were much better compared to recent years and our resident birds are likely to have been further helped by relatively kind autumn and winter weather. So keep your eyes peeled for the greenfinches, chaffinches and various tit species.” With results from gardens from all corners of the UK, the RSPB is able to use the valuable data to build up a snapshot of the birds that are reliant on the food, water and shelter that can be found in our outdoor spaces at this time of the year. When combined with 38 years of data from previous Birdwatches, it allows the RSPB to monitor trends and understand which birds are struggling and are in need of our help. The RSPB is also asking about the other wildlife seen in our gardens over the last year, such as badger, fox, grey squirrel, red squirrel, muntjac deer, roe deer, frog and toad, to help build an overall picture of how important gardens are in giving nature a home. To take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2018, simply spend an hour over the weekend watching the birds in your garden, outdoor space or local park. Once you have recorded the birds that make a visit, whether it’s a starling, sparrow or skylark, submit your results online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch. Big Schools Birdwatch has been taking place in schools across the UK since the first week of January. Running until 23 February, it is a chance for children to put down their books and get outside to experience and learn about the nature that lives in their local community. To take part visit www.rspb.org.uk/schoolsbirdwatch