RSPB Cymru aims for 30,000 participants in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend (24, 25 and 26 January) RSPB Cymru invites the nation to spend an hour counting the birds in their gardens and local outdoor spaces by taking part in the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey.

Taking part could not be simpler, and last year over 29,000 individuals and teams of citizen scientists submitted their responses, counting over half a million birds in gardens, balconies, parks, allotments and schools.

And for RSPB Cymru, this provides an annual snapshot of how garden birds in Wales are faring. RSPB Cymru hope that they can build upon last year’s great turnout by getting participation numbers over the 30k mark in 2025.

Alun Prichard, RSPB Cymru Director said: “The success of Big Garden Birdwatch is indeed about numbers – not only numbers of birds we see but numbers of the Welsh public taking part.

“The more people taking part, the more surveys we receive and with that the more information we get about how our garden birds are doing.

“An hour of your time means a whole lot more to the nature on your doorstep – and the Big Garden Birdwatch, whether you do it from a garden, a balcony or a local green space, really is for everyone.”

Weather

Weather can play an important role in the lives of birds by impacting their behaviour and numbers.

Whilst birds are adapted to cope with cold weather, lower temperatures can make it harder to find food, impacting their survival and having a knock-on effect on their populations.

Small birds such as Wrens and Long-tailed Tits can be particularly affected, and it will be interesting to see whether the recent cold temperatures and snow cover across Wales have impacted these species.

With January weather conditions looking set to return to milder climes, we might also expect to see an increase in the number of winter migrants.

Fieldfare and Redwing are two large and vibrant thrushes that visit the UK throughout the winter months, flying great distances from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

They arrive to take advantage of the fair weather and can be spotted feeding on the berries of hawthorn and rowan trees.

Caution

Alun Prichard continued: “The weather can sometimes be harsh on our wildlife, especially our small garden birds. Now that the snow and icy conditions have hopefully passed, we hope everyone can take part in the Birdwatch to help determine how our garden birds are faring.”

RSPB Cymru encourages caution and proportion this year when it comes to feeding garden birds.

Many people from across Wales enjoy feeding the birds in their gardens and some species really do benefit from us putting out extra food for them, especially in winter. However, there is increasing evidence of negative effects in other birds, such as the spread of disease among finches.

Following simple hygiene measures in gardens where food and water are offered can help keep our birds healthy. This includes routine cleaning of feeding stations and bird baths, moving feeding stations around the garden to prevent build-up of food or droppings on the ground and monitoring the food supply to ensure it meets demand.

Since starting in 1979, Big Garden Birdwatch has since become a much-loved annual citizen science event, that gives the RSPB a valuable snapshot of how our garden birds are doing in Wales and across the UK.

Over that time, 195 million birds have been counted and nearly 12.1 million hours spent watching and counting garden birds.

To take part in Big Garden Birdwatch visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch