THE annual Big Garden Birdwatch is about to take flight for 2017, and it’s easy to get involved. Heather Barron will have her jotter and her sharpened pencil ready to record the visitors to her garden this weekend

History

In 1979, the RSPB was looking for a simple winter activity that its junior membership could get involved in. As it was likely to be cold and the evenings dark, they felt that a weekend activity in the garden would be best.

So, they asked their members to count the birds in their gardens, all at the same time, so they could work out what the UK's top 10 most common garden birds are.

Biddy Baxter - then editor of Blue Peter - liked the idea so much that she featured the survey on one of the programmes. The RSPB only expected a few hundred children to take part but, thanks to Biddy's coverage, they actually received more than 34,000 forms!

And that's how the 'one-off' activity grew into the regular event it is today, though it wasn't until 2001 that adults were invited to join in the fun, too.

How it helps

With more than half-a-million people now regularly taking part, coupled with over 35 years’ worth of data, Big Garden Birdwatch allows the RSPB to monitor trends and helps to 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 the results very valuable to scientists.

With results from so many gardens, the RSPB is able to create a 'snapshot' of bird numbers across the UK.

While some changes in bird numbers can seem scary - we've lost more than half our house sparrows and some three-quarters of our starlings - it isn't all doom and gloom. Over the last 35 years, blue tit numbers have risen by 20 per cent and the woodpigeon population has increased by a whopping 800 per cent.

The results help the RSPB to spot problems, but more importantly, they are also the first step in putting things right. 

How to take part

Joining in with Big Garden Birdwatch is simple and enjoyable - and a great excuse to watch your garden birds.

Here's the RSPB step-by-step guide...

1. Choose a good place to watch from for an hour from 28-30 January. Which window gives you the best view? Make sure it's comfy and you have the essentials within easy reach - a nice, hot drink and your favourite biscuits - and somewhere to jot down what you see. On the website, there’s a nifty counting tool to help you keep track of what you've seen.

Make sure you've done your bit to attract the birds by buying a feeder but, if you haven't got a garden, that's no problem. Just pop down to your local park or green space and join in there.

2. Relax and watch the birds for an hour. If anyone disturbs you, you can tell them you're busy being a scientist!

Count the maximum number of each species you see at any one time. For example, if you see a group of three house sparrows together, and later another two, and after that another one, the number to submit is three. That way, it’s less likely you’ll double-count the same birds.

3. Go to the Big Garden Birdwatch website and record what you’ve seen, or use a paper form, available here. It’s FREE to post back to the RSPB.

4. That’s it! By taking part and telling the RSPB what you see, you'll become an RSPB citizen scientist and help them find out more about garden wildlife.

So, come on – sit down for an hour and watch the dickie birds!