What are you doing this coming weekend?
If you’ve no plans, why not take part in the world’s largest garden bird survey?
The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place this Saturday, January 25, and Sunday, January 26. Once again, the nature conservation charity is asking people across the country to spend an hour counting the birds that count on them.
Since Big Garden Birdwatch’s launch in 1979, RSPB Scotland has used the survey results to form a picture of garden bird populations across the country, highlighting any worrying trends or concerning changes.
Over the years, the survey has highlighted some dramatic declines in UK garden birds, in particular the starling.
The average number of this garden regular has dropped in Scotland by almost a quarter since the turn of the century.
So where once you may have seen 15 of these highly sociable birds at any one time, nowadays, in some areas, you may see just two or three.
However, some bird species have fared considerably better over the years.
Sightings of popular species like blue tit, great tit and coal tit in gardens have increased since the first survey 35 years ago.
Goldfinches, which were absent from the Big Garden Birdwatch top 15 in the early years, have featured regularly as a top-15 species since 2004.
Taking part in the survey is easy, as it is open to everyone, regardless of age, knowledge or experience.
You don’t even need to have your own garden.
The survey can be carried out in a local park, green space or nature reserve, basically anywhere you are likely to spot birds.
Last year, over 47,000 people across Scotland joined over 500,000 in the UK to count the birds in their garden.
For the first time ever this year, participants are also being asked to log some of the other wildlife they see in their gardens.
RSPB Scotland wants to know whether people ever see deer, squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs, frogs and toads in their gardens, to help build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for giving all types of wildlife a home.
Participants don’t have to count these other species over the Big Garden Birdwatch weekend; just tell the RSPB if they have ever seen them in their gardens, at any time of year.
Once the RSPB knows which species people are seeing regularly, it will also be able to tailor its advice on giving nature a home so that people can help their wild visitors nest, feed and breed effectively.
This could include activities such as providing extra food and water during cold spells, planting flowers, bushes and shrubs in the spring and building a pond.
When: The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place on January 25/26, 2014.
How: Participants are asked to spend one hour over the weekend counting the highest number of each bird species they see at any time. They then have three weeks to submit results, either online at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or by post via Freepost RSTS-ZZCC-KJXU, The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, Halifax Road, Melksham SN12 6YY.
Requirements: A pen and paper or laptop, PC or smartphone, so you can note down your sightings, an ID book and binoculars (if needed) and 60 minutes of your time.
Contact: To find out more about the Big Garden Birdwatch and to access some top tips, visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch