Big Garden Birdwatch: The results have landed (2024)

FAQs

What is the best time of day to do the Big garden birdwatch? ›

Towards the afternoon they may look to get some more food and probably spend some time drinking or bathing but the middle of the day for most species is usually a time to spend doing very little. As some of you have already mentioned first thing in the morning or mid afternoon are good times for watching garden birds.

On the day of the Big Garden Birdwatch itself, taking part couldn't be simpler! You just spend an hour watching the birds in your garden, from your balcony or in your local park, and tell us what you've seen. If you see very few birds or none at all, that's also really useful information for us, so please let us know.

Big Garden Birdwatch provides a snapshot in time of how garden birds are doing in the UK. It is held at a similar time every year so that we can compare the results with previous years.

BTO has run the year-round Garden BirdWatch scheme since 1995, and thousands of people across the UK contribute their sightings each week.

Time of Day

The best birding is often between dawn and 11am, when birds are most active. This is particularly the case in the spring and early summer, when birds sing in the early morning.

Henslow's Sparrows sing most actively at dawn and dusk, but sometimes sing all night long.

They typically do this in an effort to drive away potential predators from a breeding territory, a nest or young, or a nonbreeding home range. Common mobbers include chickadees, titmice, kingbirds, blackbirds, grackles, jays, and crows. Common targets of mobbing are hawks, crows, ravens, herons, and owls.

To become a better birder, you can explore different habitats, different seasons, and different places. You should want to be able to name the birds you find, and learn about them in your bird guide. The last ingredient is patience, both with yourself and with the birds.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) The RSPB is the country's largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect threatened birds and wildlife so that our towns, coast and countryside will once again teem with life.

Non-migratory birds flock to your home in search of food and shelter. If you want to keep them away, you have to make sure they can't find either of those things. Pick up fallen nuts, berries, and other plant debris from your yard regularly. If you have plants, consider covering them with sheets.

What is the biggest killer of garden birds? ›

The latest research suggests that intensive farming practices, particularly an increase in pesticides and fertiliser use is main driver of most bird population declines.

The most bird species observed in the field by an individual in one calendar year is 6,852 by Arjan Dwarshuis (Netherlands) in 2016. This tally represented about two-thirds of all known bird species at the time. During his "Big Year", Dwarshuis raised funds for BirdLife International.

Around 96 million people in the U.S. closely observed, fed, or photographed birds; visited public parks to view birds; or maintained plantings and natural areas around the home for the benefit of birds in 2022. That's more than 35% of the nation's population aged 16 and over.

They literally twitch; hence "twitchers".

Noun. ornithophile (plural ornithophiles) A person who loves birds; a bird-lover.

The best time of day for birding observation is morning when light conditions are most favorable. The prime time of the year is during spring migration (March-May) when thousands of northbound loons, scoters, brant, cormorants, shearwaters, gulls, terns and shorebirds pass this promontory.

When Is The Best Time To See Birds Feeding. Between the hours of 7 am and 11 am are usually the best times to watch birds.

The ideal time of day to count birds in the breeding season is roughly one hour after sunrise until mid-morning (10-11am). This generally means starting your BBS survey at around 6-7am and ideally no later than 9am.

We have found the morning (usually about 1-2 hours after the Sun has risen) to be the most effective time to go bird-watching and take photos of birds.