Get ready for Big Garden Birdwatch 2022

Living Magazines Big Garden Birdwatch

Get closer to your local wildlife this January by joining in with the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch 2022. Over one million people took part last year, so you’ll be in great company for the biggest birdwatching event of the year!

How do you do it?

It’s so easy to do! Simply watch the birds in your garden, from your balcony or in your local green space for one hour, and tell the RSPB what you saw. You can watch from inside, or wrap up warm and head outdoors!

Why is it important?

With birds disappearing at an alarming rate – we’ve lost more than 38 million in the last 50 years – it’s vital to keep track of the ones that are left. Every person that takes part in Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 is contributing to a vital snapshot of how our garden birds are faring. As a charity, the RSPB can only continue its vital work with the help of people like you. Working together, we can support the birds that are regular visitors to our gardens, now and in the future.

What do you get if you pre-register?

Pre-register today to get your free guide, so you can get more familiar with common and popular garden bird species. When the Birdwatch comes around, you’ll be able to tell your starlings from your sparrows, and your goldcrests from your greenfinches, with ease.

You’ll also get a 20% discount to use in the RSPB’s online shop, plus free postage and packing. So you could stock up on bird food, or maybe even buy some Fairtrade snacks for you to enjoy on the big day.

How can you get ready?

It’s never too early to start getting Birdwatch-ready:

  • Put up a bird feeder so the birds know yours is a great place to get a snack.
  • If you’ve got a garden, it’s a good idea not to tidy it up too much this winter, so there are lots of tasty berries and seeds around for wildlife.

What happened last year?

If you fancy seeing last year’s results, head to the results page.

What will you see?

No one can predict what you’ll see on the day, which is one of the things that makes watching nature exciting! A lot of it can be down to weather and the time of day that you’re watching (try early morning when birds are often quite active). But whatever you see, whether it’s your familiar local species, something unusual, or even nothing at all, the RSPB would love to know! Sign up here.