RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results & How to Help Garden Birds

Every year, the RSPB asks people to take part in its biggest citizen science project: the Big Garden Birdwatch. The survey runs over a weekend in January, and people are asked to spend an hour of their day counting which birds visit their garden. This national birdwatch provides a fascinating snapshot of how our garden bird populations are doing. The survey first began in 1979, that’s 46 years of data to help show trends. We have looked at the data and created the infographics below to show you how North East Scotland’s garden birds are doing. Continue to read to learn how you can help those garden birds that are struggling.

You can find the full garden bird list for North East Scotland here.

• Full North East Scotland Results
• Full UK Results
• Full Country Results
• Full County Results
• UK Top 10
• Scotland Top 10

Wildlife Gardening for Birds

I’m sure many of our followers and website readers are aware of how important our gardens are wildlife. However, I think sometimes we all need a little reminder (including myself!) of just how important they are. I’m currently reading a wonderful book called “We Are The Ark” by Mary Reynolds. This book offers advice and guidance on how you can restore your garden to its true nature with Acts of Restorative Kindness (ARK).

Within this, she includes the science behind why wildlife gardening is incredibly important in helping. She has reminded me of the three laws of ecology, a topic I learnt in 2007 but long forgotten. Without these three basic laws of ecology, no living thing would exist.

• The law of diversity: The strength of an eco-system is dependent upon the diversity of species within it.
• The law of interdependence: All species are interdependent with each other.
• The law of finite resources: There are limits to growth and limits to carrying capacity.

I hope me including these three laws in this post, helps spark something within you and remind you of the important job we all have to protecting biodiversity.

Blue Tit, House Sparrow & Goldfinch – James Davies

Tips to help our garden birds

1. A very simple way to help birds, is by providing them with food. There is some great advice on what you should and shouldn’t do for birds.

2. Provide water, a clean water source is a simple way to help. Especially in warm months.

3. Keep your feeders and bird baths clean! Bird hygiene is very important, if not managed to correctly can spread diseases.

4. Leave stems and flowerheads uncut over winter. Leave tidying up leaf litter as long as possible. Birds will feed from these and it reduces the amount of times you need to fill your bird feeder.

5. If you have the space, give birds a nest box to help them raise their chicks safely.

6. Be peat-free! Peat bogs are home to many special animals and plants. Avoid peat-based compost and help to preserve these precious habitats.

7. Avoid chemicals! As well as butterflies, moths and bees by using pesticides you could be attacking ladybirds, ground beetles and spiders. Who are great predators and help your garden. But are also a food source for some of our garden birds.

Helpful resources to help garden birds

• Making Friends with molluscs – Garden with slugs and snails
• Wild Spaces – Help our struggling butterflies by creating a wild space
• Wild about lawns – Bring your lawn to life
• Greener Gardening – Perfecting peat-free
• Bring back our beetles – Discover the UK’s beetles and how you can help them
• Go wild for worms – Worms make the world turn, welcome them to your garden
• The ultimate guide to nestboxes – Find out how to build and put up nestboxes for birds
• Three ways you can help birds in a cold snap – when temperatures plunge here are three simple ways you can help garden birds

Make a promise to help declining butterflies

Butterfly Conservation is asking people across the UK to make a promise to butterflies and moths. Make your promise to butterflies and moths.

What are your tips for helping garden birds?

We love hearing about what you are doing for wildlife in your garden. You can let us know by emailing us at nesbip@hutton.ac.uk, following us on Facebook or joining our ever growing community of wildlife gardeners.

Images below

Great Tit – James Davies, Woodpecker – Charlotte Millburn, Starling – Abbie Ferrar