Senedd Member Paul Davies is encouraging everyone across Pembrokeshire to take part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch. This year’s event takes place on 28, 29 and 30 January and the public is asked to spend just one hour watching and recording the birds in their garden, balcony or local park, then send their results to the RSPB. Last year in Wales, a whopping 53,279 people spent an hour watching the birds that visit their garden or outdoor space, double the previous year’s participation numbers, and returning 33,385 surveys.
Over the past year, we’ve seen how important the natural world is to our mental health and wellbeing. There has been a surge in interest in the nature on our doorsteps and many people have come to rely on garden birds to bring joy and comfort in these unsettling times.
Just one hour every year, for the last four decades, has made the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch the largest garden wildlife citizen science project. Now in its 43rd year, well over 150 million birds have been counted giving the RSPB an astonishing amount of insight into how our wildlife is faring.
Mr Davies said “The Big Garden Birdwatch is a fantastic way for us all to connect with nature and help collect valuable information for the RSPB. It’s also really important in determining population trends and finding out which birds need our help. Therefore, I hope people right across the county will take part this weekend – just be sure to wrap up warm!”
For four decades, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. The house sparrow remained at the top of the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings as the most commonly seen garden bird, seen in 76% of gardens throughout the weekend. The starling climbed up to 2nd place, pushing the blue tit down one position to 3rd, and we saw the robin climb three places up to 6th place.
While house sparrows and starlings may be amongst the UK’s most commonly sighted birds, a closer look at Big Garden Birdwatch data shows that numbers have in fact dropped dramatically since the Birdwatch began in 1979. House sparrows are down 58% while starlings are down 83%.
To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2022, watch the birds in your garden or local park for one hour at some point over the three days. Only count the birds that land, not those flying over. Tell the RSPB the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not the total you see in the hour.
