Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers like you take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring.
Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK’s largest annual citizen science wildlife survey, where you get to spend an enjoyable hour with nature in order to help us create an up-to-date picture of how our much loved UK birds are faring.
With results going back to 1979, each year’s sightings allow us to compare how each species has been faring. Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted declines in birds such as Song Thrushes and Starlings, which have shown up in other wildlife surveys too. The hour you spend watching birds will give us a snapshot of how well (or not) our birds are doing.
Simply count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony or in your local park for one hour between Friday the 23rd of January and Sunday the 25th of January 2026. All instructions and bird identification guides provided.
How to take part
1. Get your free guide
2. Spend an hour watching the birds in your patch, between 23 and 25 January, and record the birds that land.
3. Tell them what you saw (even if that’s nothing at all!) you can submit your results online or by post
