Big Garden Birdwatch 2007

Goldfinch: (photo: Steve Round).

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch - the world's biggest bird survey, now in its 28th year - takes place on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th January 2007.

This celebration of birds hopes to encourage half a million people across the UK to spend an hour spying on their bird neighbours to help make the 2007 survey another record-breaking event. In 2006, more than 470,000 people spotted 8.1 million birds across 270,000 gardens, helping reveal the winners and losers in the garden bird world.

Blue Tit: (photo: Sue Tranter).

Last year's results revealed House Sparrow in the top position for the most birds seen in gardens in 2006 but the species has shown a rapid decrease since 1979, dropping from 10 birds per garden to 4.4, a 56% decline. At number two, the Starling, has seen its numbers plummet from 15 per garden to an average of 3.64, a decline of 76 per cent.

Better news for the Greenfinch and Great Tit, which have both seen their numbers increase over the past 28 years by 67 and 57 per cent respectively, and many people noted bigger numbers of Blackbird and Song Thrush, probably due to colder winter weather in 2006.

To take part, simply spend one hour over the weekend of 27th/28th January, counting the birds in your garden or local park, and record the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time. The morning is the best time to look, when the birds are out and about feeding after a cold winter night.

Little Bunting: What's lurking in your garden? (photo: Michael McKee).

And a reminder for all the keener birders out there who might prefer to go further than their garden to watch birds - last year, Little Bunting, Common Rosefinch, Black-throated Thrush and American Robin were seen over the birdwatch weekend! Who knows what could be found with a million eyes watching...

For further information and online resources to help you with your birdwatch, visit the RSPB website www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch an online survey form will be available from the weekend of Big Garden Birdwatch until 19th February 2007.

For those without access to the Internet, Big Garden Birdwatch forms can be obtained by phoning 0870 600 7108 (calls charged at national rate). The hotline number will be operational until 24th January 2007.

Magpie: (photo: Richard Bedford).