The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021

If you’re in need of some time out, a delightful and quite simply enchanting activity that you can take part in this weekend is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 – spending a restful, restorative hour watching and counting birds.  I love birds, wildlife and nature.  I adore taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, this one of my favourite events of the year!  What could be more wonderful than taking time out to spend an hour watching a Goldcrest foraging for insects?

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is a marvellous activity to share.  You could snuggle up by the fire and count the birds that you see from your window, or you could wrap up warmly to count birds in the park or at your allotment.  Why not join a birdwatch at your school or college, or during your lunch break at work?  The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is a lovely activity to share with your friends and family, or to undertake by yourself – what could be better than spending an immersive hour surrounded by birdsong?

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 information

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 is again a three day event for 2021.  This year, the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 will cover the weekend of Friday 29th January 2021 and Saturday 30th January 2021, as well as Sunday 31st January 2021.   You’ll find lots of information on the RSPB’s website, including an online counting tool complete with timer, and a fantastic bird identification chart, with clear pictures of birds, to help you identify all of the birds you see during your birdwatch.

How to accurately count the birds you see during your birdwatch

If you’re taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021, remember to only count the number of birds you see at the same time – this is so that you avoid just counting the same bird over and over.  For example, I spent a lot of my RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 observing one or more Dunnocks.  I spotted a Dunnock under my bird feeders; then later on I watched a Dunnock perching on my Wisteria branches, and another time I found a Dunnock in amongst the Hedera helix in my garden.  I only ever saw one Dunnock at once, so I counted one Dunnock.  However, if I had spotted two Dunnocks at the same time, I would have counted two; otherwise I could just be counting the same bird over and over again, which wouldn’t give an accurate reflection of the number of birds in my garden.

My RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021

Today I took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021, watching birds outside in the garden from my window.  Despite the rain, my husband and I spent a very special, happy hour together counting birds.  This morning, during our hour of birdwatching, we saw the following birds:

• Two Robins
• One Blackbird
• One Pigeon
• One Dunnock
• One Goldfinch

To date, the best RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch I’ve taken was back in January 2017; if you’re interested, you can see my photographs of my 2017 Big Garden Birdwatch, via this link, here.

I have so much love for garden birds.  I find birdwatching is an uplifting and heartwarming activity; it’s very relaxing and inspiring – every year I ache to be able to spend more time with birds and nature.

Feeding the birds in my garden

I enjoy feeding the birds in my garden.  Last month, the Team at Happy Beaks sent me a bag of their Robin and Songbird No Mess Feed Mix and some of their mealworms to try out in my garden.  On the 17th January 2021, I put out a bird feeder filled with alternate layers of Happy Beaks meal worms and white sunflower kernels, and another feeder that was filled with Happy Beaks Robin and Songbird No Mess Feed Mix.  My husband kindly soaked the meal worms overnight in a bowl of water and this morning he scattered these along the wall in our garden.

For some years now, I have been using a special Niger feeder, filled with tiny black Niger seeds, as well as coconut halves filled with a suet seed mix and a couple of different suet blocks that contain a mixture of suet and seeds.  These have all proved to be popular with the birds that visit my garden.

Important information about birds

As well as being a wonderfully restorative, interesting, and engaging activity to take part in, the records made by those taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch are so important.  Everyone that completes the the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and submits their findings to the RSPB is contributing vital data, which enables the RSPB to understand and learn more about what birds are present in Britain during January 2021, which birds are frequently seen, and which are not commonly found, or are absent.  Please don’t forget to pass the results of your birdwatch onto the RSPB, it only takes a moment!

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 Results

The results from the Big Garden Birdwatch reveal what birds are present in our gardens at this time of year, and give an indication of how the birds in our gardens are managing this winter.  There’s also the chance to provide the RSPB with records of migratory birds and other birds that sometimes fly to Britain to spend the winter, or that stop off in the UK on their journey to another country, where they will spend the rest of the winter months.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 submitting your results

If you take part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, don’t forget to submit your results so the RSPB can evaluate the findings and learn more about the distribution of birds across the United Kingdom.  To submit your results, click here to visit the RSPB’s website, where you can also sign up to be an RSPB member, simply by clicking here.  The RSBP have compiled a list of frequently asked questions about the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch complete with their answers, which you can read here.

My Earlier RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 Results.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 Results.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2020 Results.

RSPB BIG Garden Birdwatch 2019 Results.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2018 Results.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2017 Results.

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2016 Results.

For gardening advice for February, please click here.

For my Calendar of Snowdrop Garden Openings, please click here.

To see a list of snowdrop nurseries, please click here.