How to take part |
Your questions answeredDoes time of day matter?No. The time of day you do your Birdwatch may affect the numbers and variety of birds you see but it won't affect the overall results. This is because there are so many people counting birds in lots of gardens all over the weekend. We also get asked about things like the effect the weather and food have. As we use information from thousands of gardens the effects of weather, food and time all even themselves out. Weather makes such a difference to the results. Why don't you record it on the form?We have experienced a wide range of weather conditions over 30 years of Big Garden Birdwatch. The weather also varies across the UK during the birdwatch weekend. So its effect on the birds recorded is a random factor that doesn't alter the long-term trends of bird populations. I didn't see many birds in my hour. What should I do?If you see fewer birds than normal during your Birdwatch, don't panic – it's likely that others will see more – so everything will balance up in the end and we'll get a good picture of garden birds across the UK. And don't be tempted to add in that bird you regularly see in your garden but didn't see during the Birdwatch. Tom next door, Rita around the corner, or Sarah in the next village may have seen it so it will have been recorded! Lastly, please, please, please submit your results even if you don't see anything! It is important because then we can see where birds aren't, as well as where they are. So please submit your form even if it's blank. Why do you only want us to record the birds for one hour?Very simply, fewer people would take part if we asked them to watch for longer. By only asking people to spend an hour watching the birds visiting their gardens, it's likely we'll get lots and lots of people taking part. This means we'll get lots and lots of snapshots of UK gardens and that equals good quality information. Which is just what we want. Why is the Big Garden Birdwatch in winter?Colder weather drives many birds to look for food and shelter in our gardens. Winter is therefore one of the best times to record garden birds. How do I submit my results?The online form will be open from 24 January 2009 for you to enter your counts. How does the RSPB use the results?The aim of the Big Garden Birdwatch is to count garden birds in a consistent way so we can compare bird populations, year after year. Once all the forms have been sent in, we can build up a picture of bird numbers and which regions different species are seen in. We are not attempting to count all individual birds in the UK (an impossible task) but to count a proportion of their population in the same way every year. Once all the results are in, and the scientists have done their stuff, we end up with a picture of bird numbers. We look at the long-term trends to identify which birds are doing well and which need our help. What's really important is we do the survey in the same way each year (as we have been doing since 1979). That way we can compare results to see population trends. What do the results tell us?They tell us how garden birds are doing around the UK, so we can monitor long-term changes in populations. The results are highly accurate because so many gardens are involved giving us the bigger picture. This helps us identify species in decline, to find out why they're in trouble, and then to help their revocery. We think Big Garden Birdwatch is the best wildlife survey in the world because it covers such a massive area. That's thanks to the huge number of people who take part. Thousands of gardens are surveyed each year so we're able to build a big picture of what's going on. We can even break the data down to country, regions and counties to see what's going on in your neighbourhood. Why do you ask for a donation when I take part?You don't have to donate to take part - it's just a great way to help wildlife even more. Really we just want to find out what's going on with our garden birds and how their populations are changing. We can use the data to see which birds need our help, find ways of helping them and then put this into practice. But as a charity we rely on the generous donations of people like you, so that we can continue our vital work saving house sparrows, seahorses, tigers and basking sharks and the places where they live. Yes, we do all those things! The RSPB has a million members speaking up for nature - one of the best ways you can help wildlife is by adding your voice to ours and become a member. 
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