RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

There's nothing better than attracting birds to your garden to help them thrive during the seasons, and bird watching is a great hobby! Feeding garden birds is extremely rewarding so encourage a wide range of birds to your garden with a selection of different seeds.

• 9.1 million birds counted during Big Garden Birdwatch 2025
• 590,000+ people came together to help nature in 2025
• 12.6 million hours spent watching birds since 1979

This year, you can join in too:
This year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place 23rd-25th January.

We have everything you need to attract the birds to your garden – this weekend and all year round!

Our Top Tips For Attracting Birds To Your Garden

If you’re looking to attract birds to your garden this year, our top tips include:

• Offer a variety of food – Different birds prefer different foods. Seed mixes, suet, peanuts, and mealworms will attract a wider range of species throughout the year.
  
• Provide fresh water – A shallow bird bath or water dish for drinking and bathing is just as important as food, especially during dry or freezing weather.
• Create natural shelter – Shrubs, hedges, and small trees give birds safe places to rest, hide from predators, and nest.
• Install bird feeders and nesting boxes – Position feeders in quiet, safe areas and add nesting boxes suited to local bird species to encourage them to stay.
• Keep your garden wildlife-friendly – Leave some fallen leaves, seed heads, or log piles to support insects, which are a vital food source for many birds.
• Avoid chemicals – Pesticides and herbicides can harm birds and reduce their natural food supply.
• Maintain a safe environment – Clean feeders regularly and place them away from areas where cats can easily ambush visiting birds.

With a little planning and care, your garden can become a welcoming haven for birds all year round.

Sign up on the RSPB website and record the birds that you see in the garden over the weekend to help build an accurate picture of the wildlife in the UK.

Last year’s Most Spotted Birds were:

1. House Sparrow 1,211,260
2. Blue Tit 946,698
3. Woodpigeon 859,780
4. Starling 784,741
5. Blackbird 732,472
6. Robin 518,312
7. Great Tit 484,606
8. Goldfinch 465,766
9. Magpie 449,674
10. Long-tailed Tit 379,285