Take part in a garden bird census; virtually anywhere in the world!

Garden bird censuses – also called backyard bird counts – are a popular, fun, and worthwhile activity. If you want to take part, it’s simple; and it’s particularly fun for children.

Simply record the highest number of each bird species seen during the designated weekend. It can be in your garden/yard or on your balcony, and either on the Saturday or Sunday, or both. You don’t have to spend all weekend staring out of your window; half an hour is sufficient but you could spend longer. The morning is the best time to look, when the birds are out and about, feeding after a cold winter’s night. But remember – you should note the maximum number you see at any one time. So if for example you see 5 greenfinches at nine o’clock on Saturday and 7 at ten o’clock, you don’t write down 12, but 7.

If you want some advice on how to attract birds to your garden, check out a post I wrote on my other blog on feeding garden birds.

Bird censuses are taking place in other parts of the world, so wherever you live, you and/or your children could take part in one. In most European countries the weekend of 28-29 January 2023 is designated as bird census weekend. To get more information you can go to these websites: Belgium (Dutch or French: 4-5 Feb), The Netherlands, France, Ireland, UK. The USA is holding its Great Backyard Bird Count on February 17-20, 2023, and in Australia it’s taking place October 16-22, 2023.

Feel free to add your own country’s survey dates in the comments below and I will add them to the list.

If your country does not seem to organize a specific national garden bird survey, don’t despair. You can still count your garden birds, wherever you live, in any country of the world, and submit them to a great global initiative called eBird.