I helped British birds in my garden by doing one simple thing that anyone can do | Nature | News

Despite living in an urban area, my outside space is thriving with wild birds — and it’s just a tiny backyard with a few plants in pots. I have been feeding them for years, and the favourite food among all species appears to be sunflower seeds along with the occasional high-quality fat ball.

With cold weather set to hit much of the UK next week, our little feathery friends need some help from humans — and there’s one other thing we can do today to assist wild bird species even more. I’m counting the number of birds visiting my outside space today as part of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 which anyone can do no matter where you live.The survey asks volunteers to track the birds living in their gardens to help the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) to keep up to date with changes in numbers.

Bird enthusiasts can sign up and participate — you just need to watch how many birds visit your garden and note down the species — and the RSPB website helps with identification.

It’s 10.30am and the outdoor feeder is getting busy. I can hear the chirping of sparrows and I count a total of 10 visiting at once — these little birds tend to flock together for safety.

Next to fly in are four goldfinches — these songbirds are noisy and colourful — and I love to see them most days when they swoop in to get some morning seed.

Importantly, if you feed garden birds, most species also appreciate a shallow bowl of water to sip or even take a bird bath in, which is cute to watch.

In the wild during winter, blackbirds and robins will feast on ivy flowers which are abundant in the countryside and even in city landscapes during January — an important reason why these overgrown spaces are left alone for wildlife.

A pair of blackbirds and a robin are also regular visitors to my garden space; these two species struggle to get on a hanging feeder, but the robin can reach the fatball.

Blackbirds really prefer mealworms and other foods can harm their soft beaks so I’m always thoughtful as to what I pop out for the blackbird, however, they also love soft fruits.

But back to the birdwatch, and next to fly in is a great tit, a really colourful little bird with a yellow-green chest with a black stripe down through the middle — and again, this one has been a regular lately.

I also spot two wood pigeons, a dunnock and hear the cackle of a magpie. Crows and magpies target smaller birds for their own dinner, which is always sad to see, but it’s nature. 

I added two carrion crows and one magpie to my RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 count which took me to a total of 22 birds spotted in an hour.

If you want to count birds in your area, you simply sign up here, but be quick as this activity only runs from Friday, January 23 until Sunday, January 25.

All you do then is head over to the RSPB website, sign up, set an hour aside to spot feathered friends – and then record the results via RSPB.

As of midday on January 23 a total of 80,797 garden birds have been counted across the country — and this number will go up as more people get involved over the weekend.