British garden birds received help from a simple hour-long count

The RSPB ran a weekend garden bird count from January 23–25 asking volunteers to watch for one hour and record species; by midday on January 23, 80,797 garden birds had been logged nationwide.

I took part in the RSPB's garden bird count and noted what visited my feeder. The RSPB website offers identification help for volunteers. During the watch I observed sparrows, a great tit, blackbirds, robins, wood pigeons, a dunnock and a magpie. The activity asked participants to set aside one hour, record species and submit results. The count ran from Friday January 23 until Sunday January 25. Known details: - Volunteers register via the RSPB and then watch their garden or local green space for one hour and record the species they see. - The RSPB provides identification resources to help people recognise common garden birds. - Observed species mentioned in the report included sparrows, great tit, blackbirds, robins, wood pigeons, dunnock and magpie. - The article notes that blackbirds favour mealworms and soft fruits and that some foods can harm their soft beaks. - As of midday on January 23, a total of 80,797 garden birds had been recorded across the country. Summary: By midday on January 23 the nationwide tally stood at 80,797 garden birds and the article reports that number was expected to rise as more people took part over the weekend. The count continued through January 25, and organisers collect further submissions during that period.