Wenvoe Wildlife Group
THE RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH
The Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK’s largest garden wildlife survey and it is run by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). It has been running since 1979, and every year, over half a million people take part. It takes place over the last weekend in January each year. In 2025 the Birdwatch will take place from Friday 24th to Sunday 28th January. It is hoped it will be the biggest Birdwatch yet.
It’s easy to take part – you simply watch the birds in your garden or local park for one hour, and record what you see. It is a great activity that you can do either on your own or with family members including children. Don’t worry if you know very little about birds. The RSPB has a guide on their website to show you the different species.
Why is it important?
Big Garden Birdwatch provides a vital snapshot of how the UK’s garden birds are faring, taken over one weekend. This gives a good general 
impression of birds that are doing well, and the ones that are struggling. As the first Birdwatch took place more than 40 years ago, RSPB now have a wealth of data to look back on. Shockingly, the UK has lost 38 million birds from the UK’s skies in the last 50 years, so it’s crucial we do all we can to look after our bird life. Big Garden Birdwatch helps to monitor how garden birds are faring. We are asking you to share your results with the RSPB and the Wenvoe Wildlife Group so we can get a more accurate picture of the birds that live in our parish.
How do you take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch?
- Just count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony, front room or in the local park for one hour over the Big Garden Birdwatch weekend. It doesn’t matter what time of day you do your Birdwatch, but you will see more birds if you do it first thing in the morning.
- Only include birds that land, not those flying over. Count the highest number of each species you see at any one time. For example, if you saw four Starlings together, then two Starlings later, your final count will be four (not six). If you see one robin 6 times you only count one robin. If you see very few birds or none at all, that’s also really useful information for RSPB and the Wenvoe Wildlife Group
- You may attract more birds to your garden if you regularly feed them. If you have never fed birds in your garden the RSPB website will help you get started.
What to do with your survey results
You can send in your results to the RSPB online. There is a simple form to fill in. Also please send the list of the number and type of birds you have seen to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group; Nigel Billingham (nigelrbillingham@yahoo.co.uk or post to Woodside
Cottage 5 Church Rise CF5 6DE or Bruce McDonald bruce7@btinternet.com or post to 5 Walston Close, CF5 6AS). Please include your postcode as that will enable us to log where the different species of birds are within the parish. The Wildlife Group will publish the results in Wenvoe What’s On as soon as possible.
Remember it only takes one hour to undertake the survey during the weekend 24-26 January. Please put the date in your diary. Thanks for your time
Since the last issue we have had the results of the Tuckers’ Reindeer Sale and were so pleased to receive a substantial sum from Mike and Glenys. Our thanks to all who attended the event, donated raffle prizes, manned stalls, dispensed beverages, baked cakes – you name it! Chiefly, of course, thanks to Mike and Glenys who do so much for the village and without whom these events would not happen.
Following on from our recording project we have been running over the past year, we are currently looking into a funding application to improve nesting habitat for birds within the village. From the data we collect through the project and the garden birdwatch we have been able to identify species that are struggling within the village, and we would like to help them through putting up nest boxes in gardens and the orchards
managed by us. In addition, we will be looking to improve our information displays to improve the experience for visitors from the community. An important part of success in this is you – the community. We encourage you to get involved with the Big Garden Birdwatch to help us further understand bird populations within the village which will help increase our chances of success with this project. We would love to get as many people involved as possible, so if you are interested in getting involved with the wildlife group, then please get in touch with us.
Using skills learned earlier in the year on a fruit tree pruning course members have been working on the trees in the Community Orchard. We have heard that two more pruning courses are to be run in the village on Wednesday 29th January and Wednesday 5th February at the Goldsland Orchard and Welsh Orchard (Maes y Felin). To be confirmed which orchard on which day. Check Facebook for booking details. These are free but you must register.
And finally, do you have any Mistletoe berries left from your Christmas decorations? Don’t throw them away but try pressing them against a suitable tree (underside of branch) to see if you can get your own Mistletoe to grow. Suitable trees include Apple, Hawthorn, Acer (Japanese Maple), Poplar. You can try any other tree, but they may not stand much of a chance. The little seed is inside the sticky, pulpy bit. Patience is required as they can take years to get established. Plenty more information online.
February included Nestbox Week. We erected, around 12 boxes, mainly thanks again to Mike Tucker. Of these, several were Owl boxes.
