BTO Garden BirdWatch

12/06/2026

Sometimes, we get an email from a participant which gets us a bit excited!
This Turtle Dove was spotted in a Devon garden last weekend by John Burston. This migratory species has suffered from a 99% decline since 1967, and the breeding population is now largely confined to East Anglia. The cause of the decline is complicated, but increased use of herbicides reducing food availability during the breeding season is thought to be one of the main drivers.

What's the most exciting species you've recorded for Garden BirdWatch this year?

05/06/2026

As Volunteers Week draws to a close, we'd like to give a big shout out to our amazing GBW Ambassadors!
These super volunteers are helping us to spread the word about Garden BirdWatch around the country. From Cornwall to County Down, Lothian to London, Ceredigion to Cumbria, and everywhere in between, GBW Ambassadors deliver talks and attend events, engaging with thousands of people interested in our work this year, so far!
If you're interested in finding out more about joining our growing community of Ambassadors, then please get in touch.
[email protected]

04/06/2026

This Volunteers Week, we're shining a light on you, our amazing citizen scientists who have submitted a whopping 10,959,289 submissions from 48,600 gardens since January 1995!!!

Thanks to your efforts, we've been at the forefront of garden wildlife monitoring, and are uniquely placed to provide evidence-based guidance on how best to support birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, bumblebees and dragonflies in gardens.

Join today to help us continue this work.
https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/gbw/get-involved

20/05/2026

BTO's Garden BirdWatch has a central role in understanding how changes in garden bird feeding are affecting bird populations across the UK. By recording what you see (and what you're feeding) each week, you become part of the evidence.
Join us:
https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/gbw

The new advice about feeding garden birds seasonally came in at the start of May.

Two weeks in, BTO Senior Research Ecologist Dr Kate Plummer, part of the Technical Steering Group for the evidence review on which the new guidance is based, sets out the scientific rationale behind the changes in our latest BTO blog ➡️ https://www.bto.org/our-work/news/blog/rethinking-how-we-feed-garden-birds

BTO Garden BirdWatch | Garden Wildlife Health | RSPB | ZSL

18/05/2026

Garden Bumblebees are active in gardens between April and September. They have yellow bands across the front and back of the thorax, one band across the front of the abdomen, and a white tail. If you can view a Garden Bumblebee from the front, you will see that they have a long face and a very long tongue, which they use to feed from tubular flowers such as Foxgloves, Honeysuckle and vetches, although they will feed on open flowers as well, particularly Red Clover.

📷 - Garden Bumblebee by GBW Ambassador Debbie Frazer

Have you seen any bumblebees in your garden recently? You can record them as part of your weekly Garden BirdWatch count. To find out more: https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/gbw

15/05/2026

Want to get to know the bumblebees in your garden? 🐝 Join our introductory online course next week!

📆 Tuesday 19 May, 7pm-9pm. Book here ➡️ https://bit.ly/_19May
📆 Wednesday 20 May, 10am-12pm. Book here ➡️ https://bit.ly/_20May

In this session we look at the ecology of these insects, how to separate bumblebees from similar looking insects, and how to identify the 7 species most commonly encountered in gardens.

📷 Rob Jaques

14/05/2026

For supporters in or around Suffolk, you have two opportunities to meet your regional BTO and Garden BirdWatch teams coming up! On Sun 24th and Mon 25th May, we'll be at Helmingham Hall Spring Plant and Crafts Fair. Then on Wed 27th and Thu 28th, we'll be at the Suffolk Show (located in the Red Countryside Zone).

Both these events are ticketed, so we advise checking the websites for ticket details (links in the first comment).

📷 Photo by Anna Alam

23/04/2026

22/04/2026

This week is National Mammal Week, and we're celebrating all our furry garden visitors!
Garden BirdWatch allows you to record the mammals (as well as birds and other wildlife) that use your garden, and since 2007 we've been receiving records of all these species, and many more!

Why not sign up today to start contributing and help us to monitor the importance of gardens to all wildlife?
https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/gbw

📷 Taken by Garden BirdWatchers
Fox - Peter Allan
Hedgehog - Carl Bunting
Wood Mouse - Joan Tindall
Rabbit - Rowena Jackson
Brown Rat - Josh Pedley
Grey Squirrel - Sara Booth