Over 600,000 people took part in 2024, counting more than nine million birds, while in Lincolnshire nearly 9,000 people participated, with the house sparrow taking the top spot as the most commonly seen bird, followed by starling and wood pigeon.
This year’s event takes place on January 24, 25 and 26 when people in Lincolnshire are asked to spend an hour watching and counting the birds in their garden, balcony or local park, then send their results to the RSPB.
This year’s event marks over four decades since the first Big Garden Birdwatch, the largest citizen science survey in the UK. Starting in 1979, it has since become a much-loved annual event, that gives the RSPB a valuable snapshot of how garden birds are doing in the UK. Over that time, 195 million birds have been counted and nearly 12.1 million hours spent watching and counting garden birds.
RSPB Regional Communications Officer, Jo Taylor said: “Over its four decades, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world.
"House Sparrows remained at the top of the rankings as the most commonly seen garden bird in 2024, with 1.4 million recorded sightings throughout BGBW weekend. However, house sparrows have sadly suffered severe declines. In fact, the number spotted in gardens has dropped by nearly 60 per cent since the Big Garden Birdwatch first began. The other birds in our top five most recorded species were blue tit, starling, woodpigeon and blackbird.
“The UK’s gardens are an increasingly important habitat for many species. These places are often overlooked and taken for granted but cover an estimated 4,330 square kilometres. In England alone, the land area given over to gardens is more than four and a half times larger than that of our National Nature Reserves.
“Whatever you see - one blackbird, 20 sparrows or no birds at all - it all counts. It helps us build that vital overall picture of how our garden birds are faring from one year to the next.”
Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s Chief Executive, added: “At its heart, Big Garden Birdwatch is an opportunity for people to spend an hour watching, enjoying, and connecting with the wildlife on their doorstep. From chirpy house sparrows to acrobatic blue tits, the entertaining antics of our garden birds can brighten even the dullest day and bring a welcome dose of nature into our everyday lives.
“With the nature and climate emergency threatening even our most familiar birds, every count matters. It’s good for wildlife and evidence shows it’s good for our own wellbeing.”
Over the four decades, the blue tit and great tit, much-loved garden species, have seen their average numbers rise by 24 per cent and 61 per cent respectively. While species such as the starling, currently at number two in the Big Garden Birdwatch charts, has seen its numbers drop by more than 80 per cent since 1979.
Beccy added: “All you need is an hour to spend watching the birds in your local green space. When we come together for nature, we can do great things.”
Kev Wilson is a Coastal Officer at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve, near Skegness.
He commented: “The recent cold weather with the prolonged freeze conditions may well have impacted on some small birds.
"The wren is particularly susceptible, being largely insectivorous, access to food can become a problem during a freeze and unlike many other species that can move to warmer climes with better food availability, the wren is just not built for migration. It is one of few species that can pretty much be called ‘resident’ and as such wrens are on their breeding grounds early to take advantage of good weather conditions in early spring, a pair can raise two or three broods of chicks each year and each brood can contain 10 or more chicks.
"So if numbers over-winter are reduced by bad weather, then they have the ability to restore populations in favourable conditions over the next couple of seasons. This was witnessed after the cold winter of 1990, when breeding bird surveys at Gibraltar Point recorded the decline followed by recovery.”
Kev said that during the cold spell, an increase in blackbirds was noted on the coast. Blackbirds are a classic migrant, with new birds coming in from Northern Europe, although there were few berries left on the bushes and the ground was too frozen to pick out worms so many would have continued moving further west and south.
“Unlike last winter, there have been very few reports of waxwings – these are very hardy birds, able to withstand harsh Scandinavian winters so long as there is food such as rowan berries in good supply.”
With recent alerts about avian flu in the county, he added: “Many birds rely on garden feeding stations to help get them through the winter, but there are increasing concerns about the transmission of disease between feeding birds. This has had a serious effect on some of the finches like greenfinch. Bird tables and feeders need regular cleaning but also, consider alternating the patches of ground where food is placed.
“Of course in the wider countryside its better if birds have good habitat such as marginal schemes on farmland where mature hedges provide both shelter and food and fallow fields or winter stubbles allow the birds to take up the food supply of seeds and move on before disease builds up.”
To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 in Lincolnshire watch the birds on your balcony, in your garden or in your local green space for one hour at some point over the three days. Only count the birds that land, not those flying over. Record the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time – not the total you see in the hour.
Registration for Big Garden Birdwatch 2025 is open now until January 26. To receive your free postal or digital Big Garden Birdwatch guide, which includes a bird identification chart, top tips for your Birdwatch, RSPB shop voucher, and advice on how to attract wildlife to your garden, text BIRD to 82727, or visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.

1. House sparrow, Passer domesticus, female perched on feeder in garden. Co. Durham. October.
The humble house sparrow was top of the tree - but their numbers have declined. Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com) Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

2. Blackbird Turdus merula, male, on garden lawn. Co. Durham. July.
Blackbirds were among the top five birds of 2024. Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com) Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

3. Blue tit, Parus caeruleus, perched on branch in garden. Co. Durham. October.
Blue tit numbers have increased. Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com) Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)

4. Starling Sturnus vulgaris, adult male in hedge of Wild privet Ligustrum vulgare, Bedfordshire, England, January 2011
The starling was also in the top five but has seen a decline. Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)