RSPB 2022 Big Garden Bird Watch

On Sunday 30th January we hosted a family-friendly Big Garden Birdwatch Global GardensProject.

Joanne from RSPB Cymru shared some top bird spotting tips - encouraging us to focus on beaks, bellies and feet when trying to ID birds.

At the plot, it was a bright day and we saw lots of Sparrows, some Feral and Wood Pigeons (distnguished by their beaks, Wood Pigeons have orange beaks), Blackbirds, Blue tits, a Great tit, a Wren, sparrows, a Robin, Goldfinches and a Crow.

We didn't spot any Long-tailed tits though. Joanne explained the beast from the east in 2019 led to a 50% decline in these garden favourites, Hopefully now population numbers are back on the rise - we made some #birdballs to help the birds through the winter months.

After the one-hour timed bird watch, Joanne showed families how to make bird fat balls to hang on the tree.

Citizen science initiatives like the #biggardenbirdwatch can play a really important role in monitoring bird populations.

Throughout the year you can also follow wildlife around Cardiff via the #WildCardiffHour every Tuesday for #WildCardiffHour, a weekly celebration of all things wild and wonderful in Cardiff! Residents share the wildlife and nature they've seen from the previous week, and join in conversations to learn about our wild neighbours. To join in, keep an eye out for nature around you, and share with the #WildCardiffHour hashtag on Tuesdays between 7-8pm.