Recent event spotlight: Big Garden Birdwatch takes flight with Energy Garden

24 species of birds, oh my!  

Ellen, Energy Garden’s Biodiversity Lead, here to tell you about our first time participating in the RSPB ‘s Big Garden Birdwatch on the 26th and 27th of January. 

I had lots of fun running three birdwatching sessions over the weekend with our volunteers. We followed the RSPB’s instructions and counted 82 individual birds of 24 different species during these hour-long surveys!  

At Brondesbury Park, we were lucky to have a sun-filled afternoon and saw a great-spotted woodpecker for the first time amongst our trees.

Like birds, we were quick on our feet when rail closures didn’t allow us to access our Hampstead Heath Station platform garden.  Our group decided to perch between one of the ponds and a patch of woodland in Hampstead Heath, so we got to see an amazing mix of species. 

A hush fell over Bush Hill Park when a sparrowhawk stopped by.  I interrupted this though as I immediately yelled with excitement once I spotted it.  Once the bird of prey was gone, the birdsongs slowly returned. I will work on my birdwatching etiquette for next time! 

Including our observations, the RSPB has reported over 6.9 million birds observed so far in this year's event. This builds on the 45 years of citizen science collected data in what has become the UK’s largest citizen science event. This information will help Energy Garden as we continue creating and managing wildlife-friendly gardens. 

I am looking forward to more biodiversity-focused sessions this year. Check out our events page to see what’s coming up.

See you soon! - Ellen