Irish Garden Bird Survey

Monitoring our favourite garden birds

The Irish Garden Bird Survey is BirdWatch Ireland’s most popular citizen science survey, with around two thousand gardens taking part each year. The Irish Garden Bird Survey is kindly sponsored by Ballymaloe.

The survey starts on the week beginning Monday 27th November 2023 and it’s open to everyone to take part!

 

What’s involved?

Between December and February each year, we ask members of the public to keep note of the highest number of each bird species visiting their garden every week.  We also ask for information on the size of the garden being surveyed, the kinds of food, if any, being offered to the birds, and so on.  Taking part is fun, easy and an ideal way to get to know your garden birds better; it also makes an ideal school project.

Why do we count garden birds?

As the Irish countryside changes, gardens are becoming increasingly important havens for many species, and it is vital for us to know how their populations are faring.  The Irish Garden Bird Survey does this not only by giving us a good idea of how our garden birds themselves are doing, but also an indication of how the environment is faring in general.

There’s no need to register beforehand. You can send us your garden bird records online, by email or by post, and we publish the results of the survey each year in the winter edition of Wings – our membership magazine.

Robin-perching-on-a-branch

Submit your weekly counts

Long-tailed Tit-on-a-branch

Taking part in the survey

Feeding your garden birds

Trichomoniasis (sick finches)

Injured birds

See here for advice if you find an injured bird or baby bird.

Nestboxes

Guidance for putting up nestboxes in your garden.

Gardening for birds

Tips on how to manage your garden for birds and wildlife.

Donate to Support the Irish Garden Bird Survey

The survey is open to everyone, whether you’re a BirdWatch Ireland member or not, and there’s no charge or fee to take part. Any donation you can spare though will help us to make the survey bigger and better, and allow us to delve deeper into the results to learn more about Ireland’s garden birds and the difficulties they face.

Donate

Garden Bird Publications

Irish Garden Bird Survey 2023/24 – Survey Form

The survey form for taking part in the Irish Garden Bird Survey for winter 2023/24. The survey starts in the week beginning Monday November 27th 2023, but don’t worry if…

Irish Garden Bird Survey results – Winter 2020/21

Results from the Irish Garden Bird Survey for Winter 2020/21, as originally published in the winter 2021 edition of our membership magazine ‘Wings‘.

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Garden Bird Survey Publication Archive

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BirdWatch Ireland Shop

Visit our shop to for all of your bird care needs, including feeders, birdfood and nestboxes, as well as a wide variety of books, optical equipment including binoculars and telescopes, and even a range of t-shirts featuring your favourite Irish birds! By purchasing from our shop you’re helping support and fund our vital conservation work across the country.

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