Every January, hundreds of thousands of people across the UK spend an hour counting the birds in their garden for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch. In 2026, 650,279 people took part and counted more than nine million birds of over 80 different species.
These were the five birds seen most often:
- House sparrow. Chatty, sociable and usually in groups. They love busy feeders and hedges to shelter in.
- Blue tit. Small, quick and blue-capped. Often grabs a seed and darts straight back to cover.
- Starling. Glossy, speckled and noisy, and they tend to arrive as a gang and empty a feeder fast.
- Woodpigeon. Big, grey and calm, with a white patch on the neck. More often feeds on the ground below a feeder.
- Blackbird. Males are black with a bright orange-yellow beak, and females are brown. Usually feeds on the ground or on a flat tray.
How to see more of them
- Offer a mix of foods. Sunflower hearts are popular with lots of small birds, and a flat tray suits blackbirds and robins.
- Keep the feeder topped up, especially in winter when natural food is scarce.
- Put fresh water nearby for drinking and bathing.
- Keep feeders clean to stop disease spreading.
Never miss a visitor
Most visits to a feeder last only seconds. The Robin Lens smart bird feeder camera wakes when a bird lands, records the visit and sends it to your phone, with the app suggesting the species. It works day and night, and the solar panel keeps it charged.
Survey figures from the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 results.