Help Buxton Civic Association while taking part in RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch

Every year the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) encourages people to take part in its Big Garden Birdwatch, and while the results of the survey are of vital importance nationally and regionally in identifying the state of the UK’s birdlife, it is too much of an administrative headache to extract data for areas as small as Buxton.

But now the BCA is appealing for your local bird counts before they are sent to the main RSPB survey, promising to reveal the true picture of how Buxton’s bird species are faring.

BCA’s Lindsey Wakefield said: “The Big Garden Birdwatch has been running nationally for 40 years, but we don’t get to see the figures for Buxton.

“We can now get that detail on a really local level to see year on year which birds are the winners and which are the losers,” said Lindsey.

“Many birds have severely declined in recent years, including common species such as House Sparrow and Starling. By keeping local records of bird numbers over time, we can target action to help struggling species by reducing risks, creating better habitats and providing nest sites.”

The Big Garden Birdwatch, which last year saw more than a million people taking part, takes place during an hour of your choosing from January 28 to 30. Note down the maximum of each species seen at any one time in your garden during the hour. You can increase your chances of seeing birds by offering favoured foods such as sunflower hearts, suet and peanuts.

Find the BCA form at tinyurl.com/garden-birdwatch-buxton. BCA will share the results later in the year.