Why don’t you join in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey from the comfort of Hepple Hill Cottage’s unique kitchen? The floor to ceiling windows which run the full width of the room give an amazing vantage point to observe our resident wildlife.
This year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from 26th to 28th January. All you have to do is spend an hour during that time recording the birds that land in the garden or maybe the field at the back of the cottage. Record the highest number of each bird species you see at any one time.
More than half a million people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2023 and counted an amazing 9.1 million birds. The House Sparrow came out on top with 1,401,388 spotted; the Blue Tit came in second place with 904,637 with the Starling close behind at 904,079.
At Hepple Hill Cottage, Edmundbyres if you are lucky you may see a barn owl swooping past the kitchen window at dusk. It might not settle on the garden fence to be included in the survey but it will be a special moment. One of our guests saw this legendary bird every night of their stay. During the day you can often see Red Kites circling over the cottage. The record for most seen is held by our electrician Jeff who saw five!
Sadly, bird numbers are on the decline. RSPB figures show that the 38 million birds have disappeared from our skies since the survey began in 1979. So grab a cup of coffee, paper and pen, make yourself comfortable at our distinctive kitchen table and see how many birds are in our special part of Edmundbyres.
For more information about the Big Garden Birdwatch 2024 check out the RSPB website – www.rspb.org.uk
