Hour of Garden Birds 

Hour of the Garden Birds:
Be part of a citizen science project and earn an hour of conservation-related service.

Presented by Nick

What is it?

The Hour of the Garden Birds” is a Germany-wide project that everyone can participate in. In 2024, it will take place from May 9th -12th. Everyone in Germany is encouraged to count birds for an hour and report their results. Your data and that of thousands of others will provide answers to important questions. The nationwide long-term study helps the sponsoring organization Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) to identify environmental changes. 

Scouts, this type of research is called "citizen science" and your participation can earn you one conservation-related service hour. 

So, the second weekend in May, is all about the birds in your garden. It's easy to take part, whether as a family or alone: ​​choose an hour, count your birds and report the numbers.

What do I need to do?

Let me show you how.  NABU created this nifty counting sheet and I translated the information so you can easily read it. You will report the maximum number of birds sighted at the same time per species. Here is an example. Let’s say you see two black birds - those are easy to identify. They are black with an orange beak for the males and the same size but all brown for the females. So, that’s two for your maximum number of blackbirds sighted at the same time. Then, you see two more blackbirds in your yard. Cross out two, and write down four. One black bird flies away. Now you have three. Do you write down three? No, you keep the four because that is the maximum number you have seen - so far - during that one hour you are counting birds. 

When you look at this little counting sheet (see link below), you will find the most common birds listed and a space to note more birds. You may see crows or a colorful ​​goldfinch. Write them down.

Once you have your results from counting birds here in Germany for an hour, you report your results. You can do that online at www.NABU.de/onlinemeldung, through the NABU Vogelwelt app, or by calling the toll-free phone number 0800 11 57 115. The online reporting form and toll free phone line will open up during the weekend. You will find lots of information about this project, different birds in Germany and so much more at nabu.de. Is your German nicht sehr gut? No problem. You can use a translation tool to have the content translated from German to English. Plus once NABU has added up everyone’s numbers, they will publish the results online. You can look up which are the most common birds in your area.

It’s fun to participate in citizen science and you can also count that one hour of conservation service hour. 

What else should I know?

You may wonder if you can participate if you don’t have a yard. Yes, you can. It is important that your counting location is in a residential area. It is best to count where you live, but you don’t need to do that in a backyard. You can count from your balcony or window. If you prefer, you can also count in the nearest park. By the way, airspace counts, too. A bird does not have to settle in the garden or at the bird feeder; it also counts if it flies past or over.

You now may wonder: what is all this for? The goal of this annual project in May, and the sister project of counting birds in January, is to obtain a snapshot of the bird population in residential areas and have those snapshots as accurate as possible.

The count in May provides information on the breeding population, while the January count provides information on the midwinter population and changes in migratory behavior. Over the course of a year, the bird population in our yards changes fundamentally. The birds that we see at our feeding stations in winter are usually not the same as the birds that breed in May.

I hope you will have fun counting birds and learning a little bit more about the different birds that are in your neighborhood.  Share this information with others you know in Germany, so they can participate as well. 

Helpful Links:

Download your translated counting sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16sYloJpkT6nrWYXooc3iqMW1QA6KCQ2Q/view?usp=sharing 

Report your results the second weekend of May here: www.NABU.de/onlinemeldung   

For more information visit: https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/aktionen-und-projekte/stunde-der-gartenvoegel/ 

You can use Google Translate to translate the content from German to English.

Link to YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/kD-3sfHxMXo