Birds in Greenspaces

Castle Park, by Travels with a dog and camera

The BTO Birds in Greenspaces project aims to find out just how important greenspaces are for UK birds, and provide guidance on effective greenspace management for birds and people – and we want your help!

A survey across the UK for experienced birdwatchers and beginners alike.
The project is set to launch in 2026, with further pilot work taking place 2025.
Public registration will open in 2025, but we are now inviting groups and organisations to register their interest.
For more details, download the Birds in Greenspaces Supplementary Information (PDF).

Greenspaces are important spaces for birds and people alike. For birds, they provide shelter, food, and other resources, which can’t be found in the surrounding built-up areas, and for people, they can be a place for people to socialise, exercise, and relax. For many urban dwellers, greenspaces also provide the only opportunity to connect with nature, bringing with this a number of both mental and physical health benefits.

In order to ensure that these roles are fulfilled, it is important that greenspaces are managed with all users in mind. Unfortunately, these spaces are understudied, and management plans do not always prioritise the needs of birds and other wildlife.

By using data gathered by Birds in Greenspaces volunteers on which and how many birds are using these sites, we can understand just how vital these areas are for our national bird populations and create detailed habitat management plans for different types of greenspaces in different contexts, so that landowners and managers can improve them for both birds and people. This work will also provide us with new evidence, experiences and stories which we will use to highlight the value of these spaces to decision-makers.

Birds in Greenspaces is a beginner-friendly survey, and anyone can take part, whether you’re a seasoned ornithologist or it’s your first time observing birds! As part of collecting information for this project, we want to get more people interacting with and learning about the wildlife in their local greenspaces.

For groups and organisations:

We want as many people as possible to participate, so we are inviting groups and organisations to register their interest and sign up to receive updates on the project’s progress and how to get involved in project co-design. To register, please get in touch with us:

Fill out our registration form
Email us at greenspaces [at] bto.org

For individuals:

If you would like to be the first to know about updates to the project, prior to public registration opening in 2025, please register here to be added to our mailing list: