This page hosts downloads of various instruction sheets, recording forms, and other materials likely to be useful to Garden BirdWatch participants.
Guidance and instructions
The following downloads provide guidance on how to participate in Garden BirdWatch, from an overview of what is required, through to more detailed guidance on using GBW Online.
- Overview of how to take part (PDF, 852 KB)
- Using Garden BirdWatch Online (PDF, 348 KB)
- Recording on paper forms (PDF, 578 KB)
- Species codes for those using paper forms (PDF, 782 KB)
- GBW Other wildlife codes (PDF, 563 KB)
Recording sheets
The following recording sheets can be used to help you keep tally throughout your recording period of what you have seen. The details from these can then either be entered through GBW Online or copied across to the formal paper recording forms (if you are one of those still using these).
- Weekly tally form for those recording online (PDF, 58 KB)
- Weekly tally form for those recording on paper (PDF, 102 KB)
Calendars
Garden BirdWatch works on a weekly basis, with participants noting the species seen in any given week. For the small number recording on paper forms – rather than through GBW Online – the year is divided into four quarters, each of 13 weeks (plus the occasional catch-up week). The following calendars enable you to map any week onto the corresponding quarter and week number. This calendar also appears in our quarterly magazine Bird Table, which is sent to paying subscribers.
- Garden BirdWatch Calendar of Count Weeks for 2025 (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Garden BirdWatch Calendar of Count Weeks for 2024 (PDF, 1.7 MB)