This winter, as part of the event organized by the Latvian Ornithological Society (LOO) "Report Birds in the Garden 2026," 12,696 birds representing 44 species were recorded at feeders and in gardens in 336 locations across Latvia, reported LETA by LOO communication specialist Kitija Balcare.
During the event held from January 23 to 25, the portal for nature observations "Dabasdati.lv" and the Latvian Ornithological Society (LOO) reported the following species most frequently: great tit — 2,954 individuals, field sparrow — 2,663, house sparrow — 1,397, blue tit — 1,194, greenfinch — 917, bullfinch — 638, hooded crow — 513, jay — 359, blackbird — 265, and nuthatch — 236.
The most frequently reported observations during the event were of the great tit — in 316 locations, blue tit — in 288, field sparrow — in 238, jay — in 226, and hooded crow — in 216 locations.
The maximum number of species observed in one location was 22, and the maximum number of birds was 378.
Last year, during the event "Report Birds in the Garden 2025," held from January 24 to 26, more than 7,000 birds representing 53 species were counted at 199 feeding sites.
The goal of the "Report Birds in the Garden" event is to count birds in the garden or at feeders by submitting information through the nature observation portal or the mobile application "Dabasdati.lv." The idea for the event is borrowed from the United Kingdom, where the winter bird count in gardens has been conducted since 1979. In Latvia, the event has been taking place since 2017 alongside similar initiatives in neighboring countries and other European countries, noted Balcare.
