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Great Coastal Birdwatch

The Great Coastal Birdwatch 17 October to 1 November 2026

The Great Coastal Birdwatch

Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 

Every year we celebrate the arrival of the migratory birds which spend the winter on our coastlines with the Great Coastal Birdwatch.

By taking part you’ll have increased your knowledge of the coastal birds in your local area, helped to contribute valuable data and learnt how to become more bird aware.

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How to take part

If you’re visiting the coastline during the Great Coastal Birdwatch, you’ll need to:

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Pick a spot to do your watch anytime between Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November.

Follow our recommendations for staying safe and warm.

Family bird watching

Spend up to one hour seeing how many different species of birds you can spot.

Check out our Meet the birds pages for help in identifying them. If you want, you can print out one of our recording forms to help you keep track of what you see. Or just use a notebook or your phone to keep a running total.

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Follow the Coastal Code: look out for birds, move away if they become alert, keep dogs alongside you and follow requests on signs.

The Great Coastal Birdwatch online recording site

Then let us know which species of birds you spotted using our special Great Coastal Birdwatch data collection form or, if you prefer, by emailing us at info@birdaware.org.

If you want, you can add to our data by letting us know how many of each species you’ve seen.

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Our rangers will be hosting dozens of free walks and pop-up events during the fortnight – why not stop by and say hello?

Want to find out the results of last year’s birdwatch? Visit our Great Coastal Birdwatch blog to find out more.

Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to keep up to date with Bird Aware Solent news.

Great Solent Birdwatch graphic image

Great Coastal Birdwatch: advice for staying safe and healthy

We hope you have fun on your Great Coastal Birdwatch but here’s some information which you might find useful.

Find out more
Great Coastal Birdwatch graphic image

Great Coastal Birdwatch: further tips and advice

The Great Coastal Birdwatch is a citizen science project that aims to raise awareness of the incredible range of overwintering birds that visit our coastlines each year.

Find out more
Great Coastal Birdwatch Kids Zone

Great Coastal Birdwatch: Kids’ Zone

By taking part in this year’s bird count, you’ll be making a difference to our knowledge of the amazing birds which travel here every autumn.

Find out more