Wildlife Volunteering in the UK: Projects that help wild birds

Wildlife volunteering. Throughout the country, there are plenty of volunteering opportunities for wildlife and nature enthusiasts to get stuck in to. Wildlife conservation volunteering is a great hobby, and we can’t think of a better place to volunteer than the great outdoors. If you’d like to give something back to nature and you can see yourself building a bird paradise in the countryside, discover below the different wildlife volunteer programs that seek to help the nation's wild birds.

RSPB volunteering

The RSPB have a wide range of volunteering opportunities available all year round. One day you could be helping conservationists at Bemptin Cliffs (a nature reserve that specialises in breeding seabirds such as the Atlantic puffin and northern gannet) and the next you could be helping out at the RSPB headquarters in Bedfordshire. Whether you’d like to try your hand at gardening, conservation or you’d simply like to get stuck into a fundraiser, take a look at their volunteering page to find out how you can help our wild birds.

The Wildlife Trusts opportunities

Similarly to the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts have many wildlife volunteering opportunities throughout the country. It doesn't matter if you give an hour, a day or a week of your time - it’s the giving back to nature that counts. To get involved, find your local Wildlife Trust and discover their volunteering opportunities online.

National Nest Box Week

If there are no wildlife volunteer programs near you, you could volunteer to help the birds from the comfort of your own garden by participating in National Nest Box Week. Taking place from 14th - 21st February, just in time for the breeding season, this annual project was set up by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to help provide safe places for our birds to nest. Once your nest is up, you could be helping our flying friends for years to come.

Attracting birds into your garden

If you’re looking to attract birds into your garden to nest, why not get some of their favourite foods? Our peanuts for birds and premium sunflower hearts are very popular with garden birds, and they’ll go down a treat during nesting season!

World Wetlands Day

One of the most popular wildlife conservation programs globally, World Wetlands Day is all about raising awareness of how we can all make a difference to all aspects of nature - including our wild birds. Taking part on February 2nd this year, there are a number of World Wetlands Day events in the UK that you could get involved in. In Leeds, RSPB St Aidan’s are holding a family-friendly Wetlands festival, and in Reading you could get involved with the Fobney Island Wetlands Day walk to raise awareness of climate change.

It’s the little things that make a big difference

As much as we’d all like to volunteer, sometimes our busy lives get in the way. But don’t worry, there are plenty of little things you can do daily to help wild birds. As mentioned earlier, simply getting some of their favourite foods could make a big difference - particularly during the cooler months when food is much harder to come by naturally. Creating a wildlife-friendly hub in your garden is another simple way you could make a difference.