The new boom in birdwatching
Last year we cherished our feathered friends. As another spring at home looms, Tomé MorrissySwan explains how to spot more – starting with next weekend’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch
Spring 2020, and change is coming. As winter gives way and the sun reemerges, there’s a heightened sense of wonder in the air. Trees blossom brighter than ever, and birds are noisier.
The pandemic has had a dramatic impact on our relationship with nature. Of course, those blossoms were their usual colour; birds have always chirped.
But as millions were forced to stay home they started noticing their surroundings. A walk in the park replaced the rush to the station; a meal in the garden supplanted a visit to the pub.
It’s no surprise that many found solace in nature during a turbulent year, and the pandemic has reignited a British love affair with birds. Estimates vary, but there are about 250 different kinds of breeding birds (plus almost 400 frequent or rare visitors) in the UK, from the minuscule goldcrest to the majestic golden eagle.
And an impressive range can be viewed in Covid-compliant ways. Many flourish in cities – not just crows and pigeons – and those without gardens can spot some on a daily walk. This, perhaps, is why birdwatching has soared.
According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the number of unique visitors to its website grew 70 per cent year-on-year during the first lockdown. Grassroots Facebook pages
such as All Things Birdwatching UK swelled, and founder Paul Ash reckons two thirds of new members had no interest before the pandemic.
The most popular pages on the RSPB’s website cover bird identification and how to help garden birds, leading to an obvious conclusion: many people are seeking a closer connection to wildlife by knowing what’s around them and what they can do to help.
New birders will be pleased to hear that a huge, nationwide, familyfriendly, easy and safe event (for those lucky to have gardens), the Big Garden Birdwatch, takes place next weekend (Jan 29-31), its 42nd iteration.
“Garden birds provide an important connection to the wider world and bring enormous joy,” says Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s chief executive. “Lockdown brought few benefits, but the last year has either started or reignited a love of nature for many people. By taking part in the Birdwatch, you are helping to build an annual snapshot of how our birdlife is doing across the UK.”
Each year, 500,000 people take part, which Adrian Thomas, the RSPB’s garden bird expert, says is enough to negate errors. Participating is easy. Simply choose one hour across the weekend, count all the birds that land in your garden, and record the highest number of each species you see at any one time, rather than over the hour. Those with balconies could use a neighbour’s garden, and in normal years you can visit a park – but this year the RSPB isn’t advocating this approach.
What might you see? In 2020, house sparrows, starlings and blue tits were common, while wood pigeons, blackbirds, robins and magpies were also in the top 10. There are regional differences. The vivid yellow siskin, a lively finch, is common up north; southerners are more likely to spot the plump nuthatch, a red-breasted, blue-backed, woodpecker-like bird (spreading north due to warmer conditions). Winter is ideal for birding – leafless trees make them easier to spot.
Longevity is the Big Garden Birdwatch’s strength. “Over that time period you see a real shift, with some big winners and big losers in the garden bird world,” says Thomas, who defines “garden birds” as anything that lands in your garden. The conversation around nature is, rightly, often gloomy, but Thomas points to certain successes, partly due to improvements in feeders. Among these are goldfinches and longtailed tits.
“On the flipside, in the early days the starling was everywhere,” says Thomas. “The decline has been pretty drastic. Long-term declines are worrying, and that’s exactly what this survey can measure. From a conservation point of view, that’s the primary reason for doing it.”
You won’t be surprised to read that
the blackbird is seen in the greatest number of gardens. Perhaps, despite its mellow song and endearing hop, we take it for granted – though Paul McCartney certainly didn’t. Thomas says the RSPB wants any information at all, even if you only see a flock of pigeons, a murder of crows, or nothing. The blackbird, he explains, was a shy woodland bird in Victorian Britain – any information helps the RSPB track longterm shifts.
Rob Jaques is a supporter development officer at the British Trust for Ornithology, which runs its own Garden BirdWatch. With 20,000 participants, it also grew this year, but a key difference is that the birdwatchers involved log weekly reports. This tracks changes throughout the year – how extreme weather affects populations, for example.
Jaques says surveys are crucial for helping the BTO, RSPB and other bodies establish how to save declining species. For example, when the BTO spotted a drop in greenfinches due to trichomonosis, a disease, it led to the dissemination of advice on cleaning bird feeders regularly.
Similarly, swallows and house martins, though commonly seen, are “not doing so well”, Jaques explains. After learning of the house martin’s decline, the BTO undertook studies and realised that the rise of plastic on building facades prevented them from nesting on walls.
These projects succeed thanks to Britain’s love of birds. Thomas thinks this is because, though some are elusive, many are easy to spot – even city dwellers can find something interesting. “Birds capture people’s imaginations,” says Thomas. “They’re colourful, characterful, mostly day-loving.” There is also a wide variety in what has been described as one of the “most naturedepleted countries in the world”.
The link between spending time in nature and our mental health is a hot topic of research. A 2017 study from the University of Exeter, for example, observed a correlation between the number of birds people could see and improved mental health.
Spotting something new can instigate a surge of pleasure and elicit a smile; an hour in the garden or on a walk, far from screens and the constant news of deaths, provides much-needed respite. In lockdowns, birds represent the ultimate freedom: the ability to fly away.
There’s no need to be a twitcher (those who collect rare sightings). Simply sit in the garden, notice what’s flying around, and you’re a birdwatcher. Millions have done so, but if lives return to hectic normality, will those who recently discovered the delights of birdwatching remain? “I’m a naturally optimistic person,” says Thomas. “People seem to recognise how important nature is. Many will cherish those moments of happiness they found in these dark times.”