Record numbers take part in RSPB garden birdwatch

ARECORD number of people took part in the RSPB’s annual birdwatching survey in the Westcountry and across the UK during lockdown earlier this year.

The conservation charity’s Big Garden Birdwatch saw more than a million wildlife enthusiasts count 17 million birds in their garden in one hour on the last weekend in January – double the number of people who took part last year.

In Devon 28,813 joined in, compared to 14,511 in 2020, while in Cornwall the number was 14,881 this year, well up on the 7,942 participants last January.

And the findings in Devon and Cornwall matched those nationwide, with the house sparrow topping the list as the most-seen species in the Westcountry among other common garden UK birds sharing the top ten.

RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight said the charity was “blown away” by the enthusiasm the public had shown for the survey this year, as many people discovered a new love of wildlife during the pandemic.

The count helps the RSPB monitor how bird species are doing and was the first thing to alert the charity to a decline in song thrush numbers. The species has seen a 78% decline over the last four decades, despite a small rise this year.

The house sparrow holds on to the top spot in the latest survey with 2.6 million sightings over the weekend, though it has seen a 58% decline since the count began – and has also declined in number in both Devon and Cornwall surveys.

Many of the top 20 bird species have seen declines since the count first started 42 years ago. Starlings in particular have declined in Birdwatch counts in the Westcountry, though still remain among the top ten species spotted.

Nationally, in the last year, robins, blackbirds, carrion crows and the song thrush were the only species in the top 20 to see an increase in numbers.

More than 157 million birds have been counted by Big Garden Birdwatch participants since the first count in 1979. Ms Speight said: “We have been blown away by the enthusiasm with which people have taken part in the birdwatch this year.

“Lockdowns have brought few benefits, but the last year has either started or reignited a love of nature for many people, right on their doorsteps.

“This winter has been a bleak ordeal but as the dawn chorus starts to burst into song and the blossom starts to flower from the trees once more, we are emerging from this pandemic a new generation of nature lovers.

“We hope the birdwatch has kindled a new passion for wildlife for the thousands who took part for the first time this year – we need every voice raised to stand up for nature. The wildlife that gave us so much interest and solace is now just a fraction of what should be there.”

On the back of the public support, she urged the Government to take the opportunities for global leadership and policies it had this year to reverse the declines and restore nature.

A recent YouGov survey of 2,071 UK adults found that 41% of people have seen wildlife near their homes in the last 12 months that they have not noticed before. The survey suggests that nature has helped people cope with the last year, with 63% of respondents saying that hearing birdsong added to their life enjoyment during the pandemic.

Charlie Elder > The house sparrow is still top of the flocks – with between four and five seen on average in more than two-thirds of gardens in the Westcountry

RSPB > More than a million people counted 17 million birds in their garden during the Big Garden Birdwatch in January