Tweet news as garden birds make a comeback
WILDLIFE populations may be plunging in numbers across the globe, but the good news is that Irish garden birds are thriving.
That’s the evidence of the BirdWatch Ireland annual garden bird survey carried out by members of the public, which is about to enter its 30th year.
Brian Burke, the coordinator of the largest and most popular survey overseen by the wildlife charity, said the surveys show that not only are many species holding steady, but others are flourishing.
And some species that weren’t even in Ireland when the survey started in 1992, are now dotted all over the country, for example, the woodpecker. Twitchers, young and old, will be at the ready next Monday, November 28, when the annual survey kicks off.
Birds will be counted between then and the end of February, the time when most birds come into our gardens in search of food.
Mr Burke said that as the Irish countryside changes, gardens are becoming increasingly important havens for many species, and that’s vital for Birdwatch Ireland to know how their populations are faring.
‘The survey does this, not only by giving us a good idea of how our garden birds themselves are doing, but also an indication of how the environment is faring in general,’ he said.
During lockdown, recordings were taken from more than 2,500 gardens. Most years it’s about 2,000 and Mr Burke said there were ‘no surprises at the top of the rankings table last year’, with robins, blackbirds and blue tits respectively taking the top three podium places.
Across the country, the great tit moved up one place to fourth – they were present in nearly 2% more gardens than the average. Magpies rose up one to fifth and chaffinches dropped two places to fall out of the top five for the first time in 14 years.
Despite this, they were still one of the most numerically abundant species across the country, with an average of five per garden per week.
‘I had noticeably high numbers of coal tits in my Wicklow garden right throughout the winter,’ said Mr Burke, ‘and the fact that they moved up three places to seventh shows it wasn’t just me.’
Starlings and house sparrows took up the ninth and eighth spots respectively, meaning the goldfinch had to settle for tenth. As for the woodpecker, Mr Burke said this ‘substantial’ bird of black, white and red plumage first came to Ireland only 15 years ago but is now seen all over the country.
‘A small number of great spotted woodpeckers appear to have flown across the Irish Sea from Wales to Co. Wicklow and from Scotland to Co. Down,’ he said. ‘Since then, the species has slowly but surely been increasing its population and expanding into new areas, which has been wonderful to see.’
The survey asks people to record the highest number of each bird species visiting their garden every week. They also ask for information on the size of the garden being surveyed, the kinds of food, if any, being offered to the birds, and so on. There is no need to register beforehand and responders can send their sightings by email or by post.
‘Indication of how the environment is faring’
‘Woodpeckers expanding into new areas’