On the wing

THIS year’s RSPB’S Big Garden Birdwatch saw the house sparrow retain its number-one spot, with blue tits and starlings coming second and third. Meanwhile, the notoriously shy jay (above) has puzzled experts by flying nine places up the list to 23rd, with a 73% increase in sightings. ‘We don’t know the reasons for the sudden increase,’ admits Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive. ‘It may be down to food availability.’ The colourful corvid, with its white rump, black tail, pink plumage and electric-blue wing trim, is a characteristic screecher, as well as a talented mimic. It hops about on forest floors sourcing and hiding acorns (about 8,000 a year per jay), which, when left buried, grow into oaks.

There are fingers crossed for a greenfinch recovery after its 7.7% increase —promising, but the red-listed bird is still down 63% since 1993. Other winners are the wood pigeon, up 9.2% and jackdaw (12.9%). However, the longworried-over song thrush (below) is down 12.2% (81% since 1979), robins 2.3% (26.3%) and blackbirds 4.3% (43.3%).