Birdwatchers are out for the count
The RSPB lets fly its world famous garden bird survey this weekend to give conservationists an overview of the fluctuating fortunes of our feathered friends.
More than 700,000 birdwatchers will be counting birds in their gardens and local parks as part of the biggest citizen science project of its kind on the planet.
Since 1979, a growing army of observers has been dedicating one hour over the last weekend of January to tally species for the Big Garden Birdwatch.
Suburbia has become an increasingly significant wildlife habitat in its own right, with our lawns, borders, shrubberies and even balconies providing places for birds to feed, rest and nest.
Over the survey’s six decades, there have been both winners and losers in an age of shrinking wild spaces and the growing impact of climate change.
Looking at the top 20 recorded species in last year’s count, one can see how starlings, blackbirds, song thrushes, robins, greenfinches and chaffinches have witnessed long-term declines.
Finches have suffered more than most, probably the result of the avian disease trichomonosis, which infects birds’ throats and makes feeding difficult. Greenfinch counts have declined by 63% and chaffinches by 48% over the last decade alone.
Another once regular garden visitor, the song thrush, is suffering a similar fate, with garden numbers dropping by more than half since 2013, a downturn mirrored in the countryside where the loss and degradation of hedgerows and wet ditches has reduced the amount of invertebrates for them to eat.
Yet 13 out of the commonest 20 garden birds are being seen more regularly over BGB weekends.
There are success stories for both woodpigeons and goldfinches along with blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits.
The other positive news is that house sparrows are also enjoying something of a renaissance. Having seen BGB counts crash by nearly 60% since the 1980s, sparrows were recorded in two-thirds of gardens last year, which represents an 11% jump in recent times.
For more details, see rspb.org.uk