Watch the birdies

Jan 10 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IS climate change keeping the birds out of our gardens?

It’s a fair bet – and this month’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch is expected to add to the evidence in favour of the theory.

Households across the country are being asked to spare some time to count the different species they see and pass the record on to the RSPB.

The annual count, which has been going since 1979, will reveal the most common winter bird.

More than 400,000 people took part last year, spotting 6 million birds in 236,000 gardens.

The figures add up, not just to a lot of people getting a close-up of the wildlife living alongside them, but to vital scientific data.

Organisers hope that record numbers will get involved this year, helping to discover the winners and losers in the garden bird world.

Matthew Capper, Big Garden Birdwatch co-ordinator, said the survey would provide vital information on the state of bird populations.

“The survey is fun, easy and only takes an hour to complete. It’s a great way for people to contribute to a significant piece of wildlife research without even having to leave their homes.

“You really don’t need to be an expert to take part. Whether you’re young or old, an expert or a beginner, there really is no better place to start than the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch,” he said.

Participants in Big Garden Birdwatch have made a significant contribution to monitoring garden bird numbers over the past three decades.

The annual count began as a one-off when the RSPB asked its junior members to list the birds they saw in their garden over the course of a weekend.

It was so popular that it continued to run and was opened up to everyone in 2001, when 50,000 people took part.

Over the years, scientists can record patterns in bird numbers and use this to help prioritise bird conservation work.

And some garden birds are very much in need of help, it has been discovered.

The house sparrow claimed the top position for the most birds seen in gardens in 2007 but the species has shown a rapid decrease since 1979, dropping from 10 birds per garden to 4.4.

The starling, beaten to the top spot in 2007 by the house sparrow, has seen its numbers plummet from fifteen per garden to an average of 3.7, a decline of 76%.

However, the chaffinch and great tit have both seen their numbers increase since 1979 by 36% and 52% respectively.

From last year’s survey, the RSPB believes milder winter temperatures across Europe and bumper fruit crops in hedgerows and woodlands contributed to more birds feeding in the countryside and fewer visiting UK gardens during the winter.

Smaller numbers of several songbirds were recorded in gardens, most notably those whose winter numbers are usually swelled by seasonal migrants from the continent.

Blackbirds, song thrushes and robins were at their lowest levels in gardens for five years. Above-average winter temperatures across Europe resulted in reduced migration to the UK and consequently, numbers of song thrushes spotted in gardens declined by nearly two-thirds in a single year. Blackbird sightings were down a quarter.

Common migrants and rarer species such as fieldfares and redwings are finding plenty of natural food without coming into gardens.

To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, simply spend one hour over the weekend of January 26/27, counting the birds in your garden or local park, and record the highest number of each bird species seen at any one time. The morning is the best time to look, when the birds are out and about feeding after a cold winter night.

For further information and online resources to help you with your birdwatch, visit the RSPB website, where an online survey form will be available from the weekend of Big Garden Birdwatch until February 18.

Alternatively, Big Garden Birdwatch forms can be obtained by phoning 0870 600 7108 (calls charged at national rate). The hotline number will be operational until January 23.