The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch survey in January showed a massive rise in the number of Finches seen in UK gardens. Encouraged by warmer temperatures to stay in the UK as opposed to flying to Southern Europe, Finch sightings were at their highest for 5 years.
Sources at the RSPB mirror the rise in Finches with a startling drop in some of the more commonly spotted birds, like starlings and the sparrow. Milder climate change and more food available gave the Finch more feeding options than in Scandinavia, where seeding crops have been poor.
Almost 400,000 people counted more than six million birds across 228,000 gardens during the survey weekend of January 26th-27th. An average of 28 birds per garden were recorded this year, but whilst the Finches flourished, a lot more of the common UK birds floundered. Though Sparrows may still be the most frequently seen bird, there number are down by 64% in the last 29 years, whilst the Starling’s figures are down 77% since the survey began in 1979.
The top 10 species of birds in the UK for 2008:
- 1 House sparrow
2 Starling
3 Blackbird
4 Blue tit
5 Chaffinch
6 woodpigeon
7 Collared dove
8 Robin
9 Great tit
10 Goldfinch
With conditions in the wild getting tougher for birds to survive, gardens are becoming vitally important in the feeding of many species. Plus with the climate change offering warmer winters in the UK, you can expect to see a wider diversity of bird in your back garden. You don’t have to be a member of the RSPB to join in the survey, but from as little as £2.67 a month you can help stop the UK’s endangered birds disappearing from our landscapes.
> > click here to join the RSPB
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