'Golden' year for Big Garden Birdwatch
The latest results from the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch (BGB) have revealed a golden year for Goldfinch along with a number of other small birds after a surge in sightings.
Now in its 39th year, the BGB is a chance for people of all ages to count the number of birds that visit their garden, thus helping the RSPB build up a picture of how they are doing. This year, more than 420,000 people across the country took part, counting an impressive 6.7 million birds.
The event held over the last weekend in January revealed an increase in sightings of smaller birds such as Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit and Coal Tit that can usually be seen visiting gardens and outside spaces in mixed flocks. Recorded sightings of the brightly coloured, sociable finch rose by 11 per cent on 2017 figures and its bright red face was seen in more than two-thirds of gardens. The mild January weather is also thought to have contributed to the upturn of sightings of Long-tailed (up 16 per cent), Coal (up 15 per cent) and Blue Tits (up 5 per cent).
Goldfinch sightings rose by 11 per cent in this year's Big Garden Birdwatch (RSPB).
It also proved to be a good year for Greenfinch after a 5 per cent rise in sightings, a welcome sign for a species that has undergone a 60 per cent decline in sightings since the first survey in 1979. The influx of these species to our gardens is thought to be linked to the favourable conditions during their successful breeding season in 2017. This, combined with the milder autumn and winter weather in the run up to the BGB, will have contributed to the rise in sightings.
Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “Our garden birds are a part of our everyday life, whether it’s the Robin perched on the garden fence or the flock of Starlings you see on your way to work. To have hundreds of thousands of people spend an hour watching the wildlife in their garden isn’t only great to see, but it also helps us build up a picture of how our garden birds are doing, which is really helpful.
“Last summer was a really good year for many breeding birds with warm weather creating great conditions for many smaller birds to raise their young to adulthood. The rise in sightings of Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit and Coal Tit, along with Chaffinches and Greenfinches, goes to show that in the absence of cold weather they can survive the winter months in good numbers. Looking at the results it is likely that across the UK this is what people are seeing in their garden.”
Greenfinches have declined radically in recent years (RSPB).
It is suggested that the warmer temperatures during the autumn and winter will have made it easier for these birds to find insect food in our gardens, which in previous colder winters would have been harder to come by because of frosts and snow.
The survey also highlighted a dip in the number of recorded sightings of Blackbirds (down 18 per cent), Robins (down 12 per cent) and Wren (down 11 per cent) on last year’s figures. Dr Hayhow explained: “We all will have noticed that the weather earlier in the winter was slightly warmer than we’re used to, and our garden birds have felt this too. It’s usual for there to be more food available in the wider countryside during a mild winter meaning birds are less reliant on the treats we put out on the garden feeders. However, unlike the finches and tits, Robins and Wrens did not have a good breeding season in 2017 and data from other surveys indicate that their numbers may be down overall this year.”
House Sparrow remained at the top of the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings as the most commonly seen garden bird with more than one million recorded sightings throughout the weekend. Starling held down the second spot once more, with the Blue Tit moving up one spot to round off the top three.
Throughout the first half of the spring term, the nation’s schoolchildren took part in the RSPB’s Big Schools Birdwatch. The country-wide survey of birds in school grounds saw nearly 60,000 schoolchildren spend an hour in nature counting the birds. Despite a drop in BGB sightings, Blackbird remains top of the Big Schools Birdwatch rankings with one being spotted in 88 per cent of schools – a 22 per cent increase on 2017.
For a full round-up of all the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results and to see which birds were visiting gardens where you live, visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.
Long-tailed Tit sightings were up in gardens in 2018 (RSPB).