Almost 700,000 people took part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch survey, giving the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) insight into the most common species found in UK gardens. Jaybirds had one of the biggest nine-spot jumps to number 23, a 73% increase from 2021.
But the biggest “ray of hope” came from a small increase in Greenfinch.
A severe outbreak of trichomoniasis has seen its numbers drop by 62% since 1993 and the species was added to the UK Red List in 2021. The infection is spread through contaminated food and drinking water , or by birds feeding on regurgitated food during the breeding season.
To keep the species safe and slow the transmission of trichomonosis, the RSPB suggests stopping the feed supply if sick birds are seen and ensuring garden bird feeders are cleaned regularly.
The charity has previously said that if people cannot ‘clean up every week’ they should find other alternatives such as ‘putting up birdhouses, planting native vegetation or leaving messy corners of the garden to nature. “.
The house sparrow takes the top spot with more than 1.7 million sightings recorded throughout the weekend, closely followed by the blue tit and starling in second and third place respectively.
This year’s survey, which marked the 43rd year, counted more than 11 million birds.
RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight: “We don’t know the reasons for the sudden increase in Jay sightings this year. This may be due to food availability, as we reported last year was poor in acorns, but whatever the reason, a sighting of this magnificent bird is enough to lift your spirits any day of the year, not to mention a dark January weekend.
“It was great to see so many people participating again this year, taking the time to observe and reconnect with the birds, and then generously submitting their observations to help RSPB scientists better understand how our birds are doing. of garden.”
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Over its four decades, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the world of garden birds.
When first surveyed, the SPB was alerted to declining song thrush numbers, which are still down 81% from the first Big Garden Birdwatch in 1979. This species was firmly in the top 10 in 1979.
In 2009 its numbers were less than half of those recorded in 1979, it came in at 20 in the rankings this year, seen in only 8% of gardens.
Beccy added, “Connecting with nature doesn’t have to stop with Big Garden Birdwatch. Spring sees the return of nature’s biggest music festival, the Dawn Chorus, with national and international stars coming together to perform their greatest hits right on your doorstep.
“Open your back door, a window or just step outside and listen. Share your Dawn Chorus experience with us on social media using #DawnChorusDay.”
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-07 23:01:00
