THIS weekend the RSPB is holding its annual Big Garden Birdwatch, in which the public is invited to count the birds in their garden or local park for an hour over the weekend and record the results online at rspb.org. uk/birdwatch.
Thousands of children across the UK are also currently taking part in the world’s biggest schools wildlife survey, the RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch, which helps to track numbers of birds in school grounds. The survey runs until February 12.
Last year’s survey revealed a continuing decline in starlings and song thrushes, which have dropped by an alarming 80 and 79 per cent respectively since the Birdwatch began in 1979. Both species are on the UK ‘red list’, as is the house sparrow, meaning they are of the highest conservation concern.
But refreshingly, sightings of every bird that featured in 2015’s top 20 increased on the numbers recorded in 2014, apart from the three finches; chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch.
Big Garden Birdwatch takes place on January 30-31. For more information go to rspb.org.uk/birdwatch