Fewer flock to our gardens – but thank goodness for the incomers

Mar 26 2008 by Sally Williams, Western Mail

THE number of birds visiting Welsh gardens has fallen by 2% over the past year, according to a new study.

Birdlovers’ body the RSPB yesterday said the drop in reported numbers of such popular species as the blue tit could be due to our increasingly mild and wet winters.

The figures were released after more than 22,000 people in Wales recorded garden bird numbers for the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

Across the UK the number of birds seen in the survey has dropped by a fifth since 2004 because of milder winters and long term declines of some species.

The organisation yesterday spoke of its particular concern about the plight of starlings. The species’ ranking at number two in the top 10 masks the fact that numbers in Wales have fallen by three quarters since 1979 and that the bird is on an endangered species “red list”.

Stuart Thompson, RSPB head of public affairs in Wales, said, “They might not have the ‘ahh factor’ that blue tits have for birdwatchers but many people are entertained by the way that starlings mimic the call of mobile phones and doorbells. They also enjoy the sight of the huge autumn flocks of starlings that can congregate over towns.

“But these flocks are visiting European birds, not our own starlings from Wales and the UK.”

The other significant loser in the report was the blue tit, dropping from third place to fourth in the national rankings.

The RSPB said this decline probably results in part from the extremely wet breeding season in 2007.

Blue tits have also begun laying eggs earlier and earlier over the last 40 years, which means they are increasingly out of synch with the appearance of caterpillars, one of their key food sources.

However, despite the fall in such popular bird species and the overall drop of 2%, the RSPB said it was “not too concerned” because it did not appear to be part of a long-term trend.

And it believes the birds are getting all the food they need from the countryside, instead of needing to peck at peanuts on birdtables.

According to the figures, which were recorded on January 26 and 27 by up to 400,000 people across the UK, the house sparrow retained its spot as most popular garden visitor in Wales with an average of 5.1 sightings per garden, significantly higher than the UK average of 3.6 per garden.

The chaffinch has crept up to number three in the Welsh rankings and the greenfinch has made its way into the top 10. Participants also noted an increase in song thrushes, with numbers up by almost 50% compared to last year.

This is probably thanks to last year’s warm, wet summer, which made it easier for them to find snails, slugs and earthworms to feed their young.

Mr Thompson added, “The climate and the warmer and wetter weather this year have done a bit of good for the thrush.

“However there has been an overall decline of almost two thirds in song thrush numbers over the past 30 years, indicating that there is a long way to go before the declines of the past are reversed.”

He also explained that the freezing Arctic blast over the weekend had not lasted long enough to impact on birds that have already started nesting.

For the first time in the survey’s 29-year history, the siskin makes it into the Welsh top 20, being seen in four times as many Welsh gardens as in 2007.

Dr Tim Stowe, the RSPB’s director, Wales, said along with siskin increases, numbers of redpolls had skyrocketed.

“Both birds feed on conifers and deciduous seeds, so the figures suggest that tree seed supplies have been poor this year and they’ve been forced into gardens to find food,” he said. “Five species of finch, which spend the winter in Wales, have increased in numbers. Many of them are here because of food supplies too.

“The increase in bramblings reflects the scarcity of beech seed known as ‘mast’ in northern Europe and Scandinavia – if the mast crop is poor in these countries, we see more of them here in our gardens.”