27 January 2007Terry Kirby
It could almost now be classified as the British national hobby. The nation's love of wild birds has never been stronger, with millions of people regularly watching and feeding them in their gardens.
And this weekend, up to half a million bird lovers will take part in what has become an annual ritual, the Big Garden Birdwatch, when the country takes note of the many and varied feathered visitors to our gardens and parks.
The survey, for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, will have an added dimension: after record-breaking high temperatures last summer and throughout the autumn and, despite the current cold spell, the winter, it will reflect the impact of climate change on our bird life.
The charity believes the combination of warm weather and abundant wild food, such as berries in woods and hedgerows, could drive birds away from our gardens.
Some birds, such as robins, song thrushes and starlings, although relatively commonplace are often migrants from mainland Europe. But without cold weather to trigger their migration, many may not have made the journey.
At the same time, since berries, seeds and fruits have been abundant in the wild, many birds will not have needed to depend on garden feeding, despite the fact it has become a huge pastime for many people, enthused by television programmes such as BBC's Springwatch, fronted by Bill Oddie. Birds become quickly accustomed to finding food in one particular place.
Richard Bashford, the co-ordinator of the scheme, said: "Without colder weather to trigger their migration, and with so much natural food available where they are, many of these birds may not feel the need to make the journey to the UK. This could have a real impact on what we see during the Birdwatch."
But the warmer weather also means that birds such as blackcaps or chiffchaffs, which winter in southern Europe or north Africa, might be seen more often in British gardens.
Mr Bashford added: "Further changes to our climate will inevitably mean more unusual species in our gardens but it could also see the disappearance of many familiar faces."
More than 470,000 people took part in last year's survey. They counted more than eight million birds from 80 different species at more than 270,000 different sites.
Beginning in 1979, the survey gives a good indication of long-term trends in bird numbers. The results showed that the house sparrow, whose largely unexplained decline in numbers has been spotlighted, remains the most common garden bird, but there are now an average of just 4.4 sparrows per garden, compared to 10 in 1979, a drop of 56 per cent. Starlings were also in decline, down a quarter since 1979, although the greenfinch and the wren have increased.
To take part in the survey, all that participants have to do is spend an hour in their garden or local park sometime today or tomorrow, counting the birds and recording the highest number of each species seen at any one time. The results can be submitted online at the Society's website.
Seen anything unusual? Do tell us about it. E-mail your story and any photographs to [email protected]
How to be a Birdwatcher
Spend an hour, sometime today or tomorrow, in your garden (or local park, if you do not have access to a garden). Put out a selection of foods (peanuts, seed, fats, kitchen scraps) to attract a variety of birds. Keep your binoculars to hand.
Only count the number of birds you see at any one time, to avoid counting the same bird twice. You can always amend this - for example, if you see five magpies together and a few minutes later see six, put six. The RSPB website, www.rspb.org.uk, lists all the common garden birds with photographs. The 20 most common are also identified.
Print off the RSPB's sheet to help you keep track, or see the advertisement on page 7. Results can be submitted online from Saturday night till 19 February.
10 more unusual garden visitors you may be lucky enough to see
Song thrush
Like the sparrow, a once familiar garden bird whose numbers are now declining seriously, making it a Red List species.
Diet: Worms, snails and fruit. It breaks into snails by smashing them against a stone with a flick of its head.
Siskin
Smaller than a greenfinch, it's distinguished by its forked tail and long narrow bill. The male has a streaky yellow-green body and a black crown and bib. Mainly resident, supplemented by winter migration.
Diet: Seeds (conifers, alders and birch), and some insects.
House sparrow
Extremely noisy and gregarious, these small brown creatures were once the commonest of our garden birds. Now struggling throughout the world for reasons not fully understood. Nests in eaves, or ivy-clad walls.
Diet: Seeds and scraps.
Chiffchaff
A small olive-brown warbler, with a distinctive tail-wagging movement as it flits through trees and shrubs. Normally only seen in southern England from March onwards, but the mild winter might make it more widespread.
Diet: Insects.
Blackcap
A distinctive greyish warbler, named after the male's black cap; the female has a chestnut head. Nicknamed the "northern nightingale", it is a summer visitor from northern Europe, and is increasingly wintering in the UK.
Diet: Insects and berries.
Goldcrest
Britain's smallest songbird is dull green and buff white with a distinctive orange or yellow crown stripe. Widespread, but easily missed because of its small size. Currently on the Amber List, milder winters should help numbers increase.
Diet: Insects.
Green woodpecker
Largest of the three British woodpeckers, it has a heavy-looking body, short tail and a strong, long bill. It is greeny-grey on its upper parts with a bright green rump and red top on its head. It has an undulating flight.
Diet: Insects, especially ants.
Fieldfare
Large, colourful thrushes, similar to a mistle thrush. Very social birds, they spend the winter in flocks a dozen to several hundred strong, mainly preferring open fields. Winter visitors from Europe.
Diet: Insects, worms and berries.
Brambling
Similar to the chaffinch, the male has a black head (in summer), and an orange breast with white belly. It arrives in winter, often in flocks of many thousands. Found in fields, woods and gardens.
Diet: Seeds in winter; insects in summer.
Redwing
Britain's smallest thrush, identified by the creamy strip above the eye and orange-red flank patches. Mainly found feeding in fields and hedgerows, rarely visiting gardens. Only a few pairs nest in Britain.
Diet: Berries and worms.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2190037.ece
