Wet weather makes it a bad year for tits
Mar 26 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
THE legacy of last year’s bad weather will surface today with the publication of regional results of a mass birdwatch.
Almost 13,000 people took part in this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in the North East and Cumbria.
But the number of birds seen in gardens was the lowest for five years. The results, released today, will show that the average number of birds seen in gardens has declined by a fifth since 2004.
Last year’s wet breeding season appears to have had a significant impact on the number of birds visiting local gardens.
The survey results indicate that blue tits were particularly badly hit by the severe weather.
In Tyne and Wear, the average number of blue tits reported from gardens fell dramatically from 2.48 in 2007 to just 0.81 this year, with the bird slipping from fourth to sixth position.
The blue tit slumped from second position last year in Northumberland to seventh this year.
Blue tits, which normally have only one brood per year, experienced their worst ever breeding season in 2007, with just over half of young blue tits fledging.
Heavy rain washing caterpillars off leaves and the later emergence of caterpillars – possibly as a result of climate change – are likely to have caused a food shortage for blue tits.
Although still one of the commonest birds in UK gardens, fewer house sparrows were also reported from many areas of Northern England, and the RSPB is concerned by the indication of continuing decline.
Nationally, sparrow numbers have decreased by almost two thirds since 1979.
The results reveal that starlings were top of the garden bird league table in Tyne and Wear and County Durham, while the house sparrow took top spot in the Tees Valley, Cumbria, and Northumberland.
David Hirst, of the RSPB Northern England region, said: “The survey findings help us to understand more about the population trends of garden birds. We predicted that last year’s terrible weather would be reflected by the Big Garden Birdwatch, and this seems to be the case, especially for blue tits.
“A snapshot in winter only gives part of the picture, but this year’s results also suggest a further fall in sparrow numbers in some areas.”
However, not all garden birds had the winter blues.
The survey also showed that four colourful species of finches are increasingly visiting gardens. Siskins, bramblings, redpolls and goldfinches were all more common in the region’s gardens.
In Tyne and Wear, goldfinches jumped from 12th position in 2007 to fourth place this year and from eighth to third in Northumberland. Jackdaws also made a strong showing in the region.
The RSPB has issued an appeal to people in the region to give a helping hand to wildlife that is struggling to cope with a changing environment.
The RSPB’s Homes for Wildlife project provides simple wildlife-friendly actions that people can carry out in their homes and gardens To find out more visit www.rspb.org.uk/hfw or telephone 0870 240-1001.
The full UK-wide Big Garden Birdwatch results are available on the RSPB website. Visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch
