RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch confirms many species still declining

Starlings and house sparrow numbers dwindling as survey reveals long-term downward trend despite overall boost to populations due to a warm winter and bumper harvests

Karl Mathiesen

Thursday 26 March 2015 06.01 GMTLast modified on Thursday 26 March 201506.03 GMT

The number of backyard researchers in the world’s biggest citizen science survey was up this year, but participants found populations of many bird species continued to decline.

More than 585,000 people took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch. The survey took place over a January weekend, as it has for the past 36 years.

The number of amateur scientists was almost 100,000 more than last year, falling just short of the record participation in 2011. The RSPB said friendly media coverage and support from celebrities had helped inspire Britons to be involved.

Citizen science allows scientists to tap the vast resources of an interested and passionate public by asking them to act as observers of nature. Dr Daniel Hayhow, a scientist at the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, said the numbers of people taking the time to join the bird watch was “really exciting and the dataset that we have is a real goldmine”.

Hayhow said: “Personally its a really great privilege to have that many people as your research assistants. I know that it opens up the eyes of some people. I’ve seen the comments that they write alongside their entries saying how much they’ve enjoyed and how much they’ve gained from doing it.”

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Big Garden Birdwatch returns on 24/25 January

The RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch is back on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2015, giving people across the UK the chance to be part of the world’s biggest wildlife survey. 

Around half a million people across the UK took part in 2014 and between them counted more than seven million birds. 

The wildlife survey, now in its 36th year, provides the RSPB with an important snapshot of garden bird populations in winter and has helped to highlight some dramatic declines in UK garden birds over the last three decades years. 

Everyone can join in by spending just one hour at any time over Big Garden Birdwatch weekend noting the highest number of each bird species seen in their gardens or local park at any one time then submitting the results to the RSPB. 

Schoolchildren and teachers will be doing the same in their school grounds as part of Big Schools’ Birdwatch from 5 January - 13 February.

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Big Garden Birdwatch 2015 is on its way

Posted on: 04 Oct 2014

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place again on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2015, and online registration is now open for the survey.

Since it started in 1979, the world's biggest wildlife survey has provided a lot of imporant information about the changes in numbers of garden birds in winter, and helped to alert conservationists to declines in species such as House Sparrows, Greenfinch and Starling.

The number of people taking part has grown every year, and now around half a million participants get involved, making it the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey. To take part, people are asked to spend just one hour at any time over the event weekend noting the highest number of each bird seen in their gardens or local outside space. They then have to submit their results to the RSPB before 13 February, either online atwww.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch or in the post.

This year, participants are being asked once more to log some of the other animals they see in their gardens to help build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for wildlife. Participants don’t have to see and count these other species during their Big Garden Birdwatch hour, just fill in the form to tell the RSPB whether they see them regularly or have ever seen them in their gardens, at any time of year. The RSPB shares this information with other conservation organisations to enable them to understand more about the threats facing wildlife, so that people can help their wild visitors thrive.

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