Dramatic drop in native bird numbers spotted in gardens

There's good and bad news for stay-at-home bird spotters across the country.

The latest State of New Zealand Garden Birds report has been released - and shows that while the number of some native species spotted in gardens is on the rise, there has been a dramatic drop in others.

And researchers say the numbers show birds could be a sign of major environmental change.

You may not recognise the sound of the tauhou - or silvereye - but in the last eleven years, the number of the native birds spotted in New Zealand gardens has dropped by 43 percent.

And it's not just the silvereye bird enthusiasts are struggling to spot in their gardens - the number of starling, song thrush and goldfinch has also dropped.

According to Landcare research associate Dr Eric Spurr the birds could be signalling major environmental changes.

"We don't know what changes they are signalling, but they are signalling that something is going on - whether it's increased human population, increased urbanisation, increased use of herbicides, insecticides, pesticides - we don't know, and that's what we need to find out," he said.

These findings are part of the annual State of New Zealand Garden Birds report produced by Landcare research.

For the past eleven years, 31,000 volunteers have taken part in the survey - recording the birds they see in their garden for an hour, for seven days in winter.

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Bird feeders visited more often in suburban gardens than terraced streets

Date: November 23, 2016

Source: University of Exeter

Birds prefer to fly between the gardens of leafy suburban neighbourhoods to visit bird feeders than city terraces or new-build estates, a ground-breaking study tracking the behaviour of hundreds of garden birds has found.

A year-long study into the behaviour of over 450 blue tits and great tits found that a suburban neighbourhood with trees, shrubs and hedges between properties attract far more birds to their feeders than a Victorian urban terrace or manicured, modern housing estate.

The research led by Dr Daniel Cox, an ecologist from the University of Exeter, found that garden birds moved more frequently between gardens that have trees and shrubs, giving them a safe route to hop and fly from garden to garden and bird feeder to bird feeder.

But they were less likely to move between homes with paved gardens, or housing estates with manicured lawns but fewer trees or shrubs. Having roads between gardens also hindered movement, the research the Movement of feeder-using songbirds: the influence of urban features, published in the Journal Scientific reports, found.

The academics attached tiny tags with a unique electronic number onto the legs of 452 blue tits and great tits, two species which typically visit garden bird feeders. They then attached scanners to 51 bird feeders, filled with bird seed, in the gardens of urban terraced homes, a green suburban neighbourhood and a new-build estate.

The academics found individual birds in green neighbourhoods flew between twice as many gardens as birds in terraced streets. They also tended to visit bird feeders in a 'green' neighbourhood more often. Birds tended not to fly into rows of gardens in terraced streets that had little vegetation and were paved.

 

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BTO: There’s a new killer in our gardens

Published on the 09 February 2014 

A rattle of alarm calls and a blur of wings sees an explosion of small birds away from bird tables and hanging feeders, writes the BTO’s Mike Toms.

Seconds later and a sparrowhawk swoops through the garden, shifting its course slightly to miss the apple tree and to lift up, over the fence, and away. The sparrowhawk is a relatively new presence in this urban garden, a sure sign that the population has recovered from the impacts of agricultural pesticides, like DDT, that brought about significant population declines across the eastern counties, just a few decades ago.

Read on

Redpolls in record numbers in UK gardens

Garden birdwatchers are seeing red

March 2013. The delicate Lesser Redpoll is sweeping into a record number of gardens this spring, thrilling householders as it goes. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has produced a free factsheet to help people to discover more about this bubbly newcomer.

The finch family boasts many popular garden birds, including Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Bullfinch. More recently, a growing number of people have been able to add Lesser Redpoll to this list. Results collected through the year-round BTO Garden BirdWatch survey show a 15-fold increase in the use of gardens by Lesser Redpolls over the last few weeks compared with the same period five years ago.

Different redpoll species
The new BTO Lesser Redpoll Factsheet will help people to get to know this bird, including how to identify it, which can be a headache. Lesser Redpolls are by far the most frequently seen of the redpoll species in the UK, but occasionally householders will spot Common or even Arctic Redpolls. These birds all look similar so the factsheet highlights helpful distinguishing features.

Dr Tim Harrison, BTO Garden Ecology Team, commented: "Lesser Redpolls are a terrific addition to any garden, bringing with them lots of activity and lively twittering. They are sociable birds, often travelling with Siskins and Goldfinches during early spring."

He added: "Their increasing use of bird feeders - particularly of nyger seed - is of considerable interest and importance because Lesser Redpolls are a species of high conservation concern. Early spring sees their abundance in gardens peak, so now is a great time to find out more about them."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/uk-redpoll.html

Woodland birds charge into gardens

Woodland birds are pouring into gardens amidst reports of patchy seed and nut availability in the countryside. Eye-catching Siskin, Brambling, Nuthatch, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker are leading the way, new results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveal.

This winter is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever for garden bird enthusiasts. Latest findings from BTO Garden BirdWatch, a year-round survey of garden wildlife, show that over 80% of our frequently spotted garden bird species have been more abundant over recent weeks compared with 2009–2011.

Most striking has been the increase of birds that we normally associate with woodland. Siskin and Brambling, both colourful and sociable members of the finch family, have been four times more numerous in gardens this autumn compared with recent years. Patchy seed availability in the countryside appears to be forcing these birds out of woodland, while bird foods such as sunflower hearts and nyjer seed are drawing them into gardens.

Continued:  http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/blog/2012/11/13/woodland-birds-charge-into-gardens/

RSPB asks gardeners to leave natural areas to help wildlife

AS NIGHTS become colder, birds and other wildlife can be seen preparing for winter.

Wildlife charity the RSPB says most of our summer visitors, such as the warblers and swallows, have left to begin their migration south.

Yet their place will soon be taken by winter thrushes from the north that come to eat the berries left in our hedgerows.

Members of the tit family, like the coal tit, start to flock together and other species become quieter and no longer fight over territories and need warm roosts in the evening.

The RSPB is calling on the residents of Hampshire to consider the wildlife that may come to rely on our gardens for food and shelter.

Continued:  http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/9936802.RSPB_asks_gardeners_to_leave_natural_areas_to_help_wildlife/