Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
Following last year’s bumper turnout, we were very realistic in our expectations with Big Garden Birdwatch 2022. Afterall, in late January 2021, Wales was in lockdown - and it can be imagined that many a participant saw the Birdwatch as an ideal activity due to their being indoors. We therefore looked back to 2020 for a turnout we could compare this year’s to – and we are happy to say that Wales has done itself proud!
Wales sticking with nature Since the beginning of Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen so many people reflecting on their new, slower pace of life by looking through the window and embracing the nature on their doorstep. It is almost as if a silver lining to this torrid time has been that people’s heads have been turned to look home to what nature has to offer them, and it appears after the predicted surge that lockdown brought, many have stuck with it and continued to be champions of everyday nature in Wales.
We saw a brilliant 36,269 people return 21,368 surveys in Wales’ largest citizen science project – a significant improvement on 2020’s offering which was just north of 24,000 people. The continued enthusiasm that we’ve seen over the last two years has really showed in the participation this year, and we are so very grateful to every single one of you who took part. Each survey has been a small but crucial part in the puzzle, as we try to figure out which species are doing well, and which may need more of our help.
So - what do the results show us?
In terms of results, Wales’ top ten was again very similar to the year before, with slight changes among almost the same personnel - the only change being the introduction of the woodpigeon, which saw the long-tailed tit fall out to number 12. Once again, the house sparrow came out on top – with the starling again clinching second, with the ever-popular blue tit spending another year at third. Another favourite, the goldfinch, flew up two places to eighth, as we saw the robin drop one spot to seventh.
If you cast your minds back to last year, you’ll recollect the robin and blackbird being the only two birds whose numbers increased. Well, along with the magpie, they were the only ones not to see increases again this year, with the other seven species making gains. The goldfinch was the most impressive gain – making a 17.3% increase in frequenting our gardens this year!
Species
Rank
Mean 2022
% in Gardens
Mean 2021
Rank in 2021
% in gardens in 2021
% Change
Rank change
% Change in gardens
House sparrow
1
6.69
79.1
6.39
76.1
4.6
0
3.9
Starling
2
3.63
45.5
3.38
42.1
7.4
8.2
Blue tit
3
3.55
78.8
3.35
75.0
5.8
5.1
Blackbird
4
2.30
87.0
2.57
89.2
-10.6
-2.5
Great tit
5
1.75
56.3
55.1
0.0
2.2
Chaffinch
6
1.71
43.4
1.62
7
40.5
5.6
7.1
Robin
1.64
86.0
86.7
-4.3
-1
-0.8
Goldfinch
8
1.49
29.2
1.34
10
24.9
11.5
17.3
Magpie
9
1.39
59.7
1.36
60.2
2.1
-0.9
Woodpigeon
1.37
55.2
1.27
12
52.6
5.0
Looking forward
Our hope is that we can continue to gather such resounding support as we’ve received in the last 12 months - going onwards and upwards, post-Covid (hopefully), in a green recovery which sees us put nature at the centre of all different aspects of how Wales as a country operates - be that our environment, our health or our economy. After all, this year is a critical one for Wales’ nature and climate, as the Welsh Government introduce new legislation through the Agriculture Bill. We truly believe that the Big Garden Birdwatch is a portal for many into the amazing world of nature, and we’re very excited to hear your stories in the coming year as we all endeavour to do our bit to save Wales’ birds.
To see all of this year's Big Garden Birdwatch results, go to: rspb.org.uk/birdwatch