Blogger: Kate Blincoe, Communications Manager
The number crunching has been done and the eagerly awaited results have been announced. The nation wants to know what it means to them. No, not the budget! I mean the annual stock take of our birds; the results of Big Garden Birdwatch 2012 are just out!
The weather has been particularly unusual so far this year, so we were interested to see how this has impacted on the results. In fact, the lack of a prolonged cold snap has made it an easier winter for our smaller birds such as goldfinches, which have been thriving after previous tough times.
There is sad news for one of my favourite birds though. The chatty mimics, starlings, are at an all time low since the survey began more than thirty years ago. The downward trend has been going on for the past 25 years. Scarily, their numbers have declined by almost 80%.
When the survey began, the average number of starlings seen in a garden was 15. Now, it has dwindled to three, more of a civilised afternoon tea than the starling parties that used to take place around the nation. I rarely see starlings in my garden anymore, but I remember what a feature of my childhood they were. Noisily washing their iridescent plumage in the birdbath, their chattering and squawking was the backing music to my hours spent in the garden. One particularly confident bird even used to impersonate the way my Dad called the ducks in for feeding.
Starlings are famed for their stunning wintertime displays, when they decorate our skies in huge swirling masses, known as murmurations. If the downward trend continues, then these formidable groups will become less and less common.
The sun is shining as I write this. I want to look outside and feel positive. Indeed, working in environmental communications it is practically in my blood to share the joy and wonder of the natural world. But sometimes, we just need to pause from our busy lives and ask what is going on. Continuous declines like those we have seen with starlings can’t be blamed on ‘a bad year’. Something serious is going on.
Suffice to say, the RSPB is looking into why this is happening, to better understand what we can do about it. We are so very grateful to all of you out there for doing your bit and helping us to measure and spot these changes by taking an hour to see what is going on in your parks and gardens. If you want to do even more to help us, then log on to www.rspb.org.uk
Featured in the EDP, Saturday 30 March