Now that January and the new year are here, it's time to turn our attention to the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which this year takes place on 27-29 January. By counting the birds in your garden, local park, RSPB reserve or even at a window feeder for just one hour, you, along with hundreds of thousands of other like-minded nature lovers, can take action to protect our birds for generations to come.
The results of the annual birdwatches tell the RSPB, and the wider scientific community, a huge amount about changes in bird populations over the decades. Number 1 for the past 19 years has been the house Sparrow. The house sparrow is common through most of its world range, and can tolerate a wide variety of climates. Recent estimates suggest that there may be around 1.6 billion sparrows worldwide! However, these huge numbers and regular top spot in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch shouldn't hide the alarming fact that recent population declines in the UK are so extreme that the house sparrow is now red-listed as a species of high conservation concern. House sparrow numbers were not monitored adequately before the mid-1970s (the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979, in a special slot on Blue Peter!) Since then, numbers in rural England have nearly halved while numbers in towns and cities have declined by 60 per cent.
House sparrow Passer domesticus, adult male
Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Causes for these rapid recent declines, particularly in urban and suburban environments, remain largely undetermined, although research is underway that aims to establish the cause(s), and develop conservation solutions. Declines in rural house sparrow populations are thought to be linked to changes in agricultural practices, particularly the loss of winter stubbles and improved hygiene measures around grain stores.
Although the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is still a little while away, now is a good time to prepare your garden, increasing chances of attracting lots of birds on the big day! Feeders should be placed in quiet, safe and sheltered positions. By providing a variety of different food types and in different locations, you'll attract a greater range of birds. For example, you'll attract house sparrow with small seeds, such as millet, placed directly on the ground where they prefer to feed. Be sure to keep any bird feeders clean in order to stop the spread of avian diseases. And of course water is just as important for birds during the winter as during the summer. During periods of prolonged cold weather, such as just before Christmas 2022, all the usual water sources which birds rely upon become frozen solid. So providing fresh water, and repleshing it as soon as it freezes over again, can be a real lifeline for your garden birds. Children may enjoy making their own birdbath in preparation for the Birdwatch weekend.
Although RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden is now shut for the winter, it will open for special events, including for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch! It's a great place to sit and count the birds, as the biggest feeders are placed near the seating at the picnic benches! You can even submit two Birdwatch counts, as long as they are in different locations! So you may like to do a count at home as well as one at Flatford. The garden will be open on the 28 & 29 January from 10.30am - 3.30pm. Let's hope for many birds, including house sparrows, to visit Flatford and your own gardens that weekend!