The Big Garden Birdwatch is part of the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home campaign, encouraging locals to provide a place for wildlife in their gardens and to observe what lives within the community.
Over half a million people across the UK took part this year.
The house sparrow is the most seen bird in Cheshire gardens, the figures have revealed. While, recorded appearances of the long-tailed tit increased by 44 percent in the county.
Warmer weather in the run up to winter months is said to have played a part in the rise.
Chris Collett, from the charity, says the survey is a crucial part of supporting birds in the UK, “Helping a bird that’s in trouble, the absolute first thing that we have to do is actually work out and find out that the bird is in trouble in the first place and the Big Garden Birdwatch has played an important part in identifying that.”
Dr Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “This year’s survey was another brilliant year for the Big Garden Birdwatch. More than half-a-million people took part counting a bumper 8.2 million birds, providing us with valuable data which helps to build a better picture of how our garden birds are doing.
“The weather can have varied effects on different groups of birds in terms of behaviour and habitats used.
The increase in long-tailed tit sightings, along with other smaller garden birds, just goes to show that, in the absence of very cold weather, these species can survive the winter months in much greater numbers.
The warmer temperatures have made it easier to find food, like insects, which in previous colder winters would have been harder to come by because of frosts and snow.”
Images: RSPB
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