This Weekend’s Big Bird Watching Survey

Having begun back in 1979, the Big Garden Birdwatch took place over the weekend under the eagle eye of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Around 500,000 people took part in the weekend long observation aimed at counting the number of birds found in the nation’s back gardens and local parks.

This 30th anniversary event produced some unusual sightings, not least of all when a couple in Dorset spotted a North American raccoon sitting in a tree.

As far as birds are concerned, first indications are that many of the volunteers were not seeing any of our most “common” birds including starlings and sparrows.

Since 2001, initial feedback on the survey has been posted on the Internet, giving some idea, even if it is anecdotal, of the numbers and types of birds being seen all around the country.

One concern the organisation has is that some people may not spot any birds at all in their garden over the weekend, so see no point in reporting their “findings”.

The RSPB is anxious that these people also include their figures in the survey, as they can be highly significant.

Sightings have been made of goldfinches, not in itself strange except that these birds normally spend their winter in the warmer areas of southern Europe.

Bramblings are a rare breed of bird that has apparently already been spotted as well as another unusual species, the redpoll.

Over 30 years the results of ordinary people looking out of their kitchen window into their back garden has provided vital information for scientists studying native bird populations.

30 years ago, the thrush was the eighth most common bird in the country, by last year it had fallen down the league table to number 22.

Such information allows scientists to study trends in population and changes in habitats and habits, such as whether birds from warmer climates are finding it possible to withstand milder British winters.

The full details from the survey will be made available by the RSPB during March.