This weekend is the Big Garden Birdwatch, a project initiated in the UK in 1979 to get a handle on what's happening with backyard birds. Last year about 400,000 people watched birds in 236,000 gardens and counted a whopping 6 million birds! Scientists have been able to use these data to look for trends in bird populations. Since 1979, House Sparrows and Starlings have both declined over 50% while Great Tits and Chaffinchs have increased over 30%. The project's a winner all-around - getting citizens involved in science + generating useful data.
We'll be watching our feeders this weekend and doing a practice count, since I don't know yet if the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is interested in what birds are in OUR backyard. The Flemish equivalent will be held Feb. 2-3, and by then the kids will be primed and ready to go. We'll be keeping a close eye on "Betty", our Blue Tit - and all her friends!
2 comments:
That's interesting to hear that House Sparrows and Starlings are declining in the UK. It seems like they growing in number over here, or at least seems so on my family's farm anyway!
-Aimee
Hi Aimee - good to hear from you! Yes, perhaps on a local scale it might appear that house sparrows are increasing, but even nationwide I think they're showing some decline. At least that's what i remember from reading the Cornell reports. Don't think that held for Starlings though. Do you have time to do the great backyard bird count?
happy birding!
courtenay
Post a Comment