Gardens: Watch the birdies

Around 37,000 Scots took part in the 2010 survey, recording 70 individual species in more than 17,000 gardens, and RSPB Scotland is hoping that even more people will get involved this year. "The Big Garden Birdwatch is open to everyone, regardless of age, knowledge or experience," says Louise Smith of RSPB Scotland. "You don't even need to have your own garden. The survey can be carried out in a local park, at one of our reserves, basically anywhere where you are likely to spot birds."

First established in 1979, the Big Garden Birdwatch has grown every year, with a record half a million people taking part across the UK in 2010. The survey is not only an enjoyable way to spend an hour, but has become a vital indicator of the state of some of our most recognised and common garden visitors. Taking part is straightforward: you simply spend one hour this weekend watching birds, and record the highest number of each bird species you see in your garden or local park (not flying over) at any one time. There is a helpful bird identification sheet on the RSPB website (www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch) and when you've finished doing your survey you can record your results online.

Last year, an average of 5.77 chaffinches were recorded in each garden, followed by the house sparrow in second place with an average of 4.93 and the starling in third with an average of 3.99, while the blackbird and blue tit, with an average of 3.39 and 2.43 respectively completed the five front runners. So how does the RSPB use this data?

"We ask people to use easy-to-follow, consistent procedures each year, so that the Birdwatch becomes a valid piece of long term 'citizen science'," says Smith. "The results help highlight any worrying declines or raise any concerning issues. Identifying a problem is the first step in aiding a species recovery."

Early Big Garden Birdwatches helped highlight the UK-wide declines in house sparrows and starlings, and although they are among the most frequent visitors to our gardens, the populations of these species are still falling.

Gardeners lamenting the effects of the snow and freezing weather on their plants will also be wondering how severe an impact the weather has had on bird populations. The bad winter of 2009/10 is believed to have been responsible for a dip in numbers of blue tits, great tits and coal tits. "The bitter conditions made it difficult to find food naturally and it is thought some of these small birds, who have to eat regularly to keep their energy levels up, may have perished," says Smith. "We're concerned that numbers of these species may fall again this year after another bad winter. Fortunately, we know from historical records that populations can bounce back surprisingly quickly with a good breeding season."

The other birds which made up the Scottish top ten last year were robin, woodpigeon, great tit, dunnock and greenfinch. At the other end of the scale, some of the more unusual and least recorded species in gardens included green woodpecker, red kite, skylark, meadow pipit and willow tit. Alas, there were no Scottish recordings of the ring-necked parakeet. You can find the results of last year's survey online, showing some interesting variety between the regions. East and south Ayrshire were the only areas to feature the yellowhammer in their top 20, for example, while bullfinches made the top 20 only in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Midlothian. The cold weather may well have played a part in these findings, as migratory species from the thrush family as well as the bullfinch and yellowhammer are forced away from their traditional homes, in hedgerows, woods and fields, when food becomes scarce.

The potential for gardeners and their gardens to offer support to birds is enormous. "Different species require different things. Therefore the more varied the habitat in a garden, the more wildlife will be attracted," says Smith. "It is also possible to attract different species to a garden by providing extra food and water, particularly during the cold weather." She says that when weather conditions take a turn for the worse, there is often a noticeable change in the behaviour of wildlife. Birds will try to replenish energy lost overnight first thing in the morning and last thing in the afternoon with a spurt of activity.

To help encourage birds' survival in the winter, RSPB Scotland is advising people to provide suitable food such as meal worms, fat-balls, crushed peanuts, dried fruit, seeds and grain to compensate for birds' natural food, as well as fresh water for drinking or bathing. "Certain species favour certain foods, so to attract blackbirds and other members of the thrush family it is best to put out fruit such as apples and pears," says Smith. "Similarly, food bars or fat hung up or rubbed into the bark of trees is a great help for treecreepers, goldcrests and many other species."

Smith points out that our gardens offer birds the two fundamental things they need to survive: somewhere to shelter and breed, and somewhere to forage and feed throughout the year. "Plants, hedges, trees and shrubs offer ideal roosting or nesting sites, so that birds can raise their young or spend the night free from the threat of predators," she says. "These plants also act as a natural source of food either providing seeds or berries or attracting insects for garden birds to feed on." From the gardener's point of view, birds not only play their part in the food chain, feeding on those invertebrates we might wish to keep off our plants, but they provide many hours of enjoyment as we watch them go about their lives. So why not spend an hour this weekend tracking birds and doing your bit for wildlife conservation?

"The results help highlight any worrying declines"

This article first appeared in The Scotsman Magazine, Saturday 29 January, 2011