Sightings of starlings fall

A STUDY by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has found that starling sightings in the Capital have fallen by 30 per cent since 2002, sparking fears over the bird’s future.

This compares to a Scotland-wide fall of 17 per cent.

More than 4000 residents in the city took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, which asked participants to record wildlife in their gardens and local parks.

Experts said they were unable to explain the recent decline.

Keith Morton, species policy officer at RSPB Scotland, said: “The causes are not well understood and, because many starlings migrate from breeding grounds in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to winter here then declines may reflect environmental changes elsewhere in Europe.”