seb_seb
Well-known member
http://www.bto.org/news/news2004/may-jun/gardens_great_06.htm
Astounding new estimates are produced this month to show just how important our homes and gardens are for breeding birds. Million of pairs of birds are choosing to nest here, including several species of conservation concern.
The June issue of Bird Study, the journal of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) contains new estimates of the number of birds breeding alongside us in our gardens and roof-spaces. (Note 1) The paper gives the results of a major survey involving six thousand householders, all of whom take part in BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch, the all-year survey of birds in British gardens. (Note 2).
In the six thousand gardens studied, Blue Tit came top, followed by House Sparrow, Blackbird, Great Tit, Starling and Robin.
Richard Bland, one of the authors, said:
“If all of the gardens in Britain were as bird-friendly as those surveyed, the total number of pairs of birds that would be nesting nationwide could be 30 million. That’s not bad when, national surveys have shown there are only some 60 million pairs of birds in Britain – and that’s everything from puffins to pigeons!”
Facts and figures:
Jeremy Greenwood, BTO Director, and one of the authors of the paper said:
“Most of the 6,000 survey respondents are actively attracting birds to their gardens so we cannot just multiply up to get country-wide totals. But, taking this into account, we can say that the numbers of pairs of birds breeding in British gardens and roof-spaces are probably as follows:”
Between 1 and 3 million pairs each
– House Sparrow**, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Robin
About 1 million pairs each
– Wren, Dunnock* and Starling**
Between 0.5 million and 1 million pairs each
– Great Tit, Chaffinch and Greenfinch
Approximately half a million pairs each
– Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove and Jackdaw
Species of conservation concern are indicated with ** (Red list – decline more than 50%) and * (Amber list – decline more than 25%). See www.bto.org/psob/index.htm for more information.
Mike Toms, who runs the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch survey said:
“We hear a great deal about the need to protect rare birds in nature reserves but, collectively, gardens make up the best nature reserve we’ve got in this country. As individuals, we might not be able to help Bitterns but we can make a real difference to a species like the Song Thrush, just by gardening in a bird-friendly way.” (Note 4)
More birds than we thought:
Swift – the survey estimates that 400,000 pairs of Swifts nest in houses, increasing significantly the previous country-wide estimate of 85,000 pairs
Spotted Flycatcher – the survey estimates that 150,000 pairs of Spotted Flycatchers nest in gardens, increasing significantly the previous country-wide estimate of 120,000 pairs, for all habitats. (Red-listed species of conservation concern)
Song Thrush – the previous garden total was estimated to be 200,000 pairs. We now estimate that the total is 300,000 pairs, a total which could rise to over 500,000 pairs if more people had bird-friendly gardens. (Red-listed species of conservation concern)
:bounce:
Astounding new estimates are produced this month to show just how important our homes and gardens are for breeding birds. Million of pairs of birds are choosing to nest here, including several species of conservation concern.
The June issue of Bird Study, the journal of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) contains new estimates of the number of birds breeding alongside us in our gardens and roof-spaces. (Note 1) The paper gives the results of a major survey involving six thousand householders, all of whom take part in BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch, the all-year survey of birds in British gardens. (Note 2).
In the six thousand gardens studied, Blue Tit came top, followed by House Sparrow, Blackbird, Great Tit, Starling and Robin.
Richard Bland, one of the authors, said:
“If all of the gardens in Britain were as bird-friendly as those surveyed, the total number of pairs of birds that would be nesting nationwide could be 30 million. That’s not bad when, national surveys have shown there are only some 60 million pairs of birds in Britain – and that’s everything from puffins to pigeons!”
Facts and figures:
Jeremy Greenwood, BTO Director, and one of the authors of the paper said:
“Most of the 6,000 survey respondents are actively attracting birds to their gardens so we cannot just multiply up to get country-wide totals. But, taking this into account, we can say that the numbers of pairs of birds breeding in British gardens and roof-spaces are probably as follows:”
Between 1 and 3 million pairs each
– House Sparrow**, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Robin
About 1 million pairs each
– Wren, Dunnock* and Starling**
Between 0.5 million and 1 million pairs each
– Great Tit, Chaffinch and Greenfinch
Approximately half a million pairs each
– Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove and Jackdaw
Species of conservation concern are indicated with ** (Red list – decline more than 50%) and * (Amber list – decline more than 25%). See www.bto.org/psob/index.htm for more information.
Mike Toms, who runs the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch survey said:
“We hear a great deal about the need to protect rare birds in nature reserves but, collectively, gardens make up the best nature reserve we’ve got in this country. As individuals, we might not be able to help Bitterns but we can make a real difference to a species like the Song Thrush, just by gardening in a bird-friendly way.” (Note 4)
More birds than we thought:
Swift – the survey estimates that 400,000 pairs of Swifts nest in houses, increasing significantly the previous country-wide estimate of 85,000 pairs
Spotted Flycatcher – the survey estimates that 150,000 pairs of Spotted Flycatchers nest in gardens, increasing significantly the previous country-wide estimate of 120,000 pairs, for all habitats. (Red-listed species of conservation concern)
Song Thrush – the previous garden total was estimated to be 200,000 pairs. We now estimate that the total is 300,000 pairs, a total which could rise to over 500,000 pairs if more people had bird-friendly gardens. (Red-listed species of conservation concern)
:bounce:
