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April 2002
Within the world of birds
it’s hardly the most exotic of species but
now the starling has got something to sing about
after it came top of the tree in a nationwide
survey.
The findings from the Big Garden Birdwatch, run
by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,
show that in both Norfolk and the UK as a whole,
the common starling proved to be the most abundant
bird. The survey saw 262,000 people around the
country spending one hour counting birds in their
garden, school grounds or local park during a
weekend in January.
Click on birds to
enlarge:
1:Starling
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2:
House Sparrow
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3:Blackbird |
4:Blue tit |
5:Collared
dove
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6:Greenfinch |
7:Chaffinch
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8:Wood pigeon
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9:Great
tit
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10:Robin |
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Within Norfolk alone a total of 8556 people added
their observations to the national picture, a figure
that outstripped that of Greater London, where 7436
contributed.
The only two counties that had more people taking
part in the event were Kent with 10,265 people and
Surrey with 9287.
Across Norfolk, 31,186 starlings were counted, with
house sparrows claiming the runner-up place with
23,851 sightings and blackbirds pushed into third
spot with 21,558.
Lynette Dear, public affairs co-ordinator for the
RSPB’s East Anglia region, said the survey
participation numbers had far outstripped its estimate
of 100,000 people.
“We’re absolutely amazed with the numbers
who took part,” she said. “It shows that
people are getting more and more interested in wildlife
and are becoming more aware of their environment.
“Starlings usually come out on top because,
although the blackbird is more commonly seen by
everyone, starlings are greater in number because
they are a flocking bird and they’re often
present in quite large groups.”
On the whole, the RSPB said the placings of the
birds echoed what they had seen in previous years,
with one notable exception – the collared dove.
Last year it finished 7th in the survey, but this
year it has crept up to 5th with 13,623 spotted
in Norfolk.
Ms Dear said that its position in this year’s
table might be the result of a greater awareness
in recognition of the species rather than an actual
increase in number.
“They have a black ring round their necks and
they make a cooing noise which makes them quite
distinctive, so perhaps it indicates that people
are becoming more familiar with them,” she
said.
The RSPB’s next garden bird fixture is called
Nestwatch UK, which will run from May 25-31 and
will record nesting garden birds and their behaviour.
To take part in the survey call: 0870 6010215 or
visit the website below:
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www.rspb.org.uk/nestwatch