Do you remember when Starlings were common?

British Trust for Ornithology

The British Trust for Ornithology wants people living in the West Midlands to help with Garden BirdWatch, a long-running project which follows the changing fortunes of garden birds. With reports of declining bird numbers in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Bristol, it is particularly important that urban and suburban birdwatchers should get involved.

The British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Garden BirdWatch project has been running since 1995 and has highlighted worrying declines in once familiar species like Starling, Song Thrush and House Sparrow.

The latest quarterly issue of Bird Table, the Garden BirdWatch magazine, contains a special feature on the West Midlands. Graham Appleton, who works for the BTO, laments the fact that, within the county of the West Midlands, Starlings and House Sparrows are now only found on 48% and 73% of gardens, respectively.

Graham said, ‘My formative birdwatching years were spent in the West Midlands and a lot of time was spent looking at garden birds. In the late 1960s and 1970s, Starlings arrived in flocks of fifty or more to feed on a small Birmingham lawn and House Sparrows were a perishing nuisance.’ He is keen for today’s garden birdwatchers to get involved in the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch survey. ‘If we can involve more people in Garden BirdWatch within the West Midlands then we will have enough weekly observations to properly monitor the changing status of garden birds within the area.’

As the Garden BirdWatch Organiser, Mike Toms, notes; ‘The loss of once familiar species like House Sparrow, Starling and Song Thrush is very worrying and all of these species have now been listed as being of high conservation concern. Such declines in urban and suburban bird populations would have gone largely unnoticed were it not for the efforts of volunteers taking part in the BTO’s garden bird surveys, especially the popular Garden BirdWatch survey, with 16,300 participants nationwide.’

Garden BirdWatch is a unique project, in that it is funded through the contributions made by those taking part. In return, participants receive a quarterly colour magazine and all new participants receive a free 128-page book on garden birds. A free enquiry pack is available from GBW, Room 5H, FREEPOST, Norfolk, IP24 2BR, by phoning 01842-750050 or by emailing gbw@bto.org.

The top ten winter garden birds in the West Midlands region are
given below. Figures for individual counties within the West
Midlands region can be obtained by visiting
www.postcodebirds.bto.org
1. Blue Tit (96% of gardens)
2. Robin (91%)
3. Blackbird (89%)
4. Great Tit (87%)
5. Dunnock (77%)
6. House Sparrow (77%)
7. Chaffinch (71%)
8. Greenfinch (71%)
9. Collared Dove (71%)
10. Starling (58%)

Click here for a complete list of books about birds of Britain