Were you one among greater than 600,000 individuals who took half on this yr’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch?
The RSPB has simply introduced its headline outcomes: the home sparrow has held on to the highest spot because the chicken seen most frequently in gardens nationally, with the blue tit at quantity two and starling in third place. Woodpigeon and blackbird make up the rest of the highest 5 most recorded species.
It can be fascinating to see the regional outcomes when they’re revealed, for in earlier years the blue tit was the chicken most frequently seen in Surrey, adopted by the woodpigeon and home sparrow.
We can all assist to encourage birds, like these blue tits and a terrific tit on a backyard feeder (Photo: RSPB) (RSPB)
The annual rely each January is the world’s largest backyard wildlife survey and divulges the significance of the nation’s gardens for wildlife and what we will do to assist. It offers the RSPB insights into how a few of our most typical backyard birds are faring.
The starling is an fascinating case. Numbers improve dramatically in the course of the winter months when birds arrive from northern Europe, simply in time for the Big Garden Birdwatch. But regardless of coming in at quantity three on this yr’s survey nationally, the RSPB says the starling is on the UK Red List of most threatened species as a result of a pointy decline for the reason that Nineteen Sixties in its breeding inhabitants.
The RSPB says that gardens stay an essential refuge for starlings and even small actions can profit starlings and different birds, in addition to different backyard wildlife.
The cowl of Mrs CW Earle’s influential work (Cambridge Library Collection)
Beccy Speight of the RSPB stated: “Last year’s State of Nature report laid out a grim picture, finding that there’s been no let-up in the decline of our wildlife over recent decades, with one in six species at risk of being lost from Great Britain.
‘’However, with seven out of eight households lucky enough to have access to a garden, it is the place where many of us can make a positive difference. Gardens and community green spaces can both give a crucial lifeline for struggling species by providing a huge patchwork of potential homes for nature.
“Gardens provide the perfect place for us as individuals to start: providing food, shelter and water for wildlife, not using chemicals and not using peat-based compost. What we do in our own backyard can make a huge difference. All of us making small changes can effect huge change.”
National Gardening Week runs from subsequent Monday, April 29 till Sunday, May 5 – the nation’s largest annual celebration of the whole lot garden-focused.
Surrey has been home to many inspirational gardeners and horticulturalists, throughout the centuries. Arguably probably the most well-known is Gertrude Jekyll, who designed 400 gardens in Britain, Europe and North America, however was additionally a gifted needlewoman, photographer and supporter of votes for ladies.
Surrey History Centre in Woking and Godalming Museum every maintain essential collections referring to Jekyll’s work and household: Surrey History Centre has posted an enchanting web page about her life and profession in its Exploring Surrey’s Past sequence: go to https://tinyurl.com/gjekyll
Other pages about fascinating Surrey gardeners are additionally available within the sequence: the Hon. Charles Hamilton, a forerunner of Lancelot “Capability” Brown, created one of the vital essential 18th-century panorama parks in Europe at Painshill: see https://tinyurl.com/ham-painshill
