Is it a sparrow? Is it a pigeon? Let’s take a look on the commonest birds in London.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has simply launched the outcomes of its Big Garden Birdwatch. The annual survey encourages the general public to spend an hour counting each species of chicken to land within the again backyard. It’s nation-wide, however the survey outcomes are damaged down by county, and that features Greater London*.
Without extra avian ado, listed here are the highest 10 sightings in our area, over the weekend of 26-28 January 2024:
1. House sparrow
2. Blue tit
3. Wood pigeon
4. Starling
5. Feral pigeon
6. Magpie
7. Great tit
8. Robin
9. Ring-necked parakeet
10. Carrion crow
Results based mostly on 19,301 responses.
It’s great to see the plucky sparrow topping the checklist. The chicken has lengthy been a logo of the Cockney east finish, however its numbers appear to have plummeted centrally over recent years. It seems the pint-sized passerine is fairing higher within the gardens of suburbia. This was additionally essentially the most generally noticed chicken nationally.
Interesting to see the parakeet in at quantity 9. Whether you spy this charismatic chicken in your backyard will rely to some extent on the place you reside. The birds may be sighted throughout city, however flock in notably giant quantity in areas comparable to Richmond and the south-west.
The checklist differs barely from the image 9 years in the past, once we final wrote concerning the survey. Back in 2015, the wooden pigeon topped the chart, adopted by sparrow, starling and blue tit. That survey additionally included the blackbird in sixth place, which has now flown the checklist.
London additionally differs barely from the nationwide image. The prime 10 backyard birds throughout England do embody the blackbird (seventh place), however lack the magpie (down in eleventh). The wider nation’s prime 10 additionally options the goldfinch in place of our carrion crow.
While the train won’t be rigorously scientific, it nonetheless gives a helpful overview of what is going on on in our gardens. The RSPB’s Chief Executive Beccy Speight was eager to clarify the significance of gardens: “Our fields, farms, and cities need assistance to let nature again in and gardens present the right place for us as people to start out. Providing meals, shelter and water for wildlife, not utilizing chemical compounds and never utilizing peat based mostly compost — what we do in our personal yard could make an enormous distinction. All of us making small adjustments can impact enormous change.”
More data on attracting extra birds to your out of doors area (even when it is a balcony or yard) can be found here. The survey outcomes are in a spreadsheet.
*We’re assured that again gardens do exist in London, although the satan alone is aware of how anyone can afford one.
