The blue tit, the blackbird and the sparrow have been identified as the top three birds seen in Wiltshire gardens from the RSPB’s Garden Watch survery carried out in January.
More than 6,000 Wiltshire residents responded to the survey, which, nationally, is the biggest in the world. It showed too that the long-tailed tit falling from number seven to number ten and goldfinches climbing from number eight to number six in Wiltshire.
While a decline in some species is causing concern, Tony Whitehead, speaking for the RSPB in the south west, says: “2014 was always going to be an interesting Big Garden Birdwatch as the winter has been so mild, and we wondered if it would have a significant impact on garden birds.
“They were out and about in the wider countryside finding natural food instead of taking up our hospitality. The good news is that this may mean we have more birds in our gardens in the coming breeding season because more survived the mild winter.
“It is a great time to give nature a home by putting up a nesting box and supplementary feeding”
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