House Sparrows fly into first place in Northern Ireland in the Big Garden Birdwatch

Chaffinches and Blackbirds make up the remainder of the top five most recorded species in Northern Ireland.

These results are revealed by the 45th Big Garden Birdwatch, which had over six hundred thousand people across the UK counting more than nine and a half million birds of 80 species.

Sara McCracken, head of fundraising and communication at RSPB NI, commented: “We are delighted that 13,000 people in Northern Ireland took part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch. Not only is it great fun for all the family but every year it provides us with a snapshot into how garden birds are faring and help us remember how important gardens are for wildlife.”

“The Starling provides the perfect example. These colourful, characterful birds can be found across the UK and their numbers increase dramatically during the winter months when birds arrive from northern Europe – just in time for Big Garden Birdwatch.

“Despite coming in at number three in this year’s survey, this species is on the UK Red List of most threatened species due to a sharp decline since the 1960s in its breeding population. Gardens remain an important refuge for this species and even small actions such as putting out bird food and putting out water can benefit birds such as Starlings as well as a wealth of other garden wildlife.” 

To find out more about Big Garden Birdwatch results in your area, visit https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch/results and to learn more about how you can support bird and wildlife in your garden visit: www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep.