Number of birds is at a five-year low

3:49pm Friday 4th April 2008

THE number of birds seen in county gardens has fallen dramatically in the past year, a survey has revealed.

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch showed the number of sightings of garden birds to be down at their lowest level for five years.

More than 2,100 people across the county took part in the survey, noting how many of each variety of bird they spotted in their garden over a weekend in January.

Experts say last year's wet breeding season had a significant impact on the number of birds visiting local gardens.

Louise Pederson, for the RSPB, said: "The survey helps us to understand more about the population trends of garden birds.

"We predicted that last year's terrible weather would be reflected by the Big Garden Birdwatch, and this seems to be the case, especially for blue tits."

House sparrows were still the most commonly seen bird in Herefordshire, as they were nationally, with an average number of 5.6 spotted in county gardens.

Blue tits were second in the table, although average sightings fell from 4.2 in 2007 to 3.5 this year. Blackbirds made up the county's top three.

For more information and full survey results, visit rspb.org.uk/birdwatch