The three feathered friends you saw the most during the Big Garden Birdwatch

HOUSE sparrows, blue tits and starlings are the birds which people in Hampshire most frequently spot in their gardens, according to a new study.

More than 17,000 people in the county took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch – spending an hour taking note of the different species they saw coming to pay them a visit.

The results show that overall in the UK, more smaller birds including long-tailed tits, wrens and coal tits were seen in greater numbers this year than in 2019.

This is the 41st year the count has been held, and more than eight million birds were spotted by people throughout the country.

Over the decades some have thrived while others have not fared as well. In the 1970s the song thrush was consistently in the top 10 but by 2009 its numbers were down to less than half of that recorded in 1979. This year it was 20th in the rankings, seen in just 9% of gardens.

Daniel Hayhow, RSPB conservation scientist, said: “Small birds suffer during long, cold winters but the warmer January weather this year appears to have given species such as the wren and long-tailed tit a boost.

“Over the survey’s lifetime, we’ve seen the increasing good fortunes of birds such as the coal tit and goldfinch and the alarming declines of the house sparrow and starling. But there appears to be good news for one of these birds.

“While the overall decline in house sparrow numbers reported by participants since the Big Garden Birdwatch began is 53% (1979-2020), in the most recent decade (2010-2020) numbers appear to have increased by 10%, giving us hope that at least a partial recovery may be happening.”

More than 70,000 school children in the UK also took part in the bird watch – including 1,300 in Hampshire.

The bird most spotted by the kids in their playgrounds was the blackbird with 85% of schools reporting seeing them.

Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said: “Despite everything that’s going on in the world, nature is still doing its thing. Birds are singing and blossom is bursting.

“Watching wildlife, whether from a window or a balcony or even online, can offer many of us hope, joy and a welcome distraction, and so we are keen to help you carry on connecting with the natural world.

“Over the coming days and weeks, we will be helping people to share their wildlife encounters and provide ideas for things you can do for wildlife close to home.”

To see the full results of the bird spotting visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.