Trends in the use of private gardens by wild birds in Great Britain 1995–2002

Abstract

Summary 1.Wild birds are commonly observed in private residential gardens in Great Britain. However, little is known about how their use of this significant and increasingly important habitat is changing and how such changes relate to their population status. 2. Trends in the use of private residential gardens by wild birds in Great Britain were investigated using weekly bird records from 18 300 gardens over 8 years. 3. We showed that the use of this habitat is seasonal and cyclic, with the timing and regularity of its periodicity variable between species. 4. We evaluated the significance of the underlying trends in the cyclic reporting rates. Eighteen species showed clear trends, the three with the most negative year term parameter estimates being 'red-listed' as high conservation concern. 5. Examining correlations with national scale survey data suggested that garden reporting rates are related to general population trends in a number of species, including several of conservation importance. Other species exhibit important differences between national and garden trends. 6. Synthesis and applications. Our analysis demonstrates ecologically meaningful trends and provides novel insights into seasonal cycles of habitat exploitation, using relatively simple and cost-effectively collected data. This will lead to greater understanding of the relationships between gardens and general bird populations and of the times of year at which garden habitats are most important for birds. We have demonstrated the practicality and productivity of 'citizen science' in this context, and provided new information on the status of some birds of conservation concern.

Do Highly Modified Landscapes Favour Generalists at the Expense of Specialists? An Example using Woodland Birds

“…East & Perrins, 1988) and the major cause of annual mortality is starvation/predation in cold winter weather (Newton, 1998). Many secondary habitats, especially gardens, (but also primary woodland sites) are now supplied with nest boxes and a majority of households provide food for birds, especially in winter (Cowie & Hinsley, 1988;Cannon et al, 2005). The national success of these two species may therefore depend at least in part on the fortuitous provision of both nest sites and food by humans and a trend in the UK towards milder winters.…”

The emergence and spread of finch trichomonosis in the British Isles

“…In addition, the percentage of passerines diagnosed at PME with trichomonosis that died during the period from 1 July to 30 (b) Impact of finch trichomonosis on wild bird populations Changes in the relative abundances of selected species of passerines were examined using three independent datasets. The first was compiled from all (ca 10 000) GBW participants, who annually recorded the number and species of wild birds visiting their gardens on a weekly basis throughout the calendar year [14]. Using these data, we examined the reporting rates for greenfinch, chaffinch and dunnock to determine trends in the proportion of gardens visited by each species across Great Britain during the period 1995-2009.…”

“…Briefly, opportunistic reports were received from the public via the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Wildlife Enquiries Unit, or directly from each of four participating veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Systematic surveillance was achieved through a network of ca 750 participants in the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Garden BirdWatch (GBW) scheme [14]. Each participant reported the numbers and species of dead birds observed in their garden on a weekly basis over the period 2006 -2008; in addition, the numbers and species of sick birds seen in each participant's garden were reported in both 2007 and 2008.…”

“…The first occurrence of epidemic mortality due to finch trichomonosis occurred in the late summer of 2006, leading to a significant decline of around 35 per cent of the breeding greenfinch Carduelis chloris population and a 20 per cent reduction of the breeding chaffinch Fringilla coelebs population in the region of England with the greatest disease incidence [12]. Both greenfinch and chaffinch occur widely throughout Britain and commonly visit garden feeders, especially during the autumn and winter months [14]; it was estimated that approximately 500 000 greenfinches alone died from this EID in the first year of the epidemic [12].…”

Bird ringing in Britain and Ireland in 2008

“…As in The Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis ringing total also showed an increase. Goldfinch abundance fell sharply from the mid 1970s until the mid 1980s, but this was followed by a significant rise in numbers, which has been accompanied by a more frequent use of gardens for winter feeding (Cannon et al 2005). Perhaps reflecting this, Goldfinch ringing totals have been steadily increasing over the last decade or so.…”