RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 – A golden year for Scottish finches

House Sparrows held on to the top spot, but goldfinches were the biggest climbers of the top ten, with 43 per cent more counted compared with last year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest wildlife survey and gives RSPB scientists insights into how our garden birds are faring.

Now in its 43rd year, Big Garden Birdwatch (BGB) is a chance for people of all ages to count the number of birds that visit their garden or a local park or green space, helping the RSPB get a snapshot of how they are doing. This year over 44,000 people across Scotland took part, counting more than 800,000 birds.

After dropping 4 places in 2021, goldfinches made a partial recovery this year, climbing back up to number 8 after being recorded in almost 30 per cent of gardens. One of our most colourful garden birds with unmistakable bright yellow wing stripes and red face, goldfinches are attracted to plants such as teasels, dandelions and lavender. They also feed on nyjer seed which is often used in garden feeders.

RSPB Scotland director Anne McCall said: “Nature lovers have much to be concerned about in today’s world – but the rise of the goldfinch around our homes, towns and cities is just an uplifting joy. The fact that they are doing well is for me a message for hope – that we can live alongside wildlife in a nature positive world."

Big Garden Birdwatch results also found a small increase in greenfinch compared to 2021. This gives scientists a glimmer of hope that this might be the first signs of a population recovery, but only time will tell. In recent years the greenfinch has suffered a population crash across the UK (62 per cent since 1993) caused by a severe outbreak of the disease trichomonosis and as a consequence the species was added to the UK Red list last year. This infection is spread through contaminated food and drinking water, or by birds feeding one another with regurgitated food during the breeding season. Garden owners can help slow transmission rates by temporarily stopping the provision of food if ill birds are seen and making sure that garden bird feeders are cleaned regularly.

The house sparrow remained at the top of Scotland’s Big Garden Birdwatch rankings as the most commonly seen garden bird, with more than 145,000 recorded sightings throughout the weekend. Starling and blue tit remained in the number two and three positions respectively.

Over its four decades, Big Garden Birdwatch has highlighted the winners and losers in the garden bird world. It was first to alert the RSPB to the decline in song thrush numbers, which are still down 81 per cent across the UK compared to the first Big Garden Birdwatch in 1979. This species was a firm fixture in the top 10 at that time. By 2009, its numbers were less than half those recorded in 1979, and it came in at 22 in the Scottish rankings this year, seen in just 8 per cent of gardens.

Dawn Chorus Day takes place on Sunday, May 1. RSPB Scotland will also be hosting special Dawn Chorus events on its nature reserves. Find out more at www.rspb.org.uk/dawnchorus

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.