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Watch the birdy!
This will be the tenth Bristol Bird Watch – time
for you to join in and make a difference. Over 1500 people a year have
supported
Bird Watch each year since its launch in 1999.
Bristol Bird Watch is believed to be the most
detailed survey of its kind in the country and involves people in monitoring
their garden birds over the winter months, from October to March. Wild
birds can be used as indicators of the state of wildlife in general
because they live in a wide variety of places and react rapidly to
changes in their surrounding environment. By taking part in Bird Watch
you’ll be helping to provide information about the changes that are
occurring in our local environment and how they may be affecting wildlife.
Results
for 2008/9
Sixty one species were seen (up one from last year).
The best garden contained 33 species, and 16% of the gardens surveyed
recorded more than 25 different species (an increase of 6% on last
year). The average number of species found per garden was 19 (up one
from last year).
Bad news for sparrows and starlings: both had increased
last year, but this year sparrows dropped by 4% and starlings by 5%.
Was the wet 2008 summer to blame?
Bird Watch does make a difference
Bristol Bird Watch
provides information not available anywhere else. Our house sparrow
results have been used by the British Trust for Ornithology in a report
to the government and the figures are summarised in the City Council’s
annual ‘Indicators of Quality of Life in Bristol’ reports. An Exeter
student is doing a three year PhD study on sparrow populations in Bristol
because we know so much about the birds in the city.
Did you know? An average garden helps to support at least 25
birds a day, which means that at least 100,000 birds are being helped
through the winter by garden feeding in this area.
Watch the birdy!
Why not join in this year – download your free Bristol
Bird Watch from the above links or email Angela
Davies or
tel 0117 917 7270.
Further information
For further information visit: www.avon-biodiversity.org.uk (includes
the results in full).
Email: Matt
Hamilton
“Bristol City Council is delighted by the response
to the nationally unique Bird Watch! Not only has it produced useful
data for our quality of life survey, it has also inspired thousands
of local people to find out more about their local wildlife. This is
all part of making Bristol the green capital.”
Steve Marriott
Sustainability Manager, Bristol City Council
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