Derbyshire residents urged to take part in world’s biggest wildlife survey

Derbyshire residents are invited to take part in largest wildlife survey in the world by recording birds in their back garden.
The RSPB are calling on Derbyshire residents to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch on January 29 to 31.The RSPB are calling on Derbyshire residents to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch on January 29 to 31.
The RSPB are calling on Derbyshire residents to take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch on January 29 to 31.

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch runs from January 29 to 31 and combines more than 40 years of records to monitor vital bird trends. 

People across Derbyshire are urged to get involved, spending an hour of their time recording the birds that land as seen from their windows, balconies or gardens, and submitting their results to the wildlife charity. 

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Both across the country and here in Derbyshire, house sparrows topped the rankings in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch results last year, despite wider national decline. 

Meanwhile, blackbirds and blue tits joined house sparrows to form the top three most sighted birds in Derbyshire. 

A common garden bird thanks to the provision of winter food and nest boxes, blue tits are on the rise across the country, with an eight per cent increase in the population since 1979.

Other birds featuring in the Derbyshire ’top ten’ were goldfinches, starlings and long-tailed tits. 

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Seeing a positive change across the county, long-tailed tits were found in 27 per cent more Derbyshire gardens in 2020 compared to previous years.

The data collected during the Big Garden Birdwatch will create a ‘snapshot’ of bird numbers across the UK and how they have fared since the project began more than 40 years ago.

To help with research, the charity is asking for all those taking part to ensure they share what they’ve seen by submitting their results at rspb.org.uk/birdwatch.

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