Common C.I. Birds In Serious Decline

The RSPB's annual birdwatch has produced some concerning data displaying the impact of climate change.

In January this year, half a million people in the UK participated in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch. More than a thousand people from the Channel Islands got involved, counting the number and noting the species they spotted.

The wildlife charity has released the survey results today - revealing that there are 38 million less birds in the UK's skies compared to 50 years ago.

Charity spokesperson Morwenna Alldis says they were not expecting such a dramatic decline:

"It’s just shocking and it shows that we are definitely in a nature and climate emergency.

This should be a wake-up call and that is why we’re pushing so hard to try and encourage everyone to take action for nature. Even small changes, such as planting some seeds this summer, can really help the fate of our garden nature.

Just as David Attenborough has been saying on the BBC Wild Isles documentary, which we’ve been a partner in, we must act now to save our wildlife."

The top three birds spotted in Guernsey: House Sparrow, Gold Finch, Blue Tit

Despite the decline, the wildlife charity says it's pleased so many people in the Channel Islands decided to get involved - with 500 more participants than the previous year.

"More than a thousand islanders getting involved is just an incredible turnout.

It shows just how important nature is to the people in the Channel Islands and we’re so happy people over there love nature and want to do something to help protect it.

Our survey has been running for 44 years, and having that much data allows us to paint a really detailed picture of how our garden birds are fairing.

We can see trends in numbers, so we can better identify those species that really need our help and advise people on how they can help save nature in their gardens."

The three species most frequently spotted in the Channel Islands were: The House Sparrow, The Gold Finch and The Blue Tit.

"The House Sparrow was spotted in 79% of gardens there which is a fantastic result.

Whilst it was the number one across the entire UK again, for 20 years running, it’s actually down by 60% since our survey began. So it’s great that the Channel Islands are giving a home to so many House Sparrows."