The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy and Shadow Minister for Climate Change - Janet Finch-Saunders MS – has encouraged residents across Wales to sign up and take part in the upcoming RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch initiative.
The annual bird watching event will be taking place between the 28 - 3 January 2022. It is the world's largest bird survey and has run every year since 1979. According to the organisation, last year's Birdwatch event was the biggest ever, with over one million people taking part and counting over 17 million birds.
The birds that were top of the flocks in 2021 Birdwatch were the House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Starling, Blackbird and Woodpigeon. However, it is not all good news. At the close of last year, Mrs Finch-Saunders made clear her concern that the UK Red List for birds now stands at 70 species and is almost double the length of that of the first UK review in 1996.
Encouraging action, Janet said:
“As an avid birdwatcher, having provided feed near my window at home on which robins and wagtails have been known to gorge on, I’m incredibly pleased to be encouraging residents to take part in the 43rd annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - an essential opportunity that allows the charity to keep tabs on the population of British birds.
“Sadly, since the Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979, numbers of many species have been on the decline. In fact, over the last 50 years, more than 38 million birds have vanished from our skies and last year’s initiative provided some worrying findings such as the continued fall in the numbers of greenfinches and chaffinches.
“By recording the birds that visit your garden or local green space, across just a one hour period, the Big Garden Birdwatch can provide conservationists with clues as to which species are struggling, and why. It also helps us to track which birds are doing particularly well and is well known to benefit our mental well-being.”
Locally, RSPB Conwy are holding an event at their reserve this weekend where knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand to give advice on feeding stations and identification skills. Drop-in children’s activities will also be available throughout the day, between 10:00 am and 15:00.
Whilst no booking is required, normal admission charges apply for non-members. Donations are also gratefully received for the children's activities. Interested residents can find out more about the local event by clicking here.
ENDS
Photo: Janet at RSPB Conwy with Helen Jowett (Site Manager) and Julian Hughes (Head of Species).
