GardenBird Poll: 2017
Throughout the whole of 2017, GardenBird has focused on a different species of bird each and every week via our “All About” series of articles, which can be read here. Some of these birds are rare (like the Crested tit); and some, much more common (like the Robin).
The aim, of course, was not only to educate our customers by providing information about the birds we all love to care for and feed, but to discover through our very own survey which birds are commonly observed, and those that aren’t. So, we set to work, and every week our emails featured a “yes or no” question about each individual bird, asking have you seen one of these recently?
The results have been tremendous, with 1,000s of responses each time, providing us, we believe, with a statistically significant set of results that show clearly a list of the most common birds in the UK. And it was all done by our customers.
In the spirit of fairness, we wanted to compare our results with those of something grander to see how accurate our results are. Therefore, what better way to benchmark our results than to compare them against the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results from earlier in 2017. This we did, and again, some very intriguing findings.
How did we compare against the RSPB?
GardenBird vs RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch | ||
---|---|---|
GardenBird | RSPB | |
1 | Woodpigeon | House sparrow |
2 | Blackbird | Starling |
3 | Magpie | Blackbird |
4 | Blue tit | Blue tit |
5 | Robin | Woodpigeon |
6 | Great tit | Goldfinch |
7 | Dunnock | Robin |
8 | House sparrow | Great tit |
9 | Carrion crow | Chaffinch |
10 | Goldfinch | Long-tailed tit |
It is, of course, important to bear in mind that statistics from the RSPB are based on number of sightings and count, with individual people making notes (often meticulous ones) about various species they observe in their gardens during a specific period of time. For GardenBird, it was not a survey of numbers, but one of sightings. Location, for instance, would play a part in successful sightings of specific species, as would time of year.
Take a look at the comparison above, and you’ll notice that both top 10 results contain seven of the same species, with the only difference being Magpies, Dunnocks and Carrion crows. Interestingly, these three birds are not far from position 10 on the RSPB Birdwatch survey: a very close call indeed.
Which are the most sighted and least sighted birds?
Interestingly, it is the Woodpigeon that hit the top spot in our poll, with the Blackbird in second place, and Magpie in third. The least common, understandably, is the Crested tit, a bird that is isolated to specific pine plantations and forests in northern Scotland.
Most sighted bird species | Least sighted bird species | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Woodpigeon | 99.1% | Crested tit | 4.2% |
2 | Blackbird | 99% | Brambling | 7.6% |
3 | Magpie | 98% | Whinchat | 7.8% |
Which are the most sighted woodpeckers?
Sightings for woodpeckers are in line with population observations in the UK, with the Great spotted woodpecker the most common species, and the Lesser spotted woodepecker the least common.
Most sighted woodpeckers | ||
---|---|---|
1 | Great spotted woodpecker | 98% |
2 | Green woodpecker | 87.4% |
3 | Lesser spotted woodpecker | 55.3% |
It is important to remember these are sightings in gardens….mostly urban and some rural
One only has to venture outside the garden to find other birds being more common….we live near the sea and the New Forest so Sea birds, and others such as Green Woodpeckers and Buzzards and Hawks are common.
Walk along the shore each morning and Turnstones and dunlins would be top of your list
Thanks for the list, very interesting
Hi John,
You’re right, context and location are absolutely key. The point is made with the Crested tit, which, having a 4.2% sighting rate, is by far the least common bird on the list. We could assume that most sightings are from those located near Scottish pine forests, or just visitors to the area. If the poll was for the Bluethroat, we would expect sighting when the bird is on passage only over a select few months of the year along the eastern and southern coasts of Britain.
GardenBird
strange variations and bet many of us are saying ” not in my garden ” ! Having said that , I feed the birds at my home and my mother’s home , just 5 miles away , and the numbers and types do vary .
For me , the highest numbers at my home are House Sparrows by far , followed by goldfinches , then blue tits .
At mum’s blue tits are just SO numerous and NO House Sparrows , nor Starlings , and no collared doves nor wood pigeons .
Strange as mum lives a few miles outside our village ( more Rural ) and i live near coutryside but have 57 other neighbours .
Homes and people must make a big difference .
We have lived in rural Herefordshire fo 9 years and noted a major change in the most seen birds. Originally the most frequent in visits and numbers was the goldfinch. Over the last few years they have declined to almost zero. The most common in visits and numbers now is the sparrow ( house I think ) sometimes a dozen or so
We normally have two or three blackbirds around but with today’s cold weather we have six.
We live a couple of miles north of Bromyard.
Seems unlikely that Mistle Thrush doesn’t get into the most sighted thrushes
First time we’ve had a redwing in garden, sits eating cotoneaster berries. Never seen them this far north!
I love receiving my emails from The GardenBird, they always have interesting news updates and amazing pictures.
Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas to all.
Hi Sue,
Thanks for this. And, you have a great Christmas too.
GardenBird
This is fascinating to read. Thank you. We have noted a number of changes, sadly. We had dozens of goldfinches and then red poles suddenly arrived in great numbers. Lately we have seen far less goldfinches and the red poles disappeared last year. Sad. Sparrows have disappeared and dunnocks have taken their place. Our fat balls are popular with various tits and, through the summer, even more popular with mice! It is fascinating studying birds but can also be rather sad.
Your results of most common bird certainly matched my garden in the summer and autumn – now the most sighted bird in the garden is the magpie as there is a nest 2 doors up which has seen three years of eggs and chicks who all seem to like to stay local! Often I have 7+ magpies in my garden which as you can imagine means there are few other birds brave enough to come visit!
The BTO also collect records from garden birdwatchers throughout the year on a structured basis – probably the most reliable. Useful for comparison.
Hi Pat,
That’s a very fair point. We’ll consider this for the next time we introduce a bird poll, or perhaps include it here in a future update.
Thanks.
GardenBird
I’m convinced that in the RSPB Birdwatch, many of the sightings of “house sparrows” are actually dunnocks!
Hi Jenny,
I suspect you may be right. They are very easily misidentified species.
Thanks for the reply.
GardenBird