Whilst warm, wet winters are a disappointment for those who look forward to a white Christmas and a snowball fight or two, the recent warmer conditions are helping many bird species thrive.
Instead of struggling to find food due to frozen earth and inches of snow, small birds common to British gardens, such as the goldcrest, Britain’s smallest bird, the chaffinch and the coal tit, are finding the search for food much easier. Soft damp ground is ideal for finding worms, and warmer temperatures mean that insects are easier to find.
Results from the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch revealed that long-tailed tit populations are up by 44% from last year, with the goldfinch up by 27% and the chaffinch up by 12%. More than 510,000 people took part in the survey, counting more than eight million birds overall.
