RSPB Make Your Nature Count 2012
survey results in
Merseyside released
The results of the RSPB’s annual Make Your Nature Count survey
show the number of Merseyside gardens with baby thrush species in them this
spring was down by as much as 49% per cent compared to last year.
Sightings of baby blackbirds (-15%) and song thrushes (-49%) -
both members of the thrush family - were down on last year. The RSPB says
the drop may be a result of wet and
cold weather in the early part of the breeding season making it harder for
adult birds to find enough food for their chicks. With adult birds
spending longer away from the nest searching for food, chicks would also have
been more exposed to the cold.
Nationally, more than 78,000 people took part in the survey during
the first week of June and logged the birds and other wildlife species they saw
in their gardens.
Dr Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, says; ’Each of the
78,000 people involved in Make Your Nature Count has helped to give us data on
a scale that just wouldn’t be possible if we tried to collect it in any other
way. It’s really useful as a
snapshot of how UK
Grey squirrels were the most common wild mammal seen in Merseyside
and were reported in almost two thirds of gardens, with hedgehogs in nearly
half of gardens.
One per cent of the Merseyside gardens surveyed were recorded as
ever having slow worms in them. This was the first time slow worms have
been included in the survey. The RSPB says this will provide them with a
baseline count of slow worms in Britain
To find out more about Make Your Nature Count visit www.rspb.org.uk/naturecount or to get tailored advice
on how to make your garden a great habitat for wildlife visit the ‘Homes for
Wildlife’ part of the RSPB website at www.rspb.org.uk/hfw
