The British Trust for Ornithology logo
GBW online logo
GBW Menubar GBW About GBW menubar item GBW Info on birds and gargens menubar item GBW Results and Maps menubar item GBW Participants menubar item GBW Join GBW menubar item GBW BTO link menubar item

Birds seek refuge in Britain’s snowy gardens

The latest results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) show Britain’s birds are flooding into gardens, as food in the countryside becomes harder to find under the blanket of snow and ice.

The results from the BTO Garden BirdWatch survey show huge increases in the use of gardens by birds as they come in search of an alternative source of food. For some species this increase has been dramatic. Redwing and Fieldfare, both types of thrush from Scandinavia, have shown an increase in the use of gardens for feeding by 283% and 267% respectively compared with a normal winter.

It doesn’t stop here though. For forty species the percentage of gardens in which they occurred increased during the current snowy weather, with particularly large increases in thrushes and buntings. Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer, both small birds belonging to the bunting family that would ordinarily find refuge in Britain’s farmland, have increased by 134% and 80% respectively!

To find out what has been happening with individual species, click the following links:

Fieldfare

Redwing

Mistle Thrush

Song Thrush

Reed Bunting

Yellowhammer

BTO blue divider

Garden BirdWatch | BTO Home
Garden BirdWatch online is organised by the BTO
Email: gbw@bto.org
Page last updated 13 January, 2010

Terms and Conditions | Privacy Statement          © British Trust for Ornithology
BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK.
Registered Charity Number 216652 (England & Wales), SCO39193 (Scotland)