Garden Birdwatch

Riverdale Ecology have been taking part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this week. We’re very happy to have house sparrows and starlings as frequent visitors to our birdfeeders, both of which are RSPB Priority Species due to their substantial declines in recent years. Other highlights included a single goldcrest and a small flock of greenfinch, which have also suffered significant decline recently due to the disease Trichomonosis https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/disease/trichomonosis, caused by a parasite. However, our star bird was a young male blackcap; a common summer breeding migrant which is more frequently being discovered overwintering in the UK, particularly in recent years when our winters have been mild.