MORE than two thousand Herefordshire people took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch challenge this year.

The results, fed into Midlands statistics, contribute to an overall bird conservation picture which is encouraging with some species and is ringing alarm bells for others.

This year in the Midlands, 1.5m birds were counted. The house sparrow remained the most commonly-reported bird, with an average of four in each garden. Blackbirds swooped in at number two, appearing in 90 per cent of all gardens, while the blue tit was the third-most spotted bird.

The average number of robins seen visiting gardens was at its highest since 2011, helping it climb three places to number seven, its joint highest-ever position in the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings. The blackbird was another climber, moving to number three and becoming the UK’s most widespread garden bird after being spotted in more than 90% of UK gardens.

However, two species found in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch’s top 20 most popular birds remain on either the red of Birds of Conservation Concern . House sparrow and starling are on the so-called "red list", meaning that they are of ‘highest conservation priority – species needing urgent action’.

RSPB Conservation Scientist, Dr Daniel Hayhow, said: “Many garden birds are in desperate need of our help. During winter, birds need extra food and water, a safe place to shelter and make their home. Gardens providing these things are an invaluable resource for birds and are likely to have a significant effect on their numbers, perhaps even playing a pivotal role in reversing some declines.

“We hope through this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch challenge of seeing things through the eyes of birds really helped people to understand exactly how they use your garden, and will allow them to improve the ways to give nature a home all year round.”

Big Garden Birdwatch results also showed a drop in finch numbers this year, but scientists aren’t panicking yet.

Dr Hayhow added: “Despite the cold weather birds such as; goldfinch, greenfinch and chaffinch may not have been as reliant on food found in our gardens during the cold snap because of a decent natural seed supply found in the wider countryside this winter following a good summer.

“The weather can have varied effects on different groups of birds in terms of behaviour and habitats used. This year, a better seed supply in the countryside for finches means that we saw fewer visiting our gardens, On the other hand during the cold spell, birds like blue tit and robin would still be more reliant on food found in our gardens.”

There has been a notable decline in the number of winter migrants that were spotted over the Birdwatch weekend. Redwing, brambling and waxwing all dived down the rankings although RSPB scientists believe this may have more to do with the good conditions on the continent over the winter, reducing the need for these birds to migrate to the UK.

There is slightly better news for the house sparrow, as its long term decline appears to have continued to slow, and it remains the most commonly spotted bird in our gardens. However, it remains a conservation concern as numbers have dropped by 57% since 1979.