Once again the blue tit has topped the tree as the most numerous garden bird in Reading.

For the second year running in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ Big Garden Birdwatch, the blue tit has come top in the borough with an average of 2.6 birds per garden during the count.

Meanwhile, the wood pigeon has risen to second place, with the house sparrow and blackbird in third and fourth places.

Almost 600,000 people took part in this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch across the country, counting over nine million birds.

Nationally, blackbird numbers were down 22 per cent on last year, probably caused by the mild weather which enabled them to find food out in the wider countryside rather than relying on our gardens for survival.

The counts also revealed that starling numbers were at an all-time low this winter, the lowest figure seen since the survey began more than 30 years ago.

In the first survey in 1979, the average number of starlings seen in UK gardens was 15.

This year starling figures were at their lowest ever with an average of three seen per garden, and in Reading this was even lower with only 1.5 starlings per garden

RSPB South East’s Samantha Stokes said: “We’ve generally noticed fewer starlings this winter, both in gardens and at some of the traditionally large roosts around the region.

“It’s thought that this may in part be the effect of the mild weather.

“Usually in winter, the UK’s resident starlings are joined by hundreds of thousands of starlings from northern Europe, but this year they simply may not have needed to travel as far as the UK if conditions were to their liking elsewhere in Europe.

“However, we also need to bear in mind breeding numbers of starlings are also falling and there may be fewer birds around in general.”

RSPB experts are beginning research into the decline in breeding numbers of this familiar garden visitor.

Possible reasons include changes in their feeding habitats and changes beneath the soil reducing their insect food.

The decline in starlings is mirrored across much of northern Europe and because of this drop in numbers, the species has now been red-listed as a bird of high conservation concern.

In contrast to the falling numbers of starlings, the survey revealed some birds prospering.

Goldfinches are up to number seven nationally and in Reading this year.

This colourful bird has been steadily increasing in UK gardens and first reached the top 10 in 2008.

Without a prolonged cold snap this winter, more of our birds would have survived compared to the last two winters so many species should have a better start to the breeding season.

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