During the “Hour of the Garden Birds”, interested parties from the Free State counted fewer birds than ever before since the counting campaign’s 20th anniversary. On average, the participants reported 27 birds from the different counting points, the State Association for Bird and Nature Conservation (LBV) announced on Thursday in Hilpoltstein. That’s an average of five fewer birds per counting location than 20 years ago. Around 10,800 people in Bavaria took part in the joint participation campaign by LBV and its nationwide partner NABU.
Many birds were currently going about their breeding business and kept themselves well hidden while they sat on the eggs in the nesting box or looked after the offspring in the hedge, said LBV biologist Angelika Nelson. “But that is not the main reason for the low number. A negative population development can no longer be dismissed.”
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Since the campaign began, the number and diversity of birds in Bavaria’s gardens have decreased year after year. “It seems that the drastic, scientifically proven decline in many bird species in meadows and fields is also continuing in the bird species in Bavaria’s towns and villages.”
The sparrow was spotted most often by people in the Free State. Behind them follow Blackbird and Starling. As has been the case every year since the count began, the sparrow is the most frequently reported garden bird this year, said Nelson. “But appearances are deceptive. Especially in big cities like Munich, there are fewer and fewer sparrows searching the tables in beer gardens and cafés for crumbs.” The reason is an acute housing shortage. The sparrow breeds in niches and cracks in walls that it cannot find on smooth new building facades. Sparrows also need hedges and bushes in which they can hide in large groups.
The LBV also sees a trend towards gravel gardens and robotic lawnmowers as a reason for the decline in the number of birds observed. These are not insect- or bird-friendly trends, Nelson said. Anyone who wants to contribute to biodiversity in their own garden should rely on seed-bearing wildflowers, berry bushes, hedges and dead wood. “Even on a balcony in the city, you can create a small bird paradise with native wildflower seeds in pots and flower boxes.” A garden with a rich structure is no substitute for a nature reserve, but can be an important habitat and retreat for various plants and be animals.