The sparrow is number one in Ebersberg’s gardens. – Ebersberg

As every year, the “hour of the winter birds” strikes again. For the 13th time, volunteers helped the State Association for Bird and Nature Conservation (LBV) to examine the bird population. In Ebersberg, too, the birds were observed and counted for an hour at the bird feeder, in the garden, on the balcony or in the park.

There have been changes in bird abundance compared to 2022. The most frequently sighted bird is again the tree sparrow, as in 2019 and 2021. This winter significantly fewer great tits visited the Ebersberg Gardens and last year’s number one slipped down one place. A total of 4,939 birds were recorded, compared to 8,409 last year. This is due to the falling number of participants. Almost half as many volunteers took part in the study and a hundred fewer gardens were included. While last year 418 took part, this winter there were only 230. This picture is not only evident in the district of Ebersberg but throughout Bavaria. As a result, the results are less reliable than in years with a large number of participants. “I suspect a certain corona effect. In the meantime, people have less time to observe nature and count birds,” reports LBV district chairman Benedikt Sommer.

This year only the second most sighted bird: the great tit.

(Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa)

While there was a change in first place in Ebersberg compared to the previous year, the great tits were still sighted the most throughout Upper Bavaria, as in 2022. Sommer suspects that the reason behind the fluctuations in the tit population is primarily late cold spells with frost or heavy rain in spring. The LBV would often find eggs that could not be hatched. “The tits leave or overbuild such failed clutches and start a new attempt when the conditions are more favorable,” explains Sommer. In a good season, on the other hand, a pair of tits can raise up to 20 young birds and losses are compensated for. This is also a possible explanation for the fact that the tits have always been able to regain their top position in the past.

For all nature lovers, Sommer recommends feeding garden birds year-round, installing sheltered nesting aids, and reducing potential hazards like pesticides.

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