Bird-life Conservation in the UK and Ireland

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Everyone living in the UK and Ireland has noticed that there are far fewer birds , especially garden birds, in the towns, cities and the countryside. The noticeable decline is disconcerting and many individuals want to help reverse this trend.

Official statistics released since 2012 have confirmed the observations made by the ordinary person. A number of species of bird have declined rapidly in the last ten years. The House Sparrow numbers have halved and are a red listed species of bird in the UK. The reasons for their decline are not fully understood. The population of Cuckoos has halved since the 1990s as have the numbers of Bullfinches. There was some good news in 2009 for the Bullfinch when these birds were down-graded from being a red-listed species of bird to an amber listed species. The Yellow Wagtail population has also halved since 1995.

The reasons given for the decline are the loss of trees and hedgerows due to modern farming practices resulting in a loss of nesting and roosting places. The increased use of chemicals in farming has reduced the number of insects and seeds for birds to feed on. The colder weather during the winter months is now considered a cause for the decline in some wild birds, such as the wren in 2013.

Conservation efforts are now being made to help threatened bird-life recover with the Barn Owl being one of the targets. The Barn Owl population has declined by two thirds since the 1990s because their natural habitat, such as barns and farm buildings, have been lost. The "loss" is due to the pressure of people moving to the countryside from towns and the conversion of farm buildings to houses. Farmers are now being encouraged to join schemes where they are paid to leave 2% of their land fallow for wild-life. They are also being encouraged to put up nesting boxes to compensate for the loss of suitable nesting places.

One of the most important conservation areas are gardens. Large numbers of people feed wild birds and are now being encouraged to put up nesting boxes so birds, such House Sparrows, can find suitable nesting places. The advice given to those feeding birds is to include as much natural food as they can. For example old fruit will help certain types of birds, such as Thrushes. Food, such as nuts, can become mouldy and should be thrown away. Leaving old leaves on the surface of the earth will encourage worms and other invertebrates for foraging birds such as Blackbirds.

The population of some wild birds such as the Goldfinch have flourished over the last ten years. Birds living in gardens seem to have been afforded a certain protection as opposed to those living in the countryside. For example, the Siskin is unable to cope very well with severe cold snaps during the winter.

The reality of a native bird becoming extinct was brought home when the Corn Bunting disappeared from Ireland in the 1990s and was a "wake up" call for conservationists and ordinary people alike. The hope is that efforts to save our more vulnerable wild birds will be successful in the future.

For more information  on the birds of the UK and Ireland, please visit

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