Complete our garden bird survey

PEOPLE in Otago are being encouraged to take part in the latest annual nationwide Garden Bird Survey, which starts today and ends on July 2.

Readers are asked to watch and note birds in their garden during one hour on one day during the survey period.

Dunedin and other Otago people are already among the most enthusiastic participants in this national survey, now in its 11th year.

Over the past 10 years, more than a million birds have been counted nationwide in this way.

Of those, more than 182,000 (or 18%) were counted in Otago, and many of those by Otago Daily Times readers, who either sent off the newspaper form or responded online.

When it came to the survey, Otago people were well up in the national pecking order, showing a ‘‘much higher’’ par ticipation rate than other regions, survey organiser Eric Spurr says.

This was despite Otago households comprising only 5% of the national total, by population.

He was ‘‘thrilled’’ with the success of the longrunning survey, Mr Spurr said.

It aimed to use bird lovers as ‘‘citizen scientists’’ to provide more information about changes in bird distribution patterns, which could highlight bird conservation issues.

Although the survey celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, some of its latest findings struck a sobering note, including a ‘‘spectacular decline’’ in the numbers of silvereyes (also known as waxeyes).

Reported sightings of silvereyes in gardens fell 55% over the 10 years in Otago (and 44% nationally), and in Otago reached their lowest reported level last year, at 3.7 sightings per garden.

In Otago the house sparrow (10.4 sightings) was the most frequently reported bird last year, followed by the silvereye (3.7), starling (2), blackbird (1.9) and bellbird (1.7).

The national top five comprised the house sparrow (11.2), silvereye (3.3), starling (2.4), blackbird (2.3) and tui (1.5).

The reported decline in silvereye numbers in Otago gardens could have resulted from relatively mild weather conditions, including early last winter, during which birds could have fed readily in the countryside without having to search for food in city gardens, Mr Spurr said.

The survey is led by Landcare Research, in association with several supporters, including Birds New Zealand, Forest and Bird, NatureWatch NZ and Topflite.

For more information search for New Zealand Garden Bird Survey on Facebook.