For example, according to the UK’s Birds reports published by a coalition of conservation organisations including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), and others, several common songbird species have experienced major declines. The report from 2018 indicated that since the mid-1970s, there has been a 95% decline in the UK's turtle dove population, and a 92% decline in the UK's lesser whitethroat population.
Similar declines have been observed in other species such as skylarks, tree sparrows, and corn buntings. These declines are often attributed to factors such as habitat loss, changes in land management practices, climate change, and predation. Our wet winters, hot summers with drought like conditions baking the ground have made it harder for them.
Knowing the challenges, we have placed a bird camera feeder in our botanical garden to capture what we have around us, which we will be sharing. It is worth just stopping, listening and savour that sound before it is lost.
