Birds flock back to gardens in Britain

The bird population of Britain is thriving, with numbers up by about seven per cent on 10 years ago, according to a new report.

Even the decline of the house sparrow - 65 per cent down between 1976 and 2001 - has been reduced in the past two years.

Government estimates reveal that while numbers of starlings and blackbirds have declined significantly since 1970, by 69 per cent and 15 per cent respectively, many common species have prospered.

The figures, which chart bird populations from 1970 to last year, show the blue tit, chaffinch, great tit and robin are becoming increasingly frequent visitors to our bird tables.

The wood pigeon population is up by 87 per cent, while the collared dove has seen its population rise sevenfold. David Noble, of the British Trust for Ornithology, said: "There is certainly some good news. The main message is that farmland bird populations have remained about the same since 2002."

About 20 million pairs of birds are breeding in Britain's homes and gardens. If more householders were birdfriendly, that number could rise to 30 million pairs - half the British wild bird total.