House sparrows are the number one bird most frequently spotted across UK gardens for the 20th year in a row.
However, nearly 22 million house sparrows have been lost from the UK since 1966.
The RSPB’s chief executive, Beccy Speight said: “With so many people sending in their sightings over the weekend from across the UK, Big Garden Birdwatch really helps paint a picture of how our garden birds are faring.
“While we celebrate the 20-year stint of the house sparrow at number one, the numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the startling declines of some of our once common birds. We are in a nature and climate emergency. We’ve lost 38 million birds from our skies in the last 50 years.”
This year’s results have also highlighted the vulnerabilities of garden birds, from weather changes to disease. The long-tailed tit, a much-loved species, rose five positions in the rankings this year, with numbers 39 per cent higher than in 2022.
Meanwhile, greenfinches and chaffinches have been badly affected by a disease known as trichomonosis spread by contaminated food and drinking water.
Here is the Northumberland top 10:
1. House sparrow
The house sparrow takes the number one spot with an average of 5.21 per garden, an increase from 5.11 last year. It was recorded in 69.1% of gardens. Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)
2. Blue tit
The blue tit takes the number two spot with an average of 3.09 per garden, the same as last year. It was recorded in 78.8% of gardens. Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)
3. Starling
The starling takes the number three spot with an average of 2.86 per garden, an increase from 2.82 on last year. It was recorded in 37.1% of gardens. Photo: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
4. Blackbird
The blackbird takes the number four spot with an average of 2.84 per garden, the same as last year. It was recorded in 89% of gardens. Photo: Ray Kennedy (rspb-images.com)