Animals
The “Winter Bird Time” counting campaign takes place again at the weekend and everyone can participate. Last year, the great tit was the most frequently seen bird in Lower Austria. In general, however, fewer and fewer birds are observed in gardens.
04.01.2024 19.01
Online since yesterday, 7:01 pm
During the Birdlife organization's first counting campaign, in 2008, an average of 50 birds were observed per garden, in 2022 there were only 36. Last year there was a negative record with 30 birds. But this does not mean that the birds have completely disappeared or even disappeared, says Evelyn Hofer from Birdlife Austria, “on the contrary, it is a sign that they are less connected to the feeding stations because they can still find enough food independently in the wild”.
One reason for the decline will likely be the relatively mild winters of previous years. A special feature this year: with a little luck you might see the exotic waxwing, which comes from Siberia and Scandinavia. “This has already been reported in our neighboring countries to the east and initial observations have already been made in Austria,” says Hofer.
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Collect valuable insights for an hour
Anyone can participate in the “Winter Bird Hour” counting campaign, observing birds for one hour at a time, between January 5th and 7th, and reporting the maximum number of bird species seen at the same time. If you don't want to count it yourself, you have the opportunity to observe together with nature educators and identify the bird at the Lower Austrian Museum.
Even if you don't spot a single bird, it makes sense to report it, says Hofer, because it can also help you determine how many species of birds are currently in your garden. In the last counting campaign last year, the great tit came first with the most frequent observations, followed by the sparrow and the house sparrow. “We’re excited to see who will do the Stockerplatzerl this year,” said Hofer.