Bird count in May

Twice a year the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union NABU and its collaborator LBV (German: "Landesbund für Vogelschutz") ask all citizens in Germany to count birds for one hour in a garden, on a balcony or anywhere else like in a park. In winter the Germany-wide citizen science project is known under the name "Stunde der Wintervögel" and takes place in January. The spring version "Stunde der Gartenvögel" is held in May.

In 2020 the citizen science project "Stunde der Gartenvögel" took place from the 8th to the 10th of May for the 16th time. According to the NABU almost 160.000 people participated.

It is easy to participate. You just need an hour in order to note down all the birds you see and/or hear around you. You can also write down all the birds that just pass by. And it doesn't matter whether on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. You just have to follow the rule how to count the birds in order to avoid double counts. That means, if you decide to participate, please consider only the highest number of birds you see (or hear) of a species in one place at the same time.

You can submit your bird count on the website of the NABU or LBV via an online form (not active at the moment). There is also the NABU app which you can use for submitting your bird count. The fastest and easiest way to communicate your data to the organizers is via the online form and the NABU app. However, there is also a paper version of the online form, which you can send by mail to the NABU. Another way is by phone. But just on Saturday, as only few nature observers consider this option. You will find more information about how to submit bird counts on the website of the NABU.

The house sparrow was the most common bird of the citizen science project "Stunde der Gartenvögel" in 2020 followed by the Eurasian blackbird and the great tit. Compared to the previous year numbers of all three bird species decreased Germany-wide (house sparrow: -5%, Eurasian blackbirds: -2%, great tit: -14%). However, the rank order have not changed since 2006. Meaning, for 14 years the first three ranks are occupied by these three bird species. Thus, house sparrows, Eurasian blackbirds, and great tits seem to be the most common birds in Germany's gardens and parks.

As mentioned above, almost 160.000 people participated in this citizen science project on that weekend. It was a new record. In 2019 only about 76.000 participants counted birds in their surroundings. How did it come to such a great interest in birds this year? Was it because of the coronavirus pandemic which led to an increasing interest in nature at home? Or was it because of the mass die-off of blue tits this spring? Or is there another explanation?

I stayed close to the bird house for one hour and waited for the birds to fly or waddle past.

Apropos waddle. Most of the time I was searching for the birds anywhere in the trees. However, with respect to some Canada geese I did not have to search in the trees. I did not have to search them at all, as they were quite noisy. I had seen two of them before on my way to the bird house. Were they the same birds or two other individuals? As I did not know, I had to count only two Canada geese for the bird count in that moment.

European robins came to rank number 12 both Germany-wide and in Berlin. However, when compared to 2019, numbers of European robins decreased by 14% all over Germany and in Berlin even by 18%. Do these numbers represent an actual decline of these birds and will this trend continue?

Numbers of common chaffinches also seem to drop. Germany-wide 21% fewer observations were submitted to the bird count, but still they reached rank number 13. In Berlin common chaffinches reached only rank number 20, although their observations have decreased only by 4%.

I even spotted a female and male common chaffinch together on a tree trunk. Unfortunately, I was too slow to get a good photograph of them.

I was especially curious about the blue tits. Would I observe a sick blue tit? Or would I observe at all a blue tit?

As I had observed only healthy blue tits in the weeks before, I did not expect to spot any sick bird. As far as I know the blue tit population in Berlin was not affected by the bacteria so far.

Nevertheless, I indeed encountered blue tits during that hour. Meaning, I saw a blue tit several times, but I could not tell if it was the same individual or not. Thus, I only could note down one blue tit for the bird count. Luckily, I did not spot any sick individual.

On a meadow I saw some hooded crows foraging. I was looking around to spot some starlings. However, on that day I could not spot any of them on that meadow.

Hooded crows are quite common in Berlin. I see them very often in many different places in the city. As they are so common, sometimes I even oversee them. But still I'm a little bit surprised that hooded crows reached rank number 7. I would have expected an even higher rank. When compared to the previous year, their counts even decreased. But only by 5%.