February is ‘National Bird Feeding Month.’ There has been a decline in the number of birds across Europe with the number of common birds decreasing by 420 million since 1980. Lincolnshire is no exception. The aim of Bird Feeding Month is to halt this decline by feeding the birds in gardens.
February became National Bird Feeding month in 1994. It was one of the toughest months of the year for birds to survive. The month is in place to encourage people to feed birds during one of the coldest months of the year.
Lincolnshire in particular is a county flourishing with lots of wildlife such as the Barn Owl and the Buzzard, which are now nesting again in the county.
The Little Tern, The UK’s smallest tern species, can only be found in one place in the county. Gibraltar Point on the coast of Lincolnshire is now the only place they can be found, compared to the seven or eight sites previously.
On the other hand, some bird species are unfortunately on the decline in Lincolnshire which include the Sparrow and the Goldfinch where the number has gradually declined.
Rachel Shaw from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust encouraged people to feed the birds in gardens across Lincolnshire and spoke on the effect that it will make.
“Feeding in gardens will help garden species such as the Goldfinch, Great and Blue Tits. It is important to provide them with regular food and not just every so often so the birds don’t return to an empty birdfeeder.”
Rachel continued by adding other ways in which we could protect birds in Lincolnshire as well as feeding in gardens. “How we manage the landscape also plays a massive role in the protection of bird species in Lincolnshire.”