House sparrow flying high over Fermanagh

HAVING now well and truly knocked the chaffinch off its perch, the house sparrow has retained its title of Fermanagh’s top bird again this year.
The results of the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch, which took place at the beginning of the year, have once again seen the house sparrow named as the most commonly seen bird not only in Fermanagh, but across both the North and the UK as a whole.
Until the 2023 results, the county had bucked the trend for many years with the colourful chaffinch previously long-established as the most commonly spotted bird in the county.
For three years now, though, it has been relegated to second in the Fermanagh list.
While we may match with the number one slot, the forest-covered lakelands still stand out on their own when it comes the rest of the top then though, with the chaffinch only coming in at six on the northern-wide list.
Third on the Fermanagh list was the blue tit, fourth was the goldfinch, the blackbird came fifth, and the robin was sixth.
While the starling was the seventh most seen bird in Fermanagh, according to the RSPB survey, it was the second most spotted bird across the North. On that overall list, the blackbird was third and the blue tit was fourth.
Conservation manager with the RSPB NI, Neal Warnock, pointed out this year’s big birdwatch took place on the same weekend as Storm Éowyn. Despite this, the charity was “thrilled” by how many still took part.
Speaking of the annual survey, Mr Warnock said, “It’s a fun, easy way to connect with nature, and year after year, it gives us valuable insight into how our garden birds are faring – so thank you to those who took part.
“The results help highlight just how vital our gardens and green spaces are for supporting wildlife.”