The 20th edition of the Het Grote Vogelweekend van Natuurpunt has come to an end and according to provisional figures, 47,237 enthusiasts have counted the garden birds in Flanders. 805,501 birds have been counted in 25,403 farms. On average, bird counters see 24 birds of 7 species per orchard, slightly more than last year. The top 3 are: house sparrow, great tit and chaffinch, same as last year. The Blackbird continued to sink and even disappeared from the top 10 in Flemish Brabant.

“We are very curious about the numbers blackbird after there was a new outbreak of the usutu virus last year. Unfortunately, we have to conclude that its presence in our gardens is steadily declining. For the first time, it is no longer in the top 10 in the Flemish province of Brabant. In the Flemish top 10 he fell to 8th place. For the first time blackbirds were observed in less than 70% of the park counted. Between 2000 and 2010 he got 3 morethat or 4that places and they are still present in over 90% of farms counted,” said Gerald Driessens, an ornithologist at Natuurpunt.
“That house sparrow it may be number one, but the numbers have been dropping over the years. 20 years ago sparrows were in more than 60% of gardens, now less than 50%.

On average 24 birds of 7 species were seen in our gardens, in 2022 there were 23 birds of 7 species. The tally is still coming in, but with 47,237 bird counters, both in schools and at home, it looks like we will reach the same number of counters as in 2022. Garden bird counts don’t necessarily say anything about population trends in individual species on a national or international scale. Europe, though the shifts are often similar. We only measure how many birds come to our garden at the time of counting. These are always subject to the same factors: weather and natural food availability, which the situation here and in their breeding grounds can play a role in.

Here you will find a handy infographic with the first results.

Fewer birds from the far North

Due to the mild winters, not many winter birds come to our garden. We mainly rely on resident birds that roam year-round and winter birds that feel attracted to our gardens: think tits, robins, and finches. While the increase in crows appears to have been stagnant, the wood dove appears to be steadily increasing. In further analysis of the quarter count alone, we will see how the numbers really relate.”

Like last year, we haven’t seen any notable invasion of wintering birds from the north in recent months. “In the final report we will pay extra attention to the decline of the blackbirds, but also how the greenfinches, who are tired of the impact, are doing Trichomonas gallinae (also known as ‘het Geel’),” said Gerald Driessens. This parasitic disease should make us constantly aware that we have a responsibility to keep the dining area hygienic enough: so that no excess seeds last a long time and greatly increase the chances of germs. “We also wanted to know how the gradual decline of the Collared Dove is playing out geographically. We are now seeing about 35% fewer of these pigeons in the garden compared to 2006-2008”. The putter, a species with no ambitions for the top 10, is at the back of the rankings but continues to show himself in a positive light.

Our birds and gardens

Together we can create additional assets for birds and nature with our garden designs, as they cover 12% of the Flemish surface. The more natural design ensures that garden birds not only visit to feed, but also to breed and raise their offspring. Other animal species can also benefit from this, such as porcupines. Even if you don’t have a garden, sparrows, starlings, or wall fast boxes can make all the difference locally for the species.

About Big Bird Weekend

The Big Bird Weekend is Natuurpunt’s biggest public campaign and the count is still on its way. With Het Grote Vogelweekend, Natuurpunt wants to collect data about our garden birds. With professional biologists, it would be impossible to collect so much data. At the same time, Natuurpunt wants to awaken people to the beauty that can be found in our nature, but also in our gardens. We also want to further encourage them to continue to feed and help the birds in a responsible way, especially during the winter months but also during the breeding season. Natuurpunt would like to thank all of our counters and our park’s bird ambassador Tine Embrechts for their enthusiasm and assistance with this count. Final results will be published in a more detailed report at the end of February.

Top 10 in Flanders (in brackets 2022 ranking):

1. The house sparrow (1)

2. Great Titans (2)

3. Tick (3)

4. Wood Pigeon (5)

5. Chew (6)

6. Blue Tit (4)

7. Collared Pigeon (8)

8. Blackbird (7)

9. Magpies (9)

10. Robin (-)

Counting was also carried out in the Netherlands and England last weekend. In the Netherlands, the temporary big three are: house sparrow, great tit and blue tit.

You can submit your details by Friday via www.vogelweekend.be

Bird Counting Week for Schools

During Bird Counting Week for Schools, which took place from January 23 to 27, 4806 students from 245 classes jointly counted more than 12,793 birds. At the Flemish playground, the black raven outperformed the crow of the year and was the winner. In previous years, the raven had been the most calculated bird on the Flemish playground eight times in a row. With the crow at number 2 and the wood dove at number 3, the stage species remains the same here.

Regional differences

The province of Antwerp retains the championship title in the number of participants

In the province of Antwerp, 220,280 birds were counted by 12,567 counters in 7,321 farms. Although (temporarily) slightly down compared to 2022 (12,849), Antwerp remains the most active province during park bird counting. There are an average of 22 birds of 7 different species per park, which is about 1 bird per park more than last year. As in 2022, the house sparrow, great tit and wood pigeon define the top 3 in the province of Antwerp. Devink takes only sixth place here, which (after Brussels) is the lowest place for all of Flanders. The carrion crow was replaced in the top 10 by the robin.

Antwerp top 10 provinces (in brackets 2022 rating):

1. house sparrow (1)

2. big boobs (2)

3. Wood Pigeon (3)

4. Chew (4)

5. Blue Chest (5)

6. Check (6)

7. blackbird (7)

8. Turkey Pigeon (8)

9. Magpies (10)

10. robin (-)

Also in Limburg: goodbye black crow

The greenest provinces score well each year in the number of garden birds counted, but we systematically look at the lowest number of participants here (after Brussels). In the province of Limburg, 103,607 birds were counted by 4716 counters in 2966 gardens. With an average of 27 birds of 8 different species per park, the Limburg parks remain the most bird-rich. The house sparrow, great tit and blue tit once again define the top 3 here. Crow and blackbird lost 2 places each and carrion crow also left the top 10 here. Wood pigeons and collared pigeons rose slightly and robins came in at the top 10 out of 9that The place.

Top 10 Limburg province (in brackets 2022 rating):

1. house sparrow (1)

2. big boobs (2)

3. blue chest (3)

4. tick (4)

5. Wooden Pigeon (7)

6. Turkey Pigeon (8)

7. Chew (5)

8. blackbird (6)

9. robin (-)

10. Magpies (9)

East Flanders shares the Flemish top 3

In the province of East Flanders, 189,249 birds were counted by 10,184 counters in 6,160 farms. On average, there are 24 birds of 7 different species per park, which is 1 species less from 2022. In East Flanders, house sparrows, great tits and chaff now define the top 3, with which species 1 and 3 place change places . Also in East Flanders, the blackbirds had to lose 1 place compared to last year.

East Flanders top 10 provinces (in brackets 2022 rating):

1. House sparrow (3)

2. Big tits (1)

3. tick (1)

4. Chew (4)

5. Wood Pigeon (5)

6. Blue Chest (6)

7. Turkey Pigeon (8)

8. blackbird (7)

9. Magpies (9)

10. Starling (-)

Flemish Brabant: blackbirds out of the top 10 provinces for the first time

In the Flemish province of Brabant, 127,210 birds were counted by 7,012 counters in 4,074 gardens. There are an average of 23 birds of 7 different species per park. House sparrow, great tit and chaffinch now fill the top 3 positions. So places 2 and 3 swap places. And it hurts: Blackbird is leaving the top 10 provinces here for the first time, even if it’s only temporarily. But who would have thought that this might have happened 10 years ago… Last year he got an 8st The place. The Collared Dove returned to 10th place after a short absence.

Flemish Brabant top 10 provinces (in brackets 2022 rating):

1. house sparrow (1)

2. Big tits (3)

3. tick (2)

4. Blue Chest (4)

5. Wood Pigeon (5)

6. Magpies (6)

7. Chew (7)

8. Starling (9)

9. black raven (10)

10. Collared Pigeon (-)

The collared pigeon is also now sinking further afield in West Flanders

In the province of West Flanders, 149,786 birds were counted by 7731 counters in 4708 farms. There are an average of 25 birds of 7 different species per park, meaning West Flanders has the second best score in terms of number of birds per park. The house sparrow, jackdaw and chaffinch define the top 3. The big tit dropped slightly to 4th place. The West Flemish top 10 saw a clear change. The wood pigeon took the sprint from 8st to 5that places, at the expense of the blackbird and collared dove, who had to lose 1 and 2 places respectively. The magpie disappeared from the top 10 after a year.

West Flanders top 10 provinces (in brackets 2022 rating):

1. house sparrow (1)

2. Chew (4)

3. tick (4)

4. Big tits (3)

5. Wood Pigeon (8)

6. blackbird (5)

7. Blue Chest (7)

8. Turkey Pigeon (6)

9. starling (9)

10. robin (-)

Brussels-Capital Region: the ring-necked parakeet moves further forward

In the Brussels Capital Region, a total of 221 participants in 131 gardens totaling 2,576 birds. There are an average of 14 birds of 5 different species per park, meaning both numbers have dropped by one unit. The house sparrow, great tit and wood pigeon are now in the top 3 in Brussels. The exotic ring-necked parakeet is out of the top 10that go straight to 6that place and is now present in about 1 in 3 gardens. The hedgehog sparrow crept into the top 10 and the black crow left the series.

Brussels Capital Region Top 10 Provinces (in brackets 2022 rating):

1. House sparrow (2)

2. Big Boobs (1

3. Wood Pigeon (3)

4. Blue Chest (4)

5. Magpies (6)

6. Rose Ringed Parakeet (10)

7. Check (5)

8. blackbird (7)

9. starling (9)

10. Hedgemus (-)