Lesser Redpoll, a Red-listed bird of conservation concern, appeared to have been increasing its use of garden feeding stations. Over the 2010/11 winter we sought to find out more.
Methods
Between October 2010 and March 2011, we asked householders to let us know if they had seen Lesser Redpolls in their gardens and, additionally asked if they provided nyjer seed at their garden feeding stations.
Results
Nearly 2,000 people took part in this study, which provided some additional detail to that being collected through our standard weekly Garden BirdWatch counts. Over the course of the winter we saw increasing use of the nyjer seed provided in gardens by visiting Lesser Redpolls, the size of the seed suiting these small-billed finches.
Outputs and outcomes
A short note was included in Bird Table magazine.