Visits to gardens by wrens, robins and blackbirds are up on last year, according to the results of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in the South West, however the number of finches fell.

In excess of 585,000 people across the country spent an hour during the weekend of 24 and 25 January watching their garden and recording any feathered friends that made a flying visit - close to a 100,000 increase on 2014. In south west England 64,622 people took part.

Overall more than eight-and-a-half million birds were spotted, making it another bumper year.

Ssightings of every bird that featured in this year’s top 20 increased on the numbers recorded in 2014, apart from the three finches; chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch. The average number of robins seen visiting gardens was at its highest since 2011, helping it climb three places to number seven, its joint highest-ever position in the Big Garden Birdwatch rankings.

Blackbirds were another climber, moving to number three and becoming the UK’s most widespread garden bird after being spotted in more than 90 per cent of UK gardens.

Despite being the UK’s smallest garden bird, twice as many people saw wrens in their garden this year than in 2014, consolidating its place in the top 20 most popular garden birds.

However, two species found in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch’s top 20 most popular birds remain on either the red of Birds of Conservation Concern [note 4], highlighting just how valuable our gardens can be. House sparrow and starling are on the red list meaning that they are of ‘highest conservation priority – species needing urgent action’.

Tony Whitehead, speaking for the RSPB in the South West said: “It’s wonderful that so many people enjoy watching the birds in their gardens. And getting our gardens in tip-top condition to welcome birds can make a real difference.

When the weather is cold, additional food is always welcome, but there’s so much more people can do. Why not make your garden a welcome home for wildlife all year round? For example planting nectar rich native flowers attracts insects on which birds can feed in spring and summer.

"Leaving patches of grass a little longer also helps the bugs. We know that for declining species such as starlings and sparrows, the availability of insects in spring and summer is crucially important.

“You can also make sure there’s a few native fruit bearing bushes to provide natural food in autumn. And making sure hedges and trees are managed to provide shelter and nesting space for our feathered friends. If natural nesting space is limited, why not put up a bird box? Whether you have a big garden or balcony you can make a real difference for wildlife!

“And don’t forget; think about how you can work within your community to improve your whole neighbourhood for wildlife – bigger, better and more connected!”

Big Garden Birdwatch results also showed a drop in finch numbers this year. This drop does continue a long term decline of 53 per cent since 1979, which is likely due to Trichomonosis. The trichomonad parasite lives in the upper digestive tract of the bird, and its actions progressively block the bird’s throat, making it unable to swallow food. The bird dies from starvation.

Birds with the disease show signs of general illness, for example lethargy and fluffed-up plumage. Finches are frequently seen to have matted, wet plumage around the face and beak, and uneaten food in and around the beak.

The top four locations for greenfinch in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch are islands; Orkney Islands, Isle of Scilly, Eilean Siar and Isle of Anglesey, possibly suggesting the disease hasn’t spread to these areas yet.

“Trichomonosis disease has reduced the greenfinch population severely in recent years, and has been documented in other garden birds, including chaffinch. If trichomonosis is suspected, it is recommended to temporarily stop putting out food, and leave bird baths dry until sick or dead birds are no longer found in the garden.” added Tony.

Other continuing declines include starlings and song thrushes, which have dropped by an alarming 80 and 79 per cent respectively since the Birdwatch began in 1979. Both species are on the UK ‘red list’ meaning they are of the highest conservation concern.

There was also a notable decline in the number of winter migrants that were spotted over the Birdwatch weekend. Redwing, brambling and waxwing all dived down the rankings although RSPB scientists believe this may have more to do with the good conditions on the continent over the winter, reducing the need for these birds to migrate to the UK.

There is slightly better news for the house sparrow, as its long term decline appears to have continued to slow, and it remains the most commonly spotted bird in our gardens. However, it remains a conservation concern as numbers have dropped by 57% since 1979.

For the second year running, participants were also asked to log some of the other wildlife they see in their gardens. The RSPB asked whether people ever see slow worms and grass snakes as well as deer, squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs, frogs and toads in their gardens, which were all added last year.

This will help build an overall picture of how important our gardens are for giving all types of wildlife a home. This information will be analysed and results will be revealed next month.

The parallel event, Big Schools’ Birdwatch, continued the record breaking theme with more schools and children taking part than ever before. The UK-wide survey of birds in schools had almost 90,000 participants and revealed that blackbird is the most common playground visitor for the seventh year in a row. The top three was rounded off by starling and house sparrow, which is now at its highest-ever position in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch rankings.

Big Garden Birdwatch and Big Schools’ Birdwatch are a part of the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home campaign, aimed at tackling the housing crisis facing the UK’s threatened wildlife. The charity is asking people to provide a place for wildlife in their own gardens and outside spaces – whether it’s putting up a nest box for birds, creating a pond to support a number of different species or building a home for a hedgehog.

To find out how you can give nature a home where you live visit: rspb.org.uk/homes