The 16th “Hour of the Winter Birds” is over – the campaign was able to mobilize 26,897 Austrians to count the birds in our wintery villages and cities.
The great tit once again emerged as the most frequent guest in the gardens – followed by the house sparrow and tree sparrow. On this year’s counting days from January 4th to 6th, 2025, an average of around 31 birds were in the local gardens.
The environmental organization BirdLife described the strong increase in bramblings in some federal states, including Upper Austria, as a “special highlight”. 37,398 individuals were counted across Austria.
However, the progressive decline of the green body was described as “worrying”. “While the former regular guest at the feeding station could be observed in every second garden in the first few years of the bird counting campaign, it can now only be found at every fifth counting location,” explained BirdLife. The bird disease trichomoniasis has been troubling the green bird for years.
A rare guest from Central Asia, a Tienschan warbler, was even spotted in the federal capital.
Data from Upper Austria
This year, 5,548 Upper Austrians – more than ever before – counted the birds in their gardens for an hour. The great tit was spotted in nine out of ten gardens.
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Image: Roland Augennastik
Source: Nachrichten
