Conclusions
1) Gardens support a large number of roosting birds during winter. It is possible that these roosting opportunities are vital in helping some individuals to survive cold winter nights.
2) Nest boxes are used mostly by Blue Tits and these feisty birds tend to roost alone.
3) Bespoke roosting pouches tend to support Wrens more than any other species. More roosting pouches were recorded as ‘unused’ than was the case for either nest boxes or other cavities. However, it is possible that more observers, having purchased a roosting pouch, made a special attempt to monitor this pouch as part of the survey than a nest box or other cavity, which could give rise to more negative records (i.e. no birds seen roosting).
4) Other garden cavities hosted the greatest diversity and number of roosting birds. These included House Sparrow, a species of high conservation concern, which is also likely to benefit from such cavities for nesting during the breeding season.
Thank you so much for participating in the Roosting Survey and for helping us to reveal these fascinating results!
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