House sparrow is most commonly sighted bird in Northern Ireland

The house sparrow was the most commonly spotted bird

Since coronavirus lockdown restrictions were introduced, many people have turned to nature for comfort.

Birdsong, once drowned out by traffic noise, has become more apparent in suburban streets and a survey by the RSPB suggests amateur bird watching is on the increase.

The conservation charity said this year's Big Garden Birdwatch was more popular than ever, with 18,500 people taking part across Northern Ireland.

The survey ran for two days in January.

For 42 years nature lovers have charted dramatic changes to bird populations across the UK in the wildlife survey, which began in 1979 and remains the world's largest.

Birds such as the song thrush and greenfinch, once a common sight in Northern Ireland's gardens, have been overtaken by the woodpigeon and long-tailed tit.

Starlings landed second on the survey

This year the house sparrow was the most commonly sighted bird in Northern Ireland, perched in the top spot for the fourth year in a row.

Starlings landed in second place on the survey and blackbirds flew into third position.

'Reignited a love of nature'

More than 350,000 bird sightings were recorded in Northern Ireland and the charity said participation increased by a third.

RSPB NI conservation officer Kate Gibb said more than a million people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch this year, counting 17m birds.

Ms Gibb said lockdown measures seem to have "either started or reignited a love of nature for many people, right on their doorsteps".

She said the survey was important for charting garden bird numbers and showed 16 out of the top 20 bird species declining in average counts compared to last year.

Robins, blackbirds and song thrushes all saw an increase on 2020 too.