COLLARED doves and wood pigeons are now five times more common in gardens than in 1979, according to the results of the RSPB's 25th Big Garden Birdwatch survey.

Collared doves, seen in 62 per cent of gardens, have increased by 525 per cent, while wood pigeons, up by 594 per cent, were recorded in 54 per cent of gardens. The birds, which did not feature in 1979's top ten birds, now hold seventh and ninth place respectively.

Wiltshire's top bird is once again the house sparrow. A total of 7,775 people took part across the county in the RSPB's largest ever bird survey. A record-breaking 409,000 people nationwide watched their gardens and local parks during the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch on January 24 and 25. A staggering 8.6 million birds were recorded and 247,000 gardens surveyed.

Wild birds are a good indicator of the health of the countryside and the survey produces a snapshot of winter garden bird populations.

The four biggest losers since the first Big Garden Birdwatch in 1979 have been the starling, house sparrow, song thrush and blackbird.

The starling, beaten to the top spot this year by the house sparrow, has seen its numbers plummet from 15 per garden to an average of 4.3, a decline of 71 per cent. The house sparrow, with an average of 4.8 per garden, has declined by 52 per cent since 1979 when an average of 10 birds were seen.

Song thrushes have declined by 34 per cent.

Although blackbirds are still common and were recorded in 94 per cent of all gardens this year, numbers are down by 31 per cent.