Kuopio’s entire bird population has changed considerably in 60 years. The number of sparrows has dropped to a few percent.
The biggest change has been in the number of sparrows. The same phenomenon is also visible elsewhere in Finland.
In Kuopio, Ruokolainen says, the sparrow population has fallen by tens of percent in about 60 years. At one time, sparrows together with pigeons made up 55% of all birds counted. A third of the birds were sparrows.
– In the past, up to 800 sparrows have been counted in one day in the city centre of Kuopio, and now we may find as many as fifteen,” Ruokolainen describes the change.
He admits that the sparrows may have partly gone from the center in search of food to, for example, Niirala and Linnanpello neighborhoods. Especially in winter, they may follow the bird feeders to the suburbs, because food has decreased in the city center.
– Despite this, it is clear that the number of sparrows in Finland has decreased very much. That’s the most shocking change.
Over the years, new bird species have also arrived in Kuopio, whose population has grown. For example, siskins, blue tits, magpies and greenfinches are like that.
Ruokolainen says that, for example, the magpie used to be a scarier, but today it nests, for example, on the corner of the market, in any tree.
– Mallards have settled in Maljapuro and don’t leave much in the winter. During the worst frosts, they settle in the drum pipes and freeze there, Ruokolainen lists.
Over the years, approximately 121,000 birds have been counted in the bird counts in Kuopio. Bird counts started in the 1960s.