FEWER birds than ever can be seen in the skies above East Lancashire as worrying statistics were revealed.

Scientists have estimated there are 421 million fewer birds in Europe today than there were 30 years ago.

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And Lancashire Wildlife Trust said the region has suffered for decades, partly down to a rise in traffic, changing farming methods and the loss of habitats.

According to the research, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), about 90 per cent of the losses have affected the most common and widespread species, sparrows, skylarks, grey partridges and starlings.

Alan Wright, of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said: “Birds have declined everywhere over the last 50 or 60 years.

“It is down to changes in agricultural methods. We have lost things like hedgerows and these are things that affect not just birds, but bees and insects, too. These are important food sources and where there are fewer insects the birds are going to be dying off.

“We have seen a distinct drop in the number of starlings and sparrows and people will have seen that in their gardens.

“We used to see these huge blocks of starlings but now we only see them in very few places.

“Skylarks have plummeted in numbers and they are beautiful birds that are really iconic for Lancashire.”

However, Mr Wright said there was hope of turning the trend around, adding: “The majority of birds are down in numbers because we have not looked after the countryside over the last few years. But we are trying to reverse that, so there is some hope.

“We do need help, though, whether that is through people joining us or writing to their MPs to highlight this problem.”

Dr Richard Gregory, from the RSPB’s Centre for Conservation Science, said: “This is a warning from birds throughout Europe.

The scientists analysed data on 144 species of birds in 25 countries.