In January the RSPB, with the help of 400,000 birdwatchers across the UK, counted around six million birds for the organisation's annual Big Garden Watch.
Around 6,000 people took part in Northern Ireland.
The results of the survey showed that the starling is the most observed bird in the county, with the house sparrow and chaffinch in second and third place. The number of starlings in Co. Antrim has increased, the RSPB said, with an average of six per garden. Almost three-quarters of gardens throughout the UK reported at least one starling during the survey.
The most widely spotted bird overall was the blackbird, which was seen in over 90 per cent of gardens surveyed.


STILL on a nature theme, how do you fancy doing a spot of tree-hugging?
The Woodland Trust is wanting folk to take part in its Ancient Tree hunt.
A remarkable oak at Belfast's Belvoir Park Forest, estimated to be 500 years old, is possibly the oldest tree in Northern Ireland, but who knows – there could well be other veteran trees growing near you!
Gregor Fulton of the Woodland Trust in Northern Ireland explains: "We're asking local people to get recording – to simply keep a look out for our oldest trees and then record them on our website.
"They will probably be much fatter than neighbouring trees, but not necessarily that tall, as really old trees start to shrink down. Keep a look out for those with nooks and crannies, with rotting or dead wood," He continues: "These living landmarks harbour an amazing array of life – fungi, lichens and insects, while their crevices provide sites for bats and nesting birds."
You don't have to be an expert to take part in the Ancient Tree Hunt, as each record received will be checked by verifiers. You just need a tape measure to record the tree's girth, or some willing friends to do some tree-hugging. An oak, for example, will be of interest if it takes at least three people to give it a hug!
Visit the Ancient Tree Hunt website for tree hunting tips, including how to recognise an ancient tree and how to measure its girth. Find out more and record online at www.ancienttreehunt.org.uk or telephone the Woodland Trust's Bangor office on 028 9127 5787 for a free leaflet.


I HEAR that a number of young people from schools and uniformed church organisations in and around Larne were among recipients of silver standard Duke of Edinburgh awards in a ceremony at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster recently.
Around 180 teenagers were presented with the second-highest award and urged with great zeal from the platform to pursue the scheme through to gold award and beyond. Good job they didn't hear the less-than-enthusiastic parent in the back row who, after the first batch of nine had been presented with their certificates, remarked, "Only another 171 to go."

AN elder statesman of local politics was proud of his purchase of a toy, presumably for a young relative.
It was a model dinosaur.
Some unkind people might be tempted to come up with disparaging metaphors, but I couldn't possibly comment.

FACED with a potential £250,000 bill for dredging the harbours at Carnlough and Ballylumford, councillors demanded to know why the tender was nearly £70,000 over budget.
Until now the sludge was disposed of on the seabed close to me at The Maidens, but it's been diverted – because of aquaculture interests – to a spot off the Co Down coast.
Council wags suggested potentially explosive Beaufort's Dyke as an alternative .
Read all about in next week's Larne Times.