Figure 2
Number of sites from which Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula) disease incident reports (DIRs) were submitted in Great Britain by syndromic disease surveillance category, June–November inclusive, 2013–2020 (n = 265); improved reporting was implemented in 2019*. Data labels indicate total number of sites from which passerine DIRs were submitted in respective years. *Whilst the number of blackbird morbidity reports was relatively consistent across the period 2013–2018 inclusive, a marked increase in the absolute number of DIRs occurred in 2019, which was reflected across the Passeriformes species, and for hedgehogs as a control group (Supplementary Fig. 2). This increase can be explained by a change in the online platform which prompted an increased number of reports made by participants in the GBW scheme. A further increase in the scale of reporting occurred in 2020, again across garden wildlife species, is accounted for by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people working from home and observing wildlife in their gardens and immediate surrounding areas.
