Group exhibition title: No Way of Knowing
23 January – 8 February 2025
North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford

Since 1970, the UK has experienced a dramatic decline in its wild bird populations, with an estimated loss of approximately 73 million birds—nearly a third of the total population. This decline has affected numerous species, including: House Sparrows: Starlings, Skylarks, Blackbirds, and even the Herring Gull is now a red-listed species.
The UK government monitors wild bird populations across key habitats, including farmland, woodland, wetland, upland, and seabird environments. Silent Spring visualizes these losses by adjusting the width of each canvas to reflect the percentage of birds remaining in each habitat.
Wild bird populations in the UK 1970-2022
Total bird population | Upland | Sea | Woodland | Farmland | Wetland |
100% | -13% | – 28% | – 37% | – 60% | – 13% |
Left 87% | Left: 72% | Left 63% | Left: 40% | Left 87% | |
Width : 157 cm | Canvas width: 137 cm | Canvas width: 116.8 cm | Canvas width: 101.6 cm | Canvas width: 71.1 cm | Canvas width: 137 cm |
Source: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Accredited Official Statistics sourced from: British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
