Willow Tit National Survey – get involved next spring

21/11/2019

The RSPB, Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) and Welsh Ornithological Society are joining forces with Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and county bird clubs to run a national Willow Tit survey in spring 2020, with the aim to understand precisely why the species has declined at such an alarming rate in the UK.

Willow Tit, a highly sedentary species, has been lost from much of southern and eastern England during the past two to three decades. Throughout the UK, numbers have crashed by some 94% between 1970 and 2012. This concerning trend has triggered plenty of research as to why, with several potential causes ruled out. However, the effect of deteriorating habitat quality requires further investigation.

In the UK, damp, young woodland is a key habitat. Naturally, such places don’t have a long lifespan, either growing into mature woodland after 20 to 30 years or drying out, the latter increasingly problematic in light of our warming climate. At present, the RSPB are trialling various woodland management solutions for Willow Tit (part of the Back From the Brink project) which study the daily movements and habitat use of the species. 

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Willow tit under threat as Government make it easier for developers to build on disused mines

Conservationists fear that moves to build thousands of new homes could sound the final death knell for the tough little northern bird

DEAN KIRBY

Sunday 20 September 2015

There were few winners from the death of coal mining in northern England in the 1980s, which saw thousands of jobs lost and disused collieries and factories allowed to turn into wasteland.

One winner, however, was the willow tit, a tough little northern bird just about managing to survive its own battle against extinction by making the region’s post-industrial landscapes its home.

The willow tit, with its puffed-out grey chest and sooty-black cap, has seen its population decline by more than 80 per cent over the past 50 years and around 3,500 pairs are now all that remain in Britain.

They live almost exclusively in the marshy scrubland that has taken over the old mining and manufacturing sites in Lancashire, South Yorkshire and the Midlands that closed during the Thatcher years.

But now the feisty birds – a “red listed” species because they are so at risk – are under threat again as part of plans by the Government to make it easier for developers to build on disused industrial sites.

Conservationists fear that moves to build thousands of new homes could sound the final death knell for the willow tit. They say the birds’ plight needs to be considered carefully before the bulldozers start to roll.

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Woodland species under serious threat

Published on 23/06/2013 06:00

WOODLAND species such as the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Willow Tit are in danger of vanishing from our countryside according to alarming new research.

The RSPB State of Nature report reveals how 60 per cent of the UK’s woodland species have decreased. A further 34 per cent have decreased strongly over recent decades.

The Willow Tit was once widespread across the country but numbers have plummeted over the last three decades and recorded sightings in Sussex have all but stopped. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is is also rare sight in the county.

In the late 1980s Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were recorded in 175 areas across Sussex or 16.4 per cent of the county. In 2011, they were recorded in just 49 areas or 2.7 per cent of Sussex.

The report also revealed that of 262 woodland flowering plants assessed, 30 are on the national endangered Red List. Butterflies have declined by 43 per cent since 1990.

The declines of most woodland species are linked to changes in the structure of woodlands, due to increased grazing pressure by deer, changes to management practices and woodland ageing.

Samantha Stokes, RSPB South East spokeswoman, said: “Our scientists are trying desperately to establish why these birds are vanishing from so many sites. Knowing the distribution of the species will give the best chance of hanging on to these endearing birds. Please report their sighting to the Sussex Ornithological Society at www.sos.org.uk. The more information we can gather the better chance we have of stopping further declines.”

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/woodland-species-under-serious-threat-1-5202536

HABITATS of an endangered bird could stop HS2 in its tracks north of Birmingham.

Rare bird could halt HS2

Feb 20 2013 by Carl Gavaghan, Uxbridge Gazette

The high-speed rail line will threaten the survival of rare willow tits, conservationists warned last week.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust says the tiny species and other woodland birds are in danger because their habitat is close to the proposed route of the high-speed rail trains.

The £32billion line will pass ancient forests, wetlands and patches of mosses, including some areas that are protected by law because of their scientific value.

They include the Lightshaw Meadows nature reserve near Wigan, a haven for rare birds including willow tits. It is feared bats, water voles, newts and other birds including the rare black redstart, could also be at risk.

willow tit (Wikipedia)

Charlotte Harris, director of conservation at Cheshire Wildlife Trust, said: “It’s clear the government sees high-speed rail as the best deal for the north-west economy, but it’s our job to ensure we get the best deal for wildlife too.”

Up to 11 wildlife sites will be within a 100 metre corridor of the line in the north west, and another 35 are just a kilometre away.

The trust says four sites of special scientific interest are also close to the line, including Holcroft Moss, a wetland reserve near Glazebrook, Warrington.

It says the affected local wildlife sites include ancient woodlands containing trees more than 400 years old.

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