Numbers of woodland birds declining in South Australia

David Paton, The Advertiser

October 26, 2017 10:30am

BIRD week is a time to celebrate our feathered friends. But the cacophony of diverse calls that makes a dawn chorus special is diminishing.

Woodland birds are disappearing from our landscapes. We are heading towards a “Silent Spring”.

Rachel Carson in the 1960s used these emotive words to draw attention to losses of birds to pesticides.

And the world acted. Now, if we are to save our woodland birds, we must act.

Adelaide’s Mount Lofty region is a biodiversity hotspot, one of just 15 recognised in Australia.

Biodiversity hotpots should be the last place where species are disappearing — but disappearing they are. They are heading towards extinction.

Surveys of the distributions of woodland birds in 2012-14 showed most species had declined since 1984-85, many by 30-50 per cent.

Read on 

Decreasing woodland bird population needs closer monitoring, says Island Nature Trust

'If we're not out there on the ground, these things catch up to us'

By Sara Fraser, CBC News Posted: Nov 08, 2016 6:00 AM AT Last Updated: Nov 08, 2016 6:00 AM AT


There's been a big drop in the number of woodland birds on P.E.I. according to recent surveys, says the Island Nature Trust. 

 
The surveys aren't part of a structured monitoring program, but the group said it's seeing a general trend towards fewer forest birds across the Island.

"If we're not out there on the ground, these things catch up to us," said Megan Harris, the executive director of the trust.

"And before we realize what's going on, we're trying to scramble to fix something that we don't fully understand."



continued

City birds 'cope better in cold' than those in woodland

Urban breeding birds fared better than their woodland counterparts during 2012's cold, wet weather for the first time in 10 years, a study has found.

Blue and great tits in a woodland area were compared with those in Cambridge.

Researchers found urban birds relied less on a single source of food, such as caterpillars, whose numbers are affected by cold weather.

Woodland birds also bred less during the cold spell in 2012, said the Anglia Ruskin University study.

It was carried out in conjunction with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) referred to 2012 as "one of the worst breeding seasons on record" following poor results in its annual surveys of nests and fledglings.

'Urban advantage'

The latest study concluded birds living in native British woodland were "more susceptible to the effects of extreme weather conditions than those in urban environments".

Continued

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

Work to save woodland birds to take place in Worcestershire

Rare birds to benefit from woodland work

February 2013. Work to improve habitat and protect declining woodland birds is about to take place at two Worcestershire nature reserves.

Funded largely by a Woodland Improvement Grant, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust is about to undertake thinning and ride widening works in two woodlands.  Trench Wood (near Sale Green) and Monkwood (near Grimley) have both been the focus of previous forestry work and wildlife gains have been recorded.

Lesser spotted woodpecker.
Photo credit Pete Walkden.

James Hitchcock, conservation officer for the Trust, explained "The work we're undertaking is part of the long-term restoration of both these woodlands. Visitors to the woodlands have become used to work of this sort over the last few years. The areas we're working in and the type of work we're doing this year, however, are very much focused on trying to halt the decline of woodland birds like spotted flycatcher, marsh tit and lesser spotted woodpecker."

Marsh tit and spotted flycatcher

As we have lost woodlands and our traditional woodland management methods have faded, numbers of woodland birds have declined. Once common, birds like the marsh tit and spotted flycatcher now have red status - severe decline in numbers and whose population is globally threatened.

While there are a number of factors contributing to this decline, re-instating coppicing in woodlands can help. Coppicing involves cutting down trees almost to their base - the trees spring back to life with strong new growth, which can be cut again on a constant cycle. By managing on rotation, woodland managers can ensure there is always a range of habitat for wildlife.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/worcestershire-woods.html

Woodland birds charge into gardens

Woodland birds are pouring into gardens amidst reports of patchy seed and nut availability in the countryside. Eye-catching Siskin, Brambling, Nuthatch, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker are leading the way, new results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveal.

This winter is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever for garden bird enthusiasts. Latest findings from BTO Garden BirdWatch, a year-round survey of garden wildlife, show that over 80% of our frequently spotted garden bird species have been more abundant over recent weeks compared with 2009–2011.

Most striking has been the increase of birds that we normally associate with woodland. Siskin and Brambling, both colourful and sociable members of the finch family, have been four times more numerous in gardens this autumn compared with recent years. Patchy seed availability in the countryside appears to be forcing these birds out of woodland, while bird foods such as sunflower hearts and nyjer seed are drawing them into gardens.

Continued:  http://www.surfbirds.com/community-blogs/blog/2012/11/13/woodland-birds-charge-into-gardens/