Aims

Since 1970, willow tits have seen a population decline of 94% in Britain and have earned the unenviable title of Britain’s fastest declining resident bird, precipitously close to extinction in Cornwall. There is an urgent need to change the management of habitats, at landscape scale, to prevent this.

This PhD research aims to:

• Baseline the extent and health of the willow tit population in Cornwall
• Use predictive modelling to understand where management interventions would be best placed
• Provide better evidence about the impact of habitat management measures, which can help unlock funding for land managers.

Approach

Saving this enigmatic little bird from local extinction can only happen with input from across the conservation, land management and funding body spectrum. As such, from the outset, this project has been designed and undertaken in collaboration with Cornwall Bird Watching & Preservation Society (CBWPS, known as Cornwall Birds), Natural England, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and other partners.

We are looking to design and deliver a landscape-scale initiative that will increase willow tit habitat extent, quality and connectivity. To achieve this, we have developed methods to survey for willow tit presence and habitat suitability, building upon methods used by the RSPB and other regional surveys. Together with Cornwall Birds we have established a ‘Willow Tit Task Force,’ and have been training volunteers in willow tit species surveying on Goss Moor in Cornwall. Volunteers have already been out collecting baseline data alongside the research team, which will help us target interventions and understand the impact of this project.

Above: The research team and volunteer surveyors on a willow tit training day on Goss Moor SSSI. Photo credit: Dave Thomas

By working with partners, we have leveraged funding from the G7 Legacy Fund to support habitat management. We are working with local land managers to improve the habitat for willow tits, for example by clearing the canopy, leaving dead wood and creating corridors for the birds – following the critical principles of making our network of nature sites bigger, better and more joined up.

What’s next

To make use of the data collected, (often in some very muddy conditions!) by the research team and our task-force volunteers through the late winter survey season. This starts with modelling and mapping to identify where interventions would be best targeted.

We’re already in contact with a great range of land managers and look forward to building new connections and engaging using these insights. This includes planning a trip to Goss Moor SSSI to show these land managers a practical example of interventions we’ve already been able to put in place on this protected site.

Acknowledgements

This project has been made possible by additional funding from the G7 Legacy Fund administered by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Natural England.