Plan to spice up the ‘scruffy’ habitats of tiny endangered fowl with a stronghold in Wigan

Willow tits are probably the most endangered small birds within the UK. Their numbers have dropped by greater than 90 per cent in simply over half a century – of their Greater Manchester stronghold, breeding pairs have decreased from 300 in 1984 to round 120 in line with estimates.

Now the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside (LWT) and The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) have joined forces to plot a rescue plan to reverse this decline within the inhabitants of the small fowl.

The Wet Willow Wildlife project will gather data on the health of willow tits using volunteers, work with land owners to increase willow tit habitat and improve connectivity between areas where they live, benefitting a whole host of other creatures into the bargain.

Matt McMullen, senior nature recovery officer at LWT, said: “Willow tit in our region like woodland that many people would see as scruffy, with impenetrable brambles, rotting wood and wet ground. These damp areas provide the conditions for willow tit to dig nest holes, which they do every year. Making space for this unruly habitat is important to their survival and thriving in the region.

“It is important that their territories are connected. The undervalued habitat on which they rely can be lost too and become broken up through development, and if left can become too mature.

“We want to demonstrate the importance of the messy woodland on which willow tit and other special species rely. Though open woodland with ground flora such as bluebells, which we enjoy this time of year, is valuable, this habitat does not suit willow tit, whose decline we are hoping to address.”

More than 15 per cent of the UK’s willow tits are discovered within the North West, with Wigan being a central level with the community radiating out alongside river valleys.

LWT and TCV will work with landowners/stakeholders just like the Woodland Trust, Trafford Council and Mersey Gateway Environment Trust, in addition to companions within the Great Manchester Wetlands.

Willow tits are black, pale brown and white in color. They have a pale panel on the wings and a sooty-black cap and bib. Theirs is a particular, nasal “zee, zee, zee” name, which is usually probably the most dependable solution to determine the fowl.

The goal of the Wet Willow Wildlife undertaking is to spice up the willow tit’s probabilities of survival by connecting its habitats and ultimately permitting these areas to be created naturally. They are typically messy, damp and unruly however they’re nice locations for willows tits and different creatures to seek out meals and safety from predators.

The undertaking additionally has many advantages for individuals getting concerned in surveying and volunteering.

The Wet Willow Wildlife undertaking is funded by the Government’s Species Survival Fund. The undertaking is being delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.