MMU PhD student @bensecker.bsky.social is working to understand drivers of Willow tit decline in the UK:

Ben Secker@bensecker.bsky.social · 2d ago

Two retrapped Willow Tits at one of our sites this morning, in all likelihood a newly formed pair. The female (right) is an adult from one of the nests we were monitoring last year on the site. She lost her partner midway though egg-laying, presumably predated, but managed to fledge all four… (1/2)

Two retrapped Willow Tits at one of our sites this morning, in all likelihood a newly formed pair. The female (right) is an adult from one of the nests we were monitoring last year on the site. She lost her partner midway though egg-laying, presumably predated, but managed to fledge all four… (1/2)

How do endocrine-disrupting chemicals in our waterways impact the fitness of animals, like these young Sand Martins, that rely on prey from these sources? @sbac-manmetuni.bsky.social PhD student Jenny Darby is tackling this question, in a project funded by @songbirdsurvival.bsky.social

This ground-breaking new policy is still far too slow. Even the most aggressive public policy fails to grasp the situation and refuses to treat this as the emergency it is.

Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2w ago

France plans to ditch all fossil fuels by 2050. “France announced a ‘first of its kind’ plan to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 & gas by 2050…The roadmap was published as dozens of nations gather for the first-ever international talks on how to transition away from planet-heating fossil fuels.”

Sky News appears to be suffering from a strong irony deficiency… #climatecrisis

Abstracts are open for the BOU Avian Disease Ecology conference (6-8th April 2027, Nottingham, UK). Submit here (deadline July 31st): tinyurl.com/hf2hzf4p Reg fees to be released soon - but you can get an idea of rough costs from the BOU 2026 conference: tinyurl.com/3udbz3c5 Fab line up! 🦠🦜🦠🐦‍⬛🦠

Our new paper led by Jenny Darby is the first to test the acoustic niche hypothesis in human-modified tropical forests - logged and recently burned forests had significantly higher rates of avian vocalisation overlap... nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #Ornithology

Forest degradation reduces acoustic partitioning in tropical avian communities

The acoustic niche hypothesis posits that species partition acoustic space by frequency and time to avoid signal masking, and that any local loss of species leaves detectable gaps in co-evolved sound...

nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

What’s the trouble with noisy neighbours? Come check it out at Animal Behavior Live 2026! We are delighted to announce Dr. Sue Anne Zollinger (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK) as our second plenary speaker at Animal Behaviour Live 2026!🤩 Free registration here: ablaoc.sciencesconf.org

Mental experiment: what would be the political reaction in Europe if 10000 Europeans were killed within a week by a terrorist oragnisation? How can the climate and ecosystems crisis still be treated as a non-issue, a niche concern, or nice to have?

Four juvenile Willow Tits colour ringed this morning at Wigan Flashes LNR, likely all part of the same brood. They should be dispersing soon, so fingers crossed for some follow up sightings, and maybe even nest finding next year… #UKBirding

And they left off Turtle Dove and Willow Tit probably so as not to depress people too much.

Anna Anthro@annaanthro.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · last mo.

The Guardian today published an infographic to demonstrate the dramatic drop in #UK bird species over the last 50 years. Shocking. #ornithology #birdwatching

The last Willow Tit nest of the season now fledged, successfully protected from Great Spotted Woodpecker predation. No GSW predation in protected nests this year, in stark contrast to 100% predation rate by GSW in unprotected nests. Very promising results.

Check out this wonderful guest blog post on Willow tit conservation by our own MMU PhD student @bensecker.bsky.social for @songbirdsurvival.bsky.social www.songbird-survival.org.uk/post/guest-b...

Guest blog: Why are willow tits disappearing from our woodlands?

Guest blog from Ben Secker who is is a Doctoral Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University studying the willow tit. From SongBird Survival, your voice for songbirds and other small birds in the UK, a specialist charity.

songbird-survival.org.uk

When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.

After the completion of the bulk of Willow Tit fieldwork for the season, nice to have a change of scene helping out with a friend and fellow PhD student’s project on Sand Martins. Gorgeous birds, also joined by a few friends… #UKBirding

Probably the most stable stronghold of Willow Tits remaining in the northwest and a vital source population for surrounding areas. Sadly at least two traditional territories lost to urban development in the last couple of years, hoping AB can advocate for more robust legal protection for WTs…

Richard K Broughton@richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Andy Burnham is now MP for an important constituency of Willow Tits! Key areas of Amberswood Common and the Flashes of Wigan & Leigh NNR are in Makerfield, where our study was based. There's dozens of Willow Tit territories there, and likely hundreds in the wider area. doi.org/10.1080/0006...

Andy Burnham is now MP for an important constituency of Willow Tits! Key areas of Amberswood Common and the Flashes of Wigan & Leigh NNR are in Makerfield, where our study was based. There's dozens of Willow Tit territories there, and likely hundreds in the wider area. doi.org/10.1080/0006...

Over several days, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker has spent more than 8 minutes trying to open up this protected Willow Tit nest. No way into this cavity! Protective mesh guard holding strong.

The last few days in the nest are a dangerous time for Willow Tit nestlings, their constant loud begging calls giving away their location. On this occasion they attracted the attention of a Tawny Owl, which tried its luck as one of the nestlings was calling from the entrance. This was a close call!

Anyone blood sampling birds in the UK/Europe for plasma protein analysis? Need some advice on collection tubes to buy (and suppliers) if anyone has experience in that! #ornithology #molecularecology

This male Willow Tit is a Superdad! Last year he permanently injured his leg fighting off a GSW when his nestlings were about to fledge. It’s been wonderful to follow him this year all season, now caring for his 7 nestlings almost ready to fledge. Good luck to him and his family!

Lesson in rewilding from an abandoned field in Carmarthenshire - Willow, Oak, Hawthorn, Bramble racing through the grasses. No habitat management plan, no livestock, no fences, no cost. Willow Tit singing at the bottom of the field. #EarthDay

This year @birdsinwales.bsky.social kindly awarded us a grant to purchase trail camera equipment. @naturespy.bsky.social have also generously loaned us trail cameras. These cameras allow us to monitor Willow Tit nests at a landscape scale, gathering important data around the clock.

Managed to spend a few hours this week watching a pair of our Willow Tits bringing a variety of food items to the nest. Mainly caterpillars, but also many spiders, aphids and craneflies. A balanced diet keeping the full brood healthy so far, and should be fledging in the next few days... #UKBirding

Extensive, unmanaged woodland habitats, abundant deadwood and understorey layer, good connectivity at a landscape scale, a paradise for Willow Tits. But there’s trouble in paradise. Another territory checked just a day too late. GSW predation hitting hard in Carmarthenshire.

For 7 days, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker kept a close eye on this Willow Tit nest. The male GSW took 3 minutes to destroy it. The clutch of 9 eggs were left by the GSW and abandoned by the Willow Tits. It’s touch and go if the WTs have a last nesting attempt this season…

Sharing, without comment, British newspapers’ depictions of the only Jewish person currently leading a UK political party . Times. Mail. Telegraph. Sun.

Blue Tits are a problem for Willow Tits, often taking over WT nest cavities by aggressive eviction. With 6 WT eggs inside, these BTs spent an entire day removing nesting material! The second day was full on warfare, ending in successful WTs. Now a full clutch of 8 eggs safely under incubation. Phew!

PhD Opportunity! 4-year funded PhD @uniexecec.bsky.social: “From cognition to conservation: using cognitive and behavioural research to enhance animal reintroductions”. Closes: 5 June 2026. Funding: @royalsociety.org (UK/Home students only). More info & to apply: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin... 1/

UPDATE: Captured some footage of a male (presumably same pair) GSW checking out the cavity in a similar manner to the female in my previous post, then this a few days ago. Still going, just… #UKBirding #Ornithology

Ben Secker@bensecker.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Some ominous footage gathered a few days ago from one of the Willow Tit nests we are monitoring. GSW are the most common predator of WT nests in Britain, and having increased by ~400% since the late 60s, it's not a threat that's going away. Let's hope this one has amnesia... #UKBirding #Yikes