A long term project on willow tits within the Forest of Dean by Robin Husbands and Nick Christian is now well underway thanks to support from local groups, including a financial grant from GNS. The study’s aim was to discover how many breeding pairs of willow tits were present in the Dean and to then use that information to monitor breeding success and identify the specific habitat requirements of this species.
So far the study has revealed a good deal of information, particularly with regards to nesting requirements, breeding behaviour and threats from predators. To help record the breeding status of willow tits within the Dean, Robin and Nick would be grateful for any information of known locations for this species (particularly whether they are present within the West Dean, Wye Valley and outlying woods to the north and east) and can be contacted on 01594 542185 (Robin) and 01989 567122 (Nick).
Full information on the project will be presented within the next issue of GNS News (March 2013) so look out for the details.