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Nest of great tits

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SSSSSSSSSSSSppppppppppppaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwPPPPPPPPPPPPrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooojjjjjjjjjjjjeeeeeeeeeeeeccccccccccccttttttttttttNewsletter Number 4, Winter 2010

The GTSPs aim is, with the help of local landowners and managers, to aid the conservation of Gowers tree sparrows.

Nestbox news

Not only were there no treesparrows in the nest boxes thisyear, but numbers of blue andgreat tits were also down, with70% of boxes empty. This wasprobably due to the previous harshwinter. Nationally, both species

managed to produce more youngthan usual in 2010, presumablybecause those birds that didsurvive the winter had fewercompetitors during the breedingseason, and because of a warmdry early summer. Nationally, treesparrow breeding success waslittle different to the previous fiveyears.

However, we will continue tocheck nestboxes for signs ofsparrows, although we might takedown some boxes and move themto other sites, to try to attract birdsin.

The Gower Tree Sparrow Project in 2010

As always a big Thank You! to all the landowners on Gower, who have helped us with nest box and feeder sites in 2010.

The Tree Sparrow has been something of an enigma this year with the only known breeding site on Gower apparently beingabandoned. However, fingers crossed that we can relocate the birds in 2011.

Once again, thanks for your help, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Andrew Lucas

On behalf of the Gower Tree Sparrow Project

If you want any further information, or have seen tree sparrows anywhere inGower, please contact us:

Andrew Lucas, C/o CCW, Llys Tawe, Kings Road, Swansea, SA1 9FG (afterApril, C/O Maes Newydd, Llandarcy, Neath SA10 3JQ)

Or email a.lucas@ccw.gov.uk

Bad News for Tree Sparrowsin Glamorgan?

Sadly, we have bad news on the treesparrows on Gower this year. A singlebird was seen at Newton Farm in May,but after that there were no furthersightings reported. A check during thesummer revealed no sparrows to be

breeding. The tree sparrow populationin the Vale of Glamorgan is also nowthought to be extinct.

So what's going on? Tree sparrows canbe a notoriously unpredictable, withsmall colonies building up, breedingsuccessfully for a few years, and thendeclining and disappearing. A request toother people studying tree sparrows inBritain this autumn brought numerousstories of disappearing colonies. On theother hand, the species can also have

long-term core sites where breedingcontinues for many years. The largecolony in the Tywi valley near Llandeilois still going strong.

We may have lost our birds completely.The colony at Newton was small, andpoor weather, or just bad luck, may havelead to most of them dying during thewinter. However, it is just possible thatthey have relocated to another part ofGower. Since we cannot be certain thatwe are helping tree sparrows, the

feeding work at Newton Farm has beenstopped. It's a long way for volunteers towalk to see nothing!

Our efforts will now turn to trying torelocate birds on western Gower. Let'shope theyre out there somewhere

Spot the Difference!

With the tree sparrow apparentlyAWOL on Gower, receivingsightings of the species is nowmore than important than ever!

Tree sparrows (top left) are easyto separate from their morefamiliar cousins the housesparrow (top right). Unlike housesparrows, tree sparrows havea completely chestnut head,white cheek patch with ablack dot in the middle, a

white collar.

Even if you are not 100% sure ifyou have seen tree sparrowsplease let us know any lead iswelcomed!

With your help we can confirmthe continued existence of thetree sparrow on Gower