8 years of monitoring urban species (wgus meeting)

8 years of Monitoring Urban Species (MUS): the comeback of the House Sparrow? WGUS-meeting, 20 & 21 november, Ghent

Jan SchoppersSovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology

Netwerk Ecologische Monitoring

Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland

• Sovon• MUS 2007-14

• introduction• some overall result

• the House Sparrow (Huismus) in MUS• numbers• trend• distribution• favourite habitat• abstract

Contents


• Sovon (1973) is a non-governmental agency which initiates national surveys of bird populations in the Netherlands

• Fieldwork is carried out by 8900 dedicated volunteer ornithologists

• professional staff of 60 colleagues • project organization• www.sovon.nl

Sovon, Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology

http://www.sovon.nl/


Monitoring Urban Species (MUS) 2007-…

A simple scheme for breeding birds in built-up areas

‘mus’ is also the popular Dutch word for (House) Sparrow


• Observers can choose a census area in their neighbourhood (selected by postal code)

• Make point counts of 5 minutes each at 8 to 12 randomly pre-selected points within the census area

• Record all birds observed (regardless of their distance and activity, but except migration & flying from/to roost)

• 3 rounds: 1-30 April (dawn), 15 May-15 June (dawn), 15 June-15 July (summer evening, especially for Swifts and Common House Martin)

The survey method of MUSon the left: distribution of postal areas in NL


50% new vollunteers

35% female

750 postal areaclaimed


To inspire the volunteers


MUS is still growing

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20140

100

200

300

400

500

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700

telling 1

telling 2

telling 3


• 164 bird species 382.000 ind.• 19 mammals 4.450 ind.

Top 25 in MUS in 2014Species number postal

areaWestern Jackdaw 50042 634Common Blackbird 37575 651Common Wood Pigeon 30689 648House Sparrow 25295 583Common Swift 24794 579Common Starling 16314 560Great Tit 15928 649Carrion Crow 13076 630Common Magpie 12767 638Eurasian Collared Dove 12235 579Mallard 12060 546Feral Dove 9542 312Black-headed Gull 8935 321Northern Chiffchaff 8517 611Common Coot 8194 489Common Chaffi nch 7590 564Blue Tit 7550 603Winter Wren 7486 592Herring Gull 7068 313Lesser Black-backed Gull 6574 290Greylag Goose 5186 197Blackcap 4770 516European Greenfinch 4266 505Rose-ringed Parakeet 4070 189Dunnock 3760 546


Every MUS-birder can check the results



Basic data of the count



Birds per point and a warning for high number or rare species


Every MUS-birder can check the resultsnumber per postal area of the House Sparrow


Trend all speciesevery extra year, more species

2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80soorten trend number of species

strong increase >5% a yaer 8moderate increase <5% a year 21stable 14moderate decline <5% a year 27strong decline >5% a year 6


Till 2013: House Sparrow

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

0

20

40

60

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120

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160

180

200

BMP MUS PTT

• BMP breeding monitor program in plots• PTT winter point counting


In 2013 MUS is integrated in BMP

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20130

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40

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9 common urban birds House sparrow Starling Great Tit Blue tit

1990=100

Bron: CBS/Sovon


Trend House Sparrow

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20130

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

NL Urb High-UrbLow-Urb city park

• Note: 70% of the House Sparrows NL live in the urban area• Different trend agricultural en urban• Different trend high and low part of NL• Agricultural high: more horses and stable?• Low: clay, high urbanized High: sand, less urbanized

Laag-NederlandHoog-Nederland

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20130

20

40

60

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NL high-agr Low-agr


Different numbers between cities

Almere

Amsterda

m

Den H

aag

Maastr

icht

Arnhem

Zoeter

meer

gem. R

hede

n

Apeldo

ornBred

a

Groning

en

Assen

Rotterd

am

Eindho

ven

Amersfoo

rt

Zwolle

Ensch

ede

Almelo

Den B

osch

DRV&Uithoo

rn

Leeu

warden

lande

lijk

0

10

20

30

40

50

ronde 1 ronde 2 ronde 3

aant

al/p

ostc

odeg

ebie

d

• Huge different between Amsterdam (old city) and Almere (new)

• Great and stony cities are less popular


Different trend between citiesferal pigeon, swift, black bird, starling, house sparrow

stadsduif gierzwaluw merel spreeuw huismusNederland - - - -- +

Almere ? ? 0 - 0Amsterdam 0 - - ? ++Apeldoorn -- ? - -- +Groningen ? -- 0 ? +Nijmegen - -- - -- ?Utrecht - - 0 -- -Zoetermeer ? ++ - ? -Eindhoven ? - ? ? ++


Difference in habitat en building period

business park

city park

old <1900

pre world war 2- closed

pre world war 2 - open

after world war 2- closed

after world war 2 - open

new - closed

new - open

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50

Huismus

laag hoog• Note New: temporarily, number of counting points is low • Highest numbers after WW2, 1960-90 • Old district not the highest numbers• NL high the highest numbers• Although New >1990 gives hope?


Maps


Tree Sparrow


Maps every dot a counting point: open, no birds


Maps


Benchmark with MUSbird species that breed in houses, number per point


Score compared with similar districts rest of NL


Benchmark per district bird species that breed in houses


Measurements for birds breeding in houses


• Keep counters satisfied and recruit new• A new MUS course• More in detail look at the environment• Start of a year round garden count

http://www.tuintelling.nl/

• A course for professionals about spatial development, how to keep the birds in your building

• A public website benchmark

Future


Future


• MUS is a good monitoring program for urban species• Birders like MUS• After 8 years we have trends of about 75 species• Recent the House Sparrow is stable on a low level• Does it better in the higher part (sand) of NL• The highest numbers in the after WW2 districts• Also the highest density is found in the younger (1-2x higher

whole NL) cities and districts and give hope for the future• But we have to look more in detail of buildings and habitat• And keep the birders enthusiast.

Abstract


• to the dedicated MUS-counters• Birdlife International – the Netherlands, NEM

and CBS• photographers Harvey van Diek and myself• my colleagues Erik van Winden en Henk

Sierdsema• for invite and listen to me!

Thanks to

8 years of monitoring urban species (wgus meeting)

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