10 jaar mus

10 years of Monitoring Urban Species (MUS): stabilisation of the House Sparrow? WGUS 3 November 2016 České Budějovice CZJan SchoppersSovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology

Netwerk Ecologische Monitoring

Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland

• Sovon• MUS 2007-16

• 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 more then 10.000 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 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 those clearly passing by)

• 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 MUS


50% new vollunteers

30% female

750 postal areaclaimed


Publish: to inspire the volunteers


MUS is still growing….

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 20160

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

telling 1

telling 2

telling 3

2016 temporarily


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

Top 25 in MUSSpecies 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


In notebook or form. In 2017 app.

https://www.sovon.nl/nl/actueel/nieuws/avimap-met-welke-tablet-ga-ik-op-stap


Trend all speciesin the Netherlands

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 20150

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

all urban birds tree bush house water

strong increase

moderate increase

stable

moderate decline

strong decline

Number of species trend/year


Trend House Sparrow

• Left: BMP breeding monitor program in the urban area and since 2007 MUS

• Right: PTT winter point counting• MUS-counters get a safety vest if they want it


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?


Difference in habitat en building period

HS BBnew open + 140 228new closed ++ 74 165after ww2 open + 1969 3020after ww2 closed 0 1060 2029pre ww2 open 0 1311 2065pre ww2 closed + 539 1275old < 1900 + 122 269city park 0 266 506busines park 0 515 773

Laag-NederlandHoog-Nederland

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

NL

laag

hoog

Red: sand (high) & Yellow: clay (low)

Red: built-up area

2016 temporarily


Different numbers between cities

Almere

Amsterda

m

Den H

aag

Maastr

icht

Arnhem

Zoeter

meer

gem. R

hede

n

Apeldo

ornBred

a

Groning

en

Rotterd

am

Eindho

ven

Amersfoo

rt

Zwolle

Ensch

ede

Almelo

Den B

osch

DRV&Uithoo

rn

Leeu

warden

Assen

Roerm

ond

Hilvers

um

lande

lijk

0

10

20

30

40

50

ronde 1 ronde 2 ronde 3

aant

al/p

ostc

odeg

ebie

d


Different trend between citiesstadsduif gierzwaluw merel spreeuw huismus

Nederland - - - -- +

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


Tree Sparrow


New breeding & winter atlasHouse sparrow and Tree sparrow in winter(500.000-1.000.000 bp & 50.000-150.000 bp in 2000)

https://www.sovon.nl/nl/vogelgegevens


House sparrow, other countries

BTO.org


Maps House sparrow


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


• Loss of nesting habitat• Food• Shelter of trees, ivy en shrubs • Predators• Atmospheric pollution & global warming

Decline of the House Sparrow?


Loss of nesting habitat?


In Amsterdam centre Swift is breeding, so breeding for House sparrow is possible. But low numbers of HS. The problem is loss of habitat and food.


Food• Mainly seed en insects • Gardens are important • Also rural areas, allotments and greenspace • Roads & predators no negative effect (Shaw, L.M., Chamberlain, D., Conway,

G. & Toms, M. 2011).

• In Holland most trees are non native in the urban habitat• But native trees have by far the most insects. As willow,

oak, birch, hawthorn & poplar (Moraal 2011)



Food• Mainly seed en insects • Gardens are important • Also rural areas, allotments and greenspace • Roads & predators no negative effect (Shaw, L.M., Chamberlain, D., Conway,

G. & Toms, M. 2011).

• In Holland most trees are non native in the urban habitat• But native trees have by far the most insects. As willow,

oak, birch, hawthorn & poplar (Moraal 2011)


Almere does it much better for House Sparrow. More green (food & shelter) in the new city.


Shelter of trees, ivy en shrubs • Less in civil areas• Change shrubs in lawn often mown• Also in the gardens: more stone & artificial turf

Predators• Sparrow hawk more breeding in urban habitat last 20 years (in MUS 0)• But decline House Sparrow turned in stable • Jay, Jackdaw, Magpie (+), Carrion Crow (-) & Rook (0)• House cat ‘Cat wars’ Pete Marra (in MUS +).



Atmospheric pollution & global warming• More reproduction by 17-30°C & 1-7 mm rain/day• Less reproduction more car traffic NO2• BB eye: Dennis Summers-Smith.



NEW


NEW

Presented on the National day for volunteers Sovon on 26 November.


A longitudinal genetic survey identifies temporal shifts in the population structure of Dutch house sparrowsL Cousseau · M Husemann · R Foppen · C Vangestel · L Lens RechearsGate 2016.

NEW

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Laurence_Cousseau

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Laurence_Cousseau

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin_Husemann

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin_Husemann

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruud_Foppen

https://www.researchgate.net/researcher/58561726_C_Vangestel

https://www.researchgate.net/researcher/58561726_C_Vangestel

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luc_Lens


• MUS is a good monitoring program for urban species• Birders like MUS• After 10 years we have trends of about 75-80 species• Recent the House Sparrow is stable on low level• Does it better in the higher part (sand) of NL• The highest numbers in the pre & after WO2 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

10 jaar mus

Education