Tayside and Clackmannanshire Hotlinks
Loch Leven National Nature Reserve
Loch Leven Wildlife
Tree Sparrow Nest Box Project results 2007
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
Primarily an arboreal species, and often confused with its
larger cousin, the House Sparrow, the Tree Sparrow is a species in decline,
having been subject to a 87% reduction in the 25 years up to 1996. This catastrophic decline in population is
poorly understood, but availability of insects for nestlings and availability
of nesting holes are likely factors. On
the reserve, to increase suitability of habitat for this species, we currently
have about 50 nest boxes scattered in various wooded areas. Each box was created by a different volunteer
at the Discovery Day event in
Box Number |
Results |
1 |
Some nesting material but no nest |
2 |
Some nesting material but no nest |
3 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
4 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
5 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
6 |
No Breeding activity |
7 |
No Breeding activity |
8 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
9 |
No Breeding activity |
10 |
No Breeding activity |
11 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
12 |
No Breeding activity |
13 |
No Breeding activity |
14 |
No Breeding activity |
15 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
16 |
No Breeding activity |
17 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
18 |
Some nesting material but no nest |
19 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
20 |
No Breeding activity |
21 |
No Breeding activity |
22 |
No Breeding activity |
23 |
No Breeding activity |
24 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
25 |
No Breeding activity |
26 |
No Breeding activity |
27 |
No Breeding activity |
28 |
No Breeding activity |
29 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
30 |
No Breeding activity |
31 |
No Breeding activity |
32 |
No Breeding activity |
33 |
Wasp nest |
34 |
No Breeding activity |
35 |
No Breeding activity |
36 |
Tree Sparrow nest |
37 |
Breeding Activity Tit nest |
38 |
No Breeding activity |
39 |
No Breeding activity |
40 |
No Breeding activity |
41 |
Tree Sparrow nest with 6 eggs |
42 |
No Breeding activity |
43 |
No Breeding activity |
44 |
Wasp nest |
45 |
No breeding Activity |
The Tree Sparrow nest boxes have now been checked with some success, and some disappointment. As was expected with the nest boxes, many have yielded no results, but over half the boxes had been used or at least investigated by either sparrows or tits.
Checking the boxes involved examining the nest material used. Tits make a neat nest with a lining of moss at the bottom with more robust material making the cup in which the eggs are laid. TheTree Sparrows’ nest is a bit of a mess with lots of material in the box, including a mixture of feather, sticks and moss. A couple of the nest boxes had a wasps’ nest attached to the lid, which came as a surprise to the surveyor!
The nest boxes will be cleaned out this winter ready for the next breeding season. We will be checking them again for further activity next July.
More will be put up once constructed on our forthcoming Tree Sparrow nest box building day, where we will be constructing more boxes with volunteers on the reserve. Keep an eye on the website for details.
