I expressed the hope in yesterday’s blog post that the twite that are just starting to nest in the South Pennines had escaped the worst of the moorland fires.
The news isn’t good.
Now twite need some introduction, as they are aren’t very well known. Their close relative, the linnet, is much more familiar. Their name comes from the nasal call they make as the bound across the heather. A close-up view reveals a yellow bill and pale pink rump.
Twite used to be a characteristic bird of the South Pennines, not hard to find in rough triangle of uplands between Huddersfield, Bradford and Rochdale. They nest in the heather but depend on an abundance of weed seeds through out the spring and summer – they absolutely depend on the presence of good quality hay meadows.
The population in the South Pennines is under huge pressure already with perhaps no more than 100 pairs remaining – my colleagues in the area are estimating that as much as 40% of them could have been affected by the fires currently gripping the area. The South Pennines is one of Europe’s top wildlife locations and is designated as a Special Protection Area.
Now, it’s way to early to know exactly how serious the impact is – there’s a chance birds could relocate as it is still early in their breeding season – but it is undoubtedly a blow to the efforts to reverse the fortunes of this engaging little finch. We are part of the England Twite Recovery Project (which is a partnership between: the RSPB; Natural England; Pennine Prospects – The Watershed Landscape Project; and Kirklees Council) and we’re working with farmers to help keep hay meadows as a feature in the landscape of the area, they are important in their own right but without them the future for the twites in England is bleak.
The impact of these fires highlights the risks that befall wildlife when numbers re reduced and the population is restricted to a few key areas – their vulnerability to a disaster increases. It is made even worse knowing that some of these fires will have been deliberately set.
Our thoughts and thanks go to the people who are fighting the fires.
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Heartbreaking news Andre.