Stocksbridge project to bring back willow tit

A new project has been launched in Stocksbridge to halt the decline of the willow tit, a resident bird which has fallen in numbers by 88 per cent over the last 30 years. This project is focused on Fox Glen, Pot House Wood and Newhall Wood where there has been a significant population of the birds. South Yorkshire Forest Enterprise Trust will oversee work to encourage recolonisation, including planting trees to provide suitable nesting sites, installing nest boxes, thinning trees to provide open habitat, and undertaking drainage work to provide the damp conditions that willow tits prefer. In cooperation with the Steel Valley Project, the scheme will train local people in countryside management and nature conservation work through volunteering opportunities. It is anticipated that the work will be complete by March 2018. Simon Thake reports from Fox Glen for Sheffield Live!