10 jaar MUS

10 years of Monitoring
Urban Species (MUS):
stabilisation of the
House Sparrow?
WGUS 3 November 2016
České Budějovice CZ
Jan Schoppers
Sovon 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

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 area
claimed

Publish: to inspire the volunteers

MUS is still growing….
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
telling 1
telling 2
telling 3
2016 temporarily

• 164 bird species 382.000 ind.
• 19 mammals 4.450 ind.
Top 25 in MUS
Species number postal
area
Western Jackdaw 50042 634
Common Blackbird 37575 651
Common Wood Pigeon 30689 648
House Sparrow 25295 583
Common Swift 24794 579
Common Starling 16314 560
Great Tit 15928 649
Carrion Crow 13076 630
Common Magpie 12767 638
Eurasian Collared Dove 12235 579
Mallard 12060 546
Feral Dove 9542 312
Black-headed Gull 8935 321
Northern Chiffchaff 8517 611
Common Coot 8194 489
Common Chaffinch 7590 564
Blue Tit 7550 603
Winter Wren 7486 592
Herring Gull 7068 313
Lesser Black-backed Gull 6574 290
Greylag Goose 5186 197
Blackcap 4770 516
European Greenfinch 4266 505
Rose-ringed Parakeet 4070 189
Dunnock 3760 546

Every MUS-birder can check the results

In notebook or form. In 2017 app.

Trend all species
in the Netherlands
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50
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
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 BB
new open + 140 228
new closed ++ 74 165
after ww2 open + 1969 3020
after ww2 closed 0 1060 2029
pre ww2 open 0 1311 2065
pre ww2 closed + 539 1275
old < 1900 + 122 269
city park 0 266 506
busines park 0 515 773
Laag-Nederland
Hoog-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
0
10
20
30
40
50
aantal/postcodegebied
ronde 1 ronde 2 ronde 3

Different trend between cities
stadsduif gierzwaluw merel spreeuw huismus
Nederland - - - -- +
Almere ? ? 0 - 0
Amsterdam 0 - - ? ++
Apeldoorn -- ? - -- +
Groningen ? -- 0 ? +
Nijmegen - -- - -- ?
Utrecht - - 0 -- -
Zoetermeer ? ++ - ? -
Eindhoven ? - ? ? ++

Tree Sparrow

New breeding & winter atlas
House 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 MUS
bird 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 sparrows
L Cousseau · M Husemann · R Foppen · C Vangestel · L Lens RechearsGate 2016.
NEW

• 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

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