How a reservoir is helping to save declining bird

Once a thriving and common feature of our woodlands, the willow tit is now the UK's fastest declining resident bird.

According to Severn Trent Water, numbers have fallen by about 96% from 1967 to 2023, with only around 3,400 breeding pairs left across the whole country.

Approximately 10 of those are believed to nest in the grounds of Tittesworth Reservoir, near Leek in Staffordshire.

The site, run by Severn Trent Water, has been trying to improve the outlook for the species as part of its wider initiative to boost the area's biodiversity.

Julian Woolford, chief executive of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, told BBC Midlands Today: "To have proper management plans in place at Tittesworth for the willow tit is fantastic."

The decline of the bird's population has been put down mainly to urbanisation and the loss of wet woodlands.

It has vanished from most of southern England, but pockets remain in the central part of the country, as well as in Wales and Scotland, according to Severn Trent.

As part of the biodiversity work, staff at the reservoir have been improving the wet woodland habitat.

They have create more dead wood, in which willow tits like to nest, and specially-designed nesting boxes have also been installed.

Graham Osborn, biodiversity and ecology lead at Severn Trent, said: "We inherit this land from future generations so it's really important we give it back in a better condition.

"To know the work we're putting in now is going to improve the habitat for them, and future generations of willow tit, is a fantastic achievement. For us to be able to put a stamp on that and to really drive this forward."

For its work to improve habitats in the area, Tittesworth was awarded The Wildlife Trust's biodiversity benchmark accreditation in July.

As a result, the 145-hectare (358-acre) reservoir site became the largest of its kind in the UK to receive the recognition.

As well as the rare willow tits, Osborn said the site was also home to many mammals, such as bats, badgers, hedgehogs and polecats.

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.