Too few insects mean that the population of these and other birds are falling
Groningen’s Great Tits and other garden and urban birds are not doing well, says urban ecologist Jan Doevandans. The numbers of insects that feed them have dropped alarmingly, and caterpillar numbers (another food source) are also down, partly due to the exceptionally cold spring
Jan Doevendans has been closely monitoring the situation of birds and insects in Groningen City, and the countryside around it, for 25 years.
According to Doevendans, there are hardly any butterflies to be seen this spring, partly due to the cold, and eighty percent of the insects that did hatch have already disappeared, reports the GIC.
According to Doevendans, this situation is not unique in Groningen, with Cabbage and Blue Tits (and other birds) throughout the Netherlands have a lack of food. The reduction in the number of insects also has to do with the fact that there are endless meadows with only one type of grass, with no flowers or variation, that do not form a food source for insects and birds.
Doevendans calls this situation “the green death”. According to him, it is not only up to politicians to do something about this, but every person, individually, can also do something about it by growing many flowers and pruning and mowing grass as little as possible.
Municipality: more trees
The municipality of Groningen also realizes that something needs to be done to conserve insects. That is why roadsides are mowed less quickly, and more and more flowering roadsides can be seen. There is also the ‘green plan’ to plant many more trees in the city, partly against climate change. The municipality’s ambition is to add 30,000 m2 of greenery every year and to plant 1,000 trees on various grounds and sites.
Photo (of a Great Tit) by Łukasz Rawa on Unsplash
