Sunflower boost for East Yorkshire’s tree sparrows

Now, a splash of late-summer colour is giving the colony an extra boost.

For the first time, RSPB conservation experts at the reserve have planted a dedicated patch of sunflowers, currently in full bloom, which will be left to seed and provide a natural food source for tree sparrows and other farmland birds throughout the autumn and winter.

Tree sparrows have suffered catastrophic declines across Britain and remain on the Red List of birds of highest conservation concern. The latest Breeding Bird Survey results reveal that numbers in England fell by 54% between 2019 and 2024, reversing some of the recovery seen during the 1990s and 2000s.

But East Yorkshire remains a national stronghold – and at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, a combination of targeted habitat management, provision of nest boxes as well as holes in buildings and year-round food provision is helping maintain a healthy colony.

Wardens are celebrating the latest news of 54 breeding pairs (or occupied nest boxes) successfully fledging 302 young this year, which works out as 5.59 chicks per pair compared with five-years ago when 48 breeding pairs (or occupied nest boxes) were recorded and 263 chicks fledged (2021 figures) which is 5.48 chicks per pair. This means 2026 was the second-best year since nest box monitoring began in 2017.

Poppy Rummery, visitor experience manager at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, said: “Our ‘Spuggies’ are often one of the first birds visitors encounter. They’re sometimes dismissed as just another little brown bird, but once you stop and watch them, they’re anything but boring.

“They’re noisy, sociable, full of character – and when you understand just how badly they have declined elsewhere, you realise how special it is to have so many here.

“The sunflowers look spectacular right now and visitors, as well as our butterflies and bees are enjoying them, but their real job is still to come. We’ll leave the seed heads standing to create a giant natural bird feeder for our Spuggies and other farmland birds this autumn and winter.”

Reserve Warden David Aitken has been ringing and studying Bempton’s tree sparrows for many years.

David explained: “We hope our new Sunflower patch will provide the birds with plentiful food throughout the winter. The success of Tree Sparrows partly depends on healthy surrounding populations too and we’re super lucky to be in the midst of a stronghold here and that is also part of our success.

“East Yorkshire remains incredibly important for tree sparrows and we're fortunate to have a strong colony at Bempton, particularly when you consider what has happened to this species nationally.”