From the RSPB team:

06/03/2024
To whom it may concern,
Thank you for your support of the Twite Recovery Project – An Update
The Twite Recovery Project is an RSPB/Natural England partnership project which was set up in 2008 in response to the dramatic declines in the twite population in the South Pennines, the last place that this threatened species breeds in England.
The project has previously received significant funding from Natural England since 2008, through the Action for Birds in England partnership, and we have also had generous support over the years from Marshall’s and Yorkshire Water.
However, we are very sad to announce that the Twite Recovery Project has not received the funding required for the project to operate as planned this year. Although we have tried to find alternative funding sources, with such short timescales and the level of funding involved we have unfortunately not been successful. We will be continuing a reduced schedule of the most vital project work over the next 6 months, but thereafter will have to halt the majority of the project work.
The project team has worked tirelessly over the years to understand the reasons for and halt the declines in twite. Together, we have achieved a lot, including:
- Setting up agri-environment agreements with over 60 upland farmers in the South Pennines which include the requirement to restore and manage upland hay meadows to provide lots of seed-bearing plants for twite to eat, this includes over 700 ha of meadows and pastures restored and managed as a feeding habitat for twite.
- Planting almost 10,000 plug plants in key areas as food sources for twite.
- Running 15 feeding stations in key locations to provide supplementary
food for twite.
- Working with ringing volunteers to colour ring South Pennines twite so
individual birds can be identified, and movements monitored.
- Coordinating over 30 volunteers who have worked on the project with
inspiring enthusiasm and commitment, whether that be monitoring
feeding stations, helping with surveys or carrying fencing equipment onto the moor.
- Carrying out long term monitoring of the twite population and using the
data to give us new insights into why twite are declining and what we can do to help.
- Designing and testing a novel nest protection fence to protect twite nests from mammalian predation and trialling it around 4 active twite nests. Not one of these nests was predated, and, after worrying the birds wouldn’t accept the fence, one pair even re-nested within the fence!

Despite all these efforts, twite have unfortunately continued to decline in the South Pennines, and in 2023 we found only three breeding pairs on the sites that we surveyed, though there are likely to be more breeding pairs out there, albeit in very low numbers. We are disappointed that we will not be able to carry out our ambitious programme of conservation work for twite this year, but we are currently working up a plan of the activities that we can keep going in the short term with support from the RSPB Yorkshire and Humber team and we will keep you updated about this.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported the project over the years, including those who have provided significant funding for the project (including Natural England, Marshalls and Yorkshire Water), the farmers who have made amazing transformations of meadows which have benefited not only twite, but many other upland species too, and the staff and volunteers who have put so much energy and enthusiasm into the project, thank you all so much. We ask that you continue to do all you can to help twite, whether that be continuing to manage hay meadows to provide lots of food for twite, maintaining suitable nesting habitat on the moors or continuing to advocate for this protected species in the work you do. We hope to continue working for twite in the future and hope to see you then.
Yours faithfully,

Ashleigh Atkinson
Twite Project Manager
ashleigh.atkinson@rspb.org.uk
+44 (0) 74276 86634

Katie Aspin
Senior Conservation Officer
katrina.aspin@rspb.org.uk
+44 (0) 77367 22177