The Lower Saxony Forestry Office Sellhorn has been mapping forest breeding birds for about 50 years. Since 2011, the forestry office has been conducting a systematic monitoring programme for forest bird species. The aim of the survey is to document the development of forest bird populations in the forest office.
Many birds are considered indicator species for forest development. An indicator species reacts sensitively to various environmental influences. Thus, influences on the forest bird population can be detected.
Every day, the foresters take special account of the concerns of bird life in the near-natural management of the forests. Our silvicultural concept develops the forest into old semi-natural mixed deciduous forests. This positive change in the forest is reflected in the forest bird monitoring as well as in the effects of very dry or very cold winters.
For the past twelve years, three selected forest areas in the nature reserve "Lüneburger Heide" have been studied four times a year by independent ornithologists. A total of 38 different forest bird species have been recorded in the precincts.
However, clear and distinct statements about breeding behaviour are only possible over a long period of time. Therefore, although the surveys have been running for 12 years, we are still at the very beginning.
We are always happy to receive interested supporters of the project in order to ensure the long-term nature of the systematic breeding bird monitoring. In the coming years, it will be interesting to observe how the consequences of the drought years since 2018 affect the forest stands in the study area and thus possibly also the forest bird species.